Ford LTD News

Ford is the latest manufacturer to join the rush to space-saver spare tyres. From October the Falcon range will come with a temporary space-saver spare tyre as standard despite the company's insistence last year that there were no plans to follow Holden's lead.“There was criticism of Holden when the VE was launched without a full-size spare and some of it was from us,” Ford Australia President Tom Gorman conceded in announcing the Blue Oval's move.Holden launched its VE range with a standard space-saver spare, an industry first for the Australian-made family-car market.“Since then we have been watching the market and this is where the market is moving. Consumers are telling us by what they are buying that a temporary spare tyre is not a major issue.”Gorman says a full-size spare will be available as an option in line with Holden's marketing, and the price of a full-size alloy has been cut from $400 to $150, while a 16 inch steel spare is $100.“It has become obvious that the full-size spare gave us no commercial advantage in the market,” Gorman says. While the move will trim 5kg from the Falcon's overall weight, Gorman says it will not provide any significant savings for the company in production costs nor shift the Falcon's fuel-economy rating.“There are some small savings but nothing that is going to make any real impact,” he says.While the last of current Falcons will be made with a spare tyre well capable of holding the optional full-size wheel, that will not be the case when the new Orion range arrives early next year.Gorman says the market's acceptance of space-savers spares will provide extra flexibility for the Orion cars with the possibility of two boot configurations, one for customers who are satisfied with a space-saver and want extra storage space and another for those who specify a full-size spare.Ford has also deleted the Barra 220 and Barra 230 V8s from its engine range.The decision to no longer offer the 5.4-litre 24-valve engine was driven by the Ford North American's decision to close the Essex plant in Windsor, Ontario, where the engine is made.“In reality it is not that big a decision,” he says. “We were only selling around 10 of those engines a month. We are not talking big numbers.”The affected models are the Fairmont Ghia, the Fairlane G220 and G8 and the LTD. The XR performance cars will not be affected as they use the 32-valve V8 which is still freely available.Gorman says Ford Australia has stockpiled enough of the three-valve engines to meet model demand until the arrival of the Orion. While Ford struggles to bolster its Falcon sales in the run-up to the arrival of the all-new model early next year, Gorman says he still has faith that the new car market will tip one million sales this year.“There are a couple of factors that could impact in the latter half of the year,” Gorman says. “Interest rates (rising) will have an effect. The federal election is another factor out of our control, but in any event the market will be one million and that will be a record.” 

These iconic Australian-made cars will exit a rapidly-changing market, with consumers demanding higher-technology and smaller-displacement engines in the premium sector.The long-wheel base versions of the Falcon have suffered a sales decline over the past five years, while its main opposition - the Holden Statesman/Caprice range - has increased export sales to offset slowing local demand.The Melbourne-based car maker said the decision coincided with the arrival of the medium-sized Mondeo, returning to the Australian market after a six-year absence.Ford said there was a major decline in sales of vehicles in the upper large-car segment.Industry observers have pointed to Ford’s product planning as being partly to blame, suggesting that Ford may have diluted the original premium perception of the Fairlane and LTD by reducing the specification of the models to bring them into reach of a broader market.

