Ford Australia limited/special edition runs

[Bushbasher]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

I'm confused as 140mph is faster then 170kmh.

Read it again. I was going 100mph (160kph) and they passed me going 140+

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Bushbasher

Read it again. I was going 100mph (160kph) and they passed me going 140+

Good point. I read it as I passed not was passed.

[XR6_power]

Originally Posted by SPArKy_Dave

XF Family Edition - I have a wagon one of these.

image

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Now the pic on that brochure bring back some memories! My auntie and uncle and uncle had the sedan version of the "Family Edition" XF Falcon, with the bench seat/column shift. It seemed like they had that car for 20 years and probably at least 1/2 a million kms! It certainly owed them nothing!

[Sar4890]

A mate of mine had a kb laser turbo i think there was about 400 made it was white with twin blue stripes and white wheel and a build number on the dash it was a fun car back in the day .

[dave351cid]

I just bought a FG XR50 Turbo ute in Nitro blue.
I found somewhere that there were 454 XR50 Turbo utes made. with a choice of 6 different colours there probably not a lot of the blue ones left.
I will probably keep it forever.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Tote

Don't forget the RS2000 Escorts, speaking of Scheel seats

image

Regards,
Tote

Theres a few different Escort RS's to look out for...
Five colours were available aswell as couple of silver and hermitage red/burgundy cars that were produced on special order.
A few dealer specials are out there too.
A black with gold stripe JPS livered four door in Perth. May have been a giveaway or promo car. Saw it around alot in the nineties, was last advertised a few years back but hasn't been seen since.
Challenger Ford built two turbo cars (no ADR compliance) both white, four and two door. The four door is long gone, it'd seen alot of damage before the last owner lost interest and re-shelled it into a Mk1 bubble arch. Shame.

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

In Oz from memory 75-76, in the US 1968 ?? I do remember the first big 477 gasser Louie delivered as a concrete truck.

G'day , thanks...Our local Caltex fuel tanker was hauled by a beaut Louisville for years and years...Cheers Rod

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by dave351cid

I just bought a FG XR50 Turbo ute in Nitro blue.
I found somewhere that there were 454 XR50 Turbo utes made. with a choice of 6 different colours there probably not a lot of the blue ones left.
I will probably keep it forever.

Pretty sure there were only 231 XR50 Turbo utes made.

[DJR David]

Love this thread!!! what about the Tx3 in white as a turbo? Plus the DJR turbo XE in blue and the SVO in white XF

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

Theres a few different Escort RS's to look out for...
Five colours were available aswell as couple of silver and hermitage red/burgundy cars that were produced on special order.
A few dealer specials are out there too.
A black with gold stripe JPS livered four door in Perth. May have been a giveaway or promo car. Saw it around alot in the nineties, was last advertised a few years back but hasn't been seen since.
Challenger Ford built two turbo cars (no ADR compliance) both white, four and two door. The four door is long gone, it'd seen alot of damage before the last owner lost interest and re-shelled it into a Mk1 bubble arch. Shame.

I owned one 1300 cc...two 1600's and one OHC 2 litre Escort .. The 1300 was the Mk1 , all the others were Mk2's...
I ended up buying brand new a 2 door base model L, 1.6 litre...cost was $5686 ..I know because i still have an owners manual with price with a couple of extras was written inside...They had a Rally Pack 2 door 2.0 litre Escort for sale too ..I was 19 and was just too expensive .. It was a demo with a couple of thousand kays on it at the time and was about $6500 if memory serves me correctly from 37 years ago..

The Rally Pack I was tempted to buy then had the short shift 4 speed manual , totally different sports suspension , OHC 2.0 litre engine , better brakes , distinctive cloth upholstery trim and upgraded dash , spoiler and body decals,alloy wheels and a tinted band laminated windscreen ..a big deal in those days compared to the safety glass base model...It was yellow and had black trim and driving lights.....The RS2000 we got in Australia is shown here for identification purposes.. ..http://rsmotorsport.com.au/files/ID_Aussie_RS2000.pdf I suppose some got bit thinking they were buying a genuine RS2000...I know the Scheel seats , sports instruments , optional radio cassette etc was a bit special...
Never been in one yet ...but they passionately love them like crazy in Europe... Cheers Rod..

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

I suppose some got bit thinking they were buying a genuine RS2000...

The Australian cars were fakes then?

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

The Australian cars were fakes then?

There were ( I think 25??) German built RS2000 homologation car sold in Australia, I think most consider them the REAL RS2000.

I'm no expert on them but I know the Aussie built version are not considered in the same way as the German built RS cars.

[Polyal]

Yes 25 came from the EU but the other two door ones as every bit an RS as EU's one, I dont recall any particular differences.

