Please see my latest Falcon history video on the EF. Please 👍Like👍 and Subscribe for more old car videos. What do you think of the EF? Better than the EA to ED series?
I loved it. It had the kind of honesty of character all Falcons have had, with some real Japanese style plastic chrome and Phil Zmood style atmospherics. Wife's and partners suddenly liked the Falcon, making joint decisions on ownership. My army buddies in ante natal classes spoke in reserved, happy times about there XR6 purchases. It was no longer a reliability worry that my other friends had with the EAs and XFs. Only issue...if you wanted to fit propane, you had to really do your research. In New Zealand, 1994 onwards, you were okay with the V8, the distributorless six was a problem to duel fuel, and harder to operate as sole fuel because the ignition system was a lot more complicated to understand. The car showed everyone how much more complicated doing modifications within a budget was.. especially if Ford said no to a modification on warranty grounds.
I was a 12 year old when the EF came out and remember getting a whole heap of brochures on the EF range sent to me, I wrote a nice letter and emphasised I was only a kid and it was for "a school project" Came home from school and saw the envelope, and it felt like Christmas. We saw a display of them at our local shopping centre and Mum and I sat in a Fairmont Ghia and I remember her saying she hated the seats, but she was a Holden person(we had a near new VR Exec at the time). I even bought a copy of the glovebox manual from the local Ford dealer with my pocket money ($16) and read up about how all these gadgets worked, went for a school holiday visit, saw the manual on the shelf in spare parts and Mum let me buy it.
You sound like you were a great kid! How cool buying the owner’s manual. I also used to write or phone the car manufacturers and ask for brochures, including writing to all the USA manufacturers, even DeLorean. I still have all the brochures and used to love coming home from school to find a big envelope full of car brochures. As you say, just like Christmas. 👍👍
@markbehr88 I had an enquiring mind, as my Grade 6 teacher wrote in my school report. I also had the manual from our old Camira and my uncle's VC that was written off. I did not buy video games, just books and magazines instead.
Hey sp19822, You should loan your brochures to Mark so he can scan them and remake this video, as there was a lot of "fuzzy photos" in this video that let it down !!
I have good memories of the EF. Our family had a bright red EF Gli wagon which served us well for years. Interesting comments about the greater differentiation between the Forte and Fairmont/Ghia possibly increasing sales. I wonder if another factor was because the Forte/Future just looked so bad with their grills? It's interesting to see that Ford essentially introduced a de-chromed Fairmont grill on the Forte/futura on the AU2 Falcon. I never liked the base AU interior (I had a Au1 Forte) but always thought that the higher series looked nice with their wood. The dash was also considerably different to the Forte/future too, unlike the Commodore which from memory had the same dash but with wood in the higher models.Then we compare this with the VE which, from memory, had three different style dashboards (exec, sport and luxury) which must have added unnecessary complexity?
An EF red wagon would have been a good looking car back then. Re the AU. The overall styling was a real challenge, with many Ford long term customers moving to Holden, despite the car being extremely durable. I agree the high series dash looked much better. I have an AU1 Forte police pack (video on the channel) and he dash almost looks Tarago like - with the very round centre section. While many rejected them back in the day, they are starting to become more accepted now. It seems the shape grown on us? 👍😀
@@markbehr88 Yes many swapped over to Holden during the VT years. The VT was a good looking car even if the V6 and auto transmission were rubbish. The 5.7 V8 was a huge leap over the Ford, though. Especially the non-XR8 5L with (I think) 175kWs. I'd agree that the AU has aged well, especially the AU2-3. Even the Fairlane even looks decent.
@@markbehr88 Agreed. But their V8 struggled next to the Gen3 Statesman. The Fairlane's (and LTD) equipment list was pretty poor next to the GMH equivalent too. But the Ford's woodgrain looked better!
I'm still blown away how all of these Falcons continued to be built down there. Some of those remind me of some of the smaller GM cars of the late 80s and early 90s. Something like a Corsica.
This is a great video. I have owned a ED xr6, EF Fairmont, and EL Fairmont Ghia. I can honestly say that there seemed to be more sound deadening material in the EF over the ED. Also the EF and EL seemed to have more instant torque, due to the fact that they both had duel runner (short and long) intake manifolds. These vehicles loved eating up highway km's.
Wheels magazine took their Commodore glasses off and said.....shock horror....that the EF Falcon was more refined than the Commodore. The first "touchy feely" Falcon they said. It was a very nice car, we had an EF wagon and it impressed with it's room, comfort and smoothness. Very informative video as always Mar. I look forward to each one. Cheers.
Thanks very much. Yes, the EF Falcon was a great car and the differentiation they put into Fairmont and Ghia really worked well to secure the management market of fleet and private buyers. They also had great interiors. 👍
I rolled my EF xr6 5 times at 170kph 4 years ago I closed my eyes and Crossed my arms across my chest and excepted what I thought what was going to be my death. I had a Minor cut on my elbow and that was it. I will for ever be grateful that the car sacrificed itself to save me
@@markbehr88 at the time I was pretty lost and reckless I hit a pot hole and the left tie rod end snapped on a big sweeping bend. I was unlicensed and shouldn't have been driving I took off on foot because I was a couple of ks from home 10pm I rolled it police picked the wreck up at sunrise. And 4 police turned up to grab me later the same day I wasn't home my girlfriend was 4 months pregnant and My mother in-law put her hand up for the accident. I am now sobar and just so grateful that I got to meet my daughter jade she is my world couldn't imagine her growing up never met her dad because he got killed before she was born. .
Thanks again, i just finished watching the EB to EF, love your videos on the falcon. Another small detail with the EF2 was the GLI and Future badges on the bootlid were chrome, series one they were a dull grey colour.
@@markbehr88 same. That detail and the left mirror had "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" those two and different Hub caps were the only differences between the S1 and S2 EF visually.
As a young bloke, in dads EF falcon one night, me and my best mate had a roll race from 30kmh with another p plater in his dads VP commodore. We left him for dead! Our minds were blown, that 4.0 litre gobbled up the V6!
The Fairmont Ghia had a laminated sump to reduce noise. The hole for the original distributor now becomes the home for the synchroniser. All it did was tell the PCM where the cam was in relation to the crank The EF and the AU were the only 2 falcons to have DFI. Cruise control now utilised a cruise control deactivation switch on the brake master. Notorious for leaking. Ford decided a new brake light switch was in order. End result was every workshop had a 6 pack of them on the shelves
Cant wait for the next episode - the unloved AU Falcon. Have to say using the EF front on the XF ute and van to create the Longreach was a master stoke.
Thanks. Yes, good pick up. The reference material said rear see through headrests ala my EB Ghia but that is clearly not the case. Thanks for pointing that out 👍
Here is the latest Falcon history video - the EF. What do you think of the EF? Better than the EA to ED series? Please be sure to Subscribe and please hit that 👍Like👍 button as it helps the channel. 👍
There was a book made just after the Ford Australia ceased local manufacturing Ford Australia The Cars and People Who Made Them by M.D Cook and D.M Wallace. Probably only available now on the secondhand book market. It's got all the Falcon's in there plus the Cortina's and Escorts, trucks and boats that Ford Australia made in WW2.
@@AussiePom Yes. I have that book. They asked me to proof read it but when I pointed out errors they said I was being pedantic but to me, enthusiasts want accuracy. 👍
Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful looking falcons ever made. Still think the XA-XC coups were best ever but the EF and even EL range were just so sleek looking, especially in XR form. Just picked up an EF XR6 for my son , and man does that thing turn heads partly cos they're rare but also they're just damn good looking machines. Great interiors, even though more and more plastic went into the interiors they seem to have stood the test of time as far as sturdiness and no trim fade on door panels goes. Great car, great video! PLEASE........Go easy when you get to AU 😅
Thanks glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like that XR6 you got your son into is a nice car. Hopefully he will look after that Aussie classic. The interiors do hold up well and they were nicely designed too. AU will be interesting. If you look on my channel I own a few. I was at Holden when it was released but then went to Ford’s ad agency so used to do some of the retail marketing for AU including the Runout ad. So, it will be an interesting episode. 👍
Even the base model hubcaps looked great! From memory for some obscure reason the EF used to spin really easily when just accelerating from a standstill on wet roads. Saw two alone spin on my way into work one morning. The new handbrake was awesome too.
I worked for a parts supplier that supplied the xr bonnet scoops, spoiler & the filler moulding. The filler moulding filled the gap between the XR6 & 8 bonnet & grill. Apparently this gap was unexpected & Ford had to rush a design to fill it. We got a scale 2:1 drawing of this urgent filler moulding but in the haste calculated our material volume measuring directly from the drawing as 1:1. So the part was over quoted but as Ford was in such a panic they accepted it. So we made good money ongoing on that part!!
This was a huge step up in modernity for this body shell inside and out. Normally I prefer blue grey interiors over tan beige but not in this case. The shade of brown they chose looked very contemporary and much more inviting and luxurious looking in the Futuras and Fairmonts over the comparatively dull blue grey version. These have aged incredibly well and still look passably modern on our roads now and certainly very stylish, especially in metallic colours. The bodies did feel very tight as well, over the EA, with a nice solid compliant feel to them. These also saw the introduction of coil packs for the ignition system which will be of interest with the EL that follows.
I adore these cars honestly. grandpas eb fairlane was so beautiful to drive too bad i only drove it once but i ended up with an ef from Melbourne in 2013 i was 23 years old my second car. could fly over those suburban speed hump island things mate without even feeling anything. drift. drag race the lights. anything. comfort. had the dark red wagon in 2019 and sold her like a fool i am lol. just needed a barra in her thats all.
As a mechanic I remember the EF was the first Falcon to have a Coil Pack ignition system. Was very reliable and smooth, only to revert back to a distributor for EL. Headlights were truly rubbish whether yellowing or not. Headbolts would break resulting in coolant leaks down the exhaust side of the block. Was a good car tho, and the Fairmont Ghia was a particularly nice place to be.
Interesting re the coil packs. I wonder what their reason was? I am not a fan of plastic headlights but most cars have had them now for years. The Ghia interiors were excellent 👍
@@markbehr88 Reverting back to a distributor was definitely an unusual move in the EL. We used to joke at the time they had a tonne of surplus dizzys lying around from EA-ED they had to get rid off. AU returned to coilpacks
Yeah I remember that red XR6 wagon getting about I'm pretty sure it was getting around in the early 2000's I wonder how many ks it had and wonder what happened to it when they retired it
A Ford EF Fairmont was our last Australian car we owned before moving to France in 2002, it was really hard to have to let go such a nice to drive good looking car. I bought it secondhand with low kms, which I found was the way to go after leaving the car industry some years before, many of us realise that the moment you drive a new car out of a dealership you can say goodbye to 30% or more of it's value? We thought of a Mondeo as a possible replacement, but went instead for Focus and Fiesta, as Ford models, which is still the case today. Then once during a weak moment for a black 2 year old AWD 2.5 Jaguar X Type, because it was so good looking and made by Ford at the time, that's how brand loyalty can sometimes take you? But we had to sadly let it go because of new exhaust pollution rules, all petrol cars built before 2012 will have to display a windscreen sticker and forbidden for use in certain parts of cities, the same goes for all diesel prior 2011!
Yes, I agree the EF was a great looking car and a really solid update on the EA design (which in itself was regarded as one of the best Ford designs at that time worldwide) 👍
Ford shared a lot of their airflow and cooling R&D with the media when the EF was launched. The put a lot of time into working out various angles & shrouding behind the front bar, to maximise flow through the cooling pack. They also made use of low & high pressure zones (deliberately created with the shrouding) and turbulence - turbulence that helped heat transfer into the airflow stream. Even the optional trans oil cooler was studied, and the factory mounting system angled it in such a way that it not only increased the amount of heat transferred to the passing air, but it also didn’t detract from the performance of the cooling system.
The EF I believe is the birth of the modern Falcon, such a good looking model and my favourite one! I finally got my EF Fairmont back from the panel beaters today, so a well timed and a great video Mark!👍
My dear dad owned a XR6 five speed that was chipped... It was white with red trim... He treated it like he did all his cars as if it was his child... The thing utterly got up and went. Bit hungry on juice around town however seemed to use sweet fuck all on highway runs. Comfortable as and had a shit load of room. It's an utter disgrace that we don't produce our own vehicles in this country anymore. Thoughtfully made for Australian driving regarding family and commercial. I love your videos mate. Thanks for taking the time to produce to atleast show our future generations 🇦🇺❤️✅
Good video Mark . I miss the old conventional cars you could service. Yourself , repair them yourself and keep them going well for decades. Unlike all the soulless characterless throw away plastic fantastic mobile phones on wheels we have today 😂 , …….. or maybe i`m just too old 😱 .
@@markbehr88 trouble is the prestige head light assembly also commanded a prestige price tag. Didn’t mean it would take longer for it to turn yellow. What pissed me off the most is, it should have been a safety recall and it never was. I heard dealers use every excuse under the sun , not to replace them under warranty. Decline reason Wrong globes Washed car in full sun Excessive use of high beam Chemicals used in car wash. They weren’t cheap and I have replaced hundreds of them from EF all the way to FGX. I read a Ford study on sun affecting components and materials in cars. They stated the hottest component on a car in full fun is believe it or not the head light assembly , This is due to the reflective lenses concentrating the suns rays to one focal point which results in heat . What stuffs plastics- heat!
Still miss my EF Fairmont in polynesian green. One of my first videos still uploaded to my youtube channel is a sound test I did after fitting a 2.5 inch catback exhaust to it. Don't forget the Tickford intake that we all fitted to our non-xr Falcons for HP gain, lol.
@@markbehr88 someone told me i had a thickford motor in her from the xr that came the years after. i have a feeling it may have been a ford factory workers car with some nifty extras. bright red sedan with some lovely shark fin tornado rims i out on her. dammm
I owned an ex demo EF XR6 sedan, sunroof and body kit. One thing that was a puzzle was the front had electric windows and the rear had manual windows. Soon rectified that problem with a set from a Ghia.and some additional wiring.
Yes, it was a cost saving measure. The Futura and some Falcons had front only power windows. It probably saved a few $$ and they also probably new a lot of company car drivers were the only ones in the car most of the time. 👍
Holden started doing that with the VP (Berlina got front only) and Ford followed suit a couple of years later. It was a cheap way to say “power windows” on the spec sheet in the all-important company car market, and Futura/Acclaim also did it for a while. They already had wiring in the doors for the standard central locking and power mirrors, so it wasn’t hard to add 2 more wires to each front door harness. Unlike earlier models that needed holes drilled and additional harnesses run.
Thanks for another great video mate. Love the insight into developing the VX using the EF as a bit of inspiration. It’s almost heartwarming to know that both brands were indeed sharing/borrowing ideas from eachother, even though it’s quite evident once you realise the fact it’s something not many people would pick up on
Thanks very much. I was probably a bit unusual in that I worked for both Holden and Ford and HSV and FPV. Not many people did that. I was also a big Ford fan even when I was at Holden for 9 years. I really enjoyed both companies. 👍
EF GLi was always my favourite front end of any Falcon. The base hub caps really looked the part as well. There was an EL disabled spec taxi wagon still in service around Port Stephens NSW up until about 5-6 years ago! (2018/2019)
Great video. I have an EF XR8 5speed in my fleet and I agree with you...such a great looking car. The Windsor may not be the fastest thing, but in manual it still goes great and is so smooth. Love the facts about the influence on the VX!
Thanks very much. Your XR8 sounds very cool. Yes, I thought I would add in the detail about the influence of the EF on the VX Commodore, as most people (including Holden staff) would be totally unaware of it. 👍
Manual transmission XH XR6 utes were 2 door sports cars. Light older body with around 160kw. Very tail happy cars and heaps of fun on dirt roads hahaha
Great video Mark, the EF was definitely an amazing car in 1994. I think you missed an opportunity to talk about the major 6 cylinder upgrade from the ED however. Which received a 2 stage intake manifold and coil pack ignition producing 157 kW compared to 147 kW on the ED and greater refinement.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Good point re the engine. I assume the weight of the vehicle increased to, in line with the added safety equipment, thus requiring more power. 👍
You couldn’t buy headlight protectors for the XR’s due to the angle of the headlight assembly to the bumper . Apparently the angle cause a diffusion of the light source. Some companies resorted to either an insert or a plastic cling film type arrangement .From what I gathered the low beam lighting was marginal for ADR anyway.
This EF/EL Falcon looked ahead of its time, compared to the VR/ VS commodores of the day. You’re right Mark, differentiating the stying from the Gli/Futura definitely made a difference for theFairmont / Ghia sales, along with the XR6/8 models. My step dad bought one of these EF Gil’s as an ex fleet car when it was 4 years old. The only problems with this model if I recall properly was the central locking failing & the a/c compressor clutch failing along with having to reseal the joints of the a/c condenser inside the cabin, as the gas was leaking out h from there.
I thought the VR was a good re-style of the VP and it modernised the front and rear ends. It sold extremely well. By VS it was getting a little long in the tooth. 👍
Have to agree this is a very clean design, especially for a makeover. Really interesting to hear your perspective from the 'other side of the fence'. But for me, those quad headlights are my favourite part of all the EF models. Cheers Mark.
Yeah gotta agree....the EF/EL Falcons & the VR/VS Commos were the best looking...my fave Statesy is the VR/VS.....cough cough...i mean they ain't no AU....but still pretty good 😜👍
Yes the VR and VS were great looking cars. Same with the Statesman. I had Berlina VR V8 in Panther Mica as a company car and lots of Statesmans. I especially liked the dark blue. 👍
Great video, Mark. I remember that tall poppy ad at the end! I loved the EF. I remember that my parents had rented an EF Series II for a road trip, in late 1996. 15 year old me, already in love with Falcons then, spent many an hour just sat in the car, poring over the manuals, playing with every switch and getting to know every single inch of the car. I also read every article in Wheels magazine about the EF so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about them. What I didn't know, was that it inspired Holden's design on the VX thanks to your input! Just a nitpick, though - you mentioned that remote central locking and boot release was an extra on the Fairmont (at 9:14)? I don't think it was. I'm 95% sure that it was standard on every Falcon since Smartlock was introduced to the range in early 1993 about midway through the EBII's run. I'm looking forward to the next one. The EL Fairmont Ghia is probably one of my favourites of all Falcons. And I almost bought one. I say almost, because at the time, I owned an EA Falcon GL which was causing me some grief, and I was tossing up between cutting my losses with the EA, with which I had bonded emotionally, and taking a punt on another used car which may be no more reliable. Clearly, I made the wrong decision.
Great video Mark. EF was my favourite E-series. EL went backwards in styling imo. I still remember many of those media prints as A2 sized laminated posters around my workplace at the time. I gave the XR ones to a mad Ford friend when we replaced them with AU ones. I note the media shots of the Ghia didn’t have the front cornering lights. These also added to the differentiation of trim levels. I still really like the “3 step” boot treatment - L1 had nothing, L2 got the chrome spear, and L3 got the added plate escutcheon. Holden never got that level of difference, preferring to play around with tail lights instead (like the larger units on VY-VE). The EF remained my favourite Falcon until the FG arrived.
My first car was a red EF wagon with factory 5 speed manual and since then I’ve owned heaps of EF falcons including a white XR8 with Tickford kit, FTR shark fins and sunroof and a heritage green option 20 XR8 (profile picture). I really miss the green XR8 and the red wagon.
@@markbehr88 they were, the wagon was great to camp in and go to car meets, lift up the tailgate and kick back on the mattress with a few hundred beers (except for the designated driver of course) and the green XR8 was a comfortable freeway cruiser and lots of fun in the twisty bits. I also won the chuck a spud competition at singleton show n shine back in 2014 with the green xr8, the only driving event I have ever competed in.
I had a ‘95 EF Futura Wagon and it was an awesome car. Very smooth and quiet - So much better than the 3.8L V6 in the VR/VS Commodore. Test drove all of them and the Falcon easily won out. Loved the T-Bird front end too. There was a tendency for the hydraulic engine mounts to leak though. I had mine fitted with adapters to use the AU engine mounts when they failed. I agree with the clear glass look on the taillights, much cleaner. I ended up putting EL wagon tail lights on mine for the same effect. Would’ve loved an XR6 wagon…
The series continues! This styling is an vast improvement. This is a nice upgrade. The front end resembled not only the Thunderbird, it resembled Crown Victoria which was restyled for 1992 model year. It also looks similiar to the updated 1992 Taurus. The Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia grille looked like the updated 1998 Ford Contour/Mondeo front end styling. I enjoyed hearing about your work on the Holdens at that time too. Who knew that Ford impacted the Holden. That was interesting. The XR Series had good looking front ends. Why didn't the put the antenna on the trunk as opposed to the front fenders. I must say Ford of Australia looks better than Amerircan Ford during the same time. Thank you again.
@@markbehr88 You are welcome. This Falcon generation was not bad looking. It looked more Ford as it should. There is a point you cannot tell when Australia Ford influenced American Ford or the other way around. I still think the Holden story was good.
@@OLDS98 I think we generally took influences from the USA and Europe bit put our own blended spin on it to suit our market. Ford MD said back in the XD days that Germany had the closest taste to Australia when in came to styling in the 1980’s. Interesting. 👍
@@markbehr88 I noticed what you said is true over the years at Ford Australia and GM ( Holden). I have seen Holdens that look like Oldsmobiles and Pontiac other American GM parts on Holdens . I saw Cadillac exterior mirrors on a earlier Statesman Caprice. I really can see especially with this car 1990's American Ford influence. I have seen Lincoln influence on LTD/Fairlane several times over.. Some of the earlier Falcons you shared looked like European Fords. One looked like Nissan/Mazda as well. I agree with your statement, but I would say Ford Australia and GM ( Holden) are more connected to the United States if anything. You guys kept the spirit of the UTE and and other cars alive after the United States had left those behind. You guys put an interesting twist. Look at the Holdens you worked on