Nothing stands out more than a Hummer — except a Hummer that has been stretched to measure 11m from nose to tail.The four-wheel-drive mud-plugger has been transformed into a luxurious party truck that is more bold than beautiful at twice the length of a standard Hummer.Operated by Melbourne-based Krystal Limousines, it will ferry the rich, the famous and anyone else chasing a slice of Hollywood glitz.So CARSguide convinced its owners to take the chrome-encrusted cruiser to Bungaree, a small town 10km east of Ballarat to test its wow factor.We have tested a lot of cars through the years, but nothing causes as much of a fuss as the Krystal Hummer.Drivers slam on brakes, passengers hang out of car windows with camera phones and pedestrians stare with wide eyes and open mouths.It's safe to say Bungaree has seen nothing like it.First stop is Bungaree Primary School.We want to ask the kids what they think of the super Hummer and see if we can fit an entire class in the back.There is enough space to fit half the school in the limo at once, comfortably.Sure, the school population is on the small side at 32, but that's still a good effort.On the road, the super-sized Hummer can legally carry 14 adults and one driver, all with seatbelts, on soft leather seats.It could carry more, but considerable space is taken up by the two bars, complete with ice buckets full of drinks, including champagne magnums.There are 14 cupholders, because, for some reason, limo passengers seem quite concerned about staying hydrated.The interior has all the subtlety of a Las Vegas casino. Strobe lights flicker below the seat cushions. Neon strips on the bar and the roof pulse in different colours.More than 2000 tiny fibre-optic lights in the roof flash in different colours in tune to music that rocks the interior with the firepower of 12 speakers and three thundering subwoofers.The windows are extra thick and dark so you can party in private, but occupants can see everything happening outside.If they tire of watching accidents being caused by goggle-eyed motorists, they can watch one of three video screens in the huge cabin.Passengers in the back of the truck can even use a wall-mounted phone to talk to the driver — the Hummer is that big.The Krystal Hummer, which weighs about 4500kg, draws a crowd as it sits outside the Bungaree school."You couldn't do circle work in that, could you?" jokes one onlooker.The kids, who are further dwarfed by the imposing machine, are impressed."I reckon that if I had a chance to buy that or a house, I'd buy that," 11-year-old Tyler says.Ten-year-old Zac justifies the purchase of such a car by suggesting an owner could save on holiday costs."You wouldn't have to go to a five-star hotel. It has a mini-bar and the stereo is so loud."The kids aren't allowed any champagne, but its very presence impresses one of the pupils."I liked the mini-bar and the alcohol," says an eight-year-old girl.The most popular description of the Krystal Hummer is "awesome" and the "the coolest car in the world".Asked which celebrities would ride in a stretched Hummer, the kids suggest Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and Madonna, before a young boy pipes up:"I reckon Tom Cruise would have one because he's crazy."Well, the slightly eccentric are known for their love of stretched Hummers — the Osbourne family get about in one.Krystal Limousines expects some celebrity bookings, but also offers the Hummer for debutante balls, graduations, weddings, parties — pretty much anything.Pricing depends on how long you need it and where you go, but a full load of passengers could pay about $50 each for an hour with a reduced hourly rate after that.It's not cheap, but the company has already had several wedding bookings for couples keen on a bit of Las Vegas glamour.The special Hummer is an expensive machine and a fair chunk of the $300,000 it owes its owners was spent on shipping.The Melbourne-based partner of Krystal Limousines, Steve Nogas, bought a standard Hummer H2 SUT in the United States and shipped it back to Australia.He had it converted from left-hand drive to right-hand drive then shipped it back to California so it could be stretched by Krystal Enterprises, a big operator that customises several Hummer limos every week.The car was then brought back to Australia.The process was so convoluted because red tape meant the car had to be imported as a road-legal machine.The Hummer is relatively easy to stretch because it has a separate ladder frame.The drive-shaft is made up of five sections and the Krystal Hummer retains its fully functioning 4WD system, even if it isn't so good for off-road work any more.It has a heavy-duty suspension and brakes, but runs a standard 6.0-litre V8 and five-speed automatic.The owners are yet to measure the custom Hummer's fuel economy, perhaps out of sheer terror.We cruise up to the Bungaree general store, where the Hummer's arrival interrupts Tilly the Pug's blissful slumber.The dog poses for a photo in front of the Hummer that dwarfs her owner's shop.It seems everyone wants to be photographed in front of the gleaming limo — though we expect Tilly was doing it only because of the food we promised.Nogas is amazed by the number of photos that have already been taken of his 11m baby."The reaction is incredible. The cameras started clicking the first time we took it out," he says.Krystal Limousines partner Perry Webb agrees, noting "a lot of people do a double take when the huge Hummer rolls past"."People see it and rub their eyes and look again. You can see them thinking, 'Is that what I think it is?'LONG HISTORY OF CONVERSIONSPEOPLE have been stretching cars for a long time.Almost as soon as cars were created, they were turned into long limos.Stretched open-top machines appeared in Australia as early as 1918, when this machine was snapped on King William St in Adelaide.Luxury sedans such as the Ford LTD, Lincoln Town Car and Chrysler 300C are popular models for modern conversions, but keep your eyes peeled for rarer lengthened cars.Stretched versions of two-stroke Trabants can be spotted in the Czech Republic, lengthened Ladas have been seen in Russia and an Australian has even stretched a 1970s Beetle to 9m — we don't know why.Stretch limos are everywhere in the United States and some have rear-mounted spa baths.One American, with far too much cash, has even stretched a Lamborghini Diablo — oh, the humanity.