I believe we were the only country to do the sedan though, these are still RS's by badge but resale/collectability will never be the same as the coupe.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by DJR David

Love this thread!!! what about the Tx3 in white as a turbo? Plus the DJR turbo XE in blue and the SVO in white XF

The DJR XE & XF's wen't factory though...

Still, the DJR Grand Prix turbos are collectors items! Was even a Red DJR XE that would fetch a bit of coin.

[roKWiz]

I suppose my Louie could qualify under the limited run banner as they only built 528 LN8000's
There was only 128 LN700's (gas powered single drives)

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Yes 25 came from the EU but the other two door ones as every bit an RS as EU's one, I dont recall any particular differences.

I believe we were the only country to do the sedan though, these are still RS's by badge but resale/collectability will never be the same as the coupe.

LOTS of differences:

Standard items on these cars are (different to the Aust RS2000):
◾ Alloy sump with baffle and extra wing to increase oil capacity,
◾ Alloy bell housing
◾ Alloy engine mounts
◾ RS cast twin downpipe exhaust manifold
◾ Large brake booster
◾ Unique radiator top hose
◾ Pancake type air filter
◾ Large suspension top mounts
◾ Larger stub axle and bearings (same as V6 capris and Lotus Cortinas)
◾ Larger taper on steering rack ends (same as V6 Capri and Lotus Cortina only metric thread)
◾ Gear stick 75mm further back over Australian escorts
◾ Up rated Sash front suspension
◾ Up rated Degirling gas rear suspension
◾ Twin radius arms on diff housing
◾ RS steering wheel with RS branded centre cap
◾ Unique centre console
◾ RS dash with white needles
◾ Clock and pod in dash facia
◾ Different styled exterior mirrors
◾ Thick black side stripe
◾ 2 litre badge on front guards
◾ Blacked out around rear lights
◾ One piece carpet
◾ F O R D lettering in nose cone

Although the two RS2000’s looked the same, they were in fact very different in performance in standard form.

German 82kW (110bhp) top speed 178km, 0-100km 8.5sec standing quarter 16.9sec.

Australian 70 kW (93.8bhp) top speed of 168km, 0-100 time of 11.5sec standing quarter 17.9sec.

You will pay 3 to 4 times as much for a German one.... kinda like saying a Phase 3 is no different than a XY GT...

[QLD-Bluey]

Originally Posted by Sar4890

A mate of mine had a kb laser turbo i think there was about 400 made it was white with twin blue stripes and white wheel and a build number on the dash it was a fun car back in the day .

A funny story about one of these. Around the late 80's or so when I was a teenager, we were cruising around in a mates XW Fairmont (that was pretty nice with a 302 and auto) and we come across another bloke we knew who had just bought a dark blue LC GTR Torana (pretty original etc) any way we ended up stopping side by side at set of lights in Coorparoo in Brisbane and we were egging eachother on putting crap on Holdens and them of Fords (as you do). The lights turned green and we both launched with the sound of revving engines and tyre smoke, pretty much side by side. Nobody saw the little laser in the third lane beside us when we were stopped, but we all saw the tail lights leave us all for dead with all us young fellas just sitting there with our bottom jaws in our laps.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Stefan

There were ( I think 25??) German built RS2000 homologation car sold in Australia, I think most consider them the REAL RS2000.

I'm no expert on them but I know the Aussie built version are not considered in the same way as the German built RS cars.

Correct 25 homologation cars arrived here. The aus assembled ones all have specific RS model codes though.
The Australian Escort varies again from the EU versions, built to suit the vast expanses of aus. The RS was the only two litre version they had. Here it was an option on everything including the van. They had bigger front struts, revised cart springs, drop tank, diff ratio to name a couple of differences. Our Rally packs had uprated spring rates and used a sway bar rear instead of tramp rods.
Engines were essentially the same but we got strangled by pollution gear. Saying that try to find a car with its original steel air cleaner, stove pipe manifold and smog gear. They were the first things that got pulled off and binned.
We also had a couple of unique options in the factory air con (an assortment of left over Cortina and Falcon bits, housed in a new dash facia) and automatic RS's, probably rarer than the fabled RS1800.
The RS fraternity seems to still have their head in the sand about the four door sedan versions. These are normally the guys who paint their cars in the EU black out/ stripe themes, put in a set of fish net recaro's and look down on everyone else.
In my eyes they're all 'genuine' and all worthy of note regardless of place of manufacture or number of doors...

[Sar4890]

Tha'ts brilliant Qld-bluey over here in south oz it suprised a lot of people getting hosed off by a shopping trolley didnt always go down well.

[roKWiz]

Don't ever recall these. Was it real ? Ford Falcon Swagman.
Stripes on the back remind me of XC sundowner !
here's the link.. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...376238640).jpg

[carwant.com.au]

I know it wasn't Factory Ford endorsed, but I'll still like to add the DJR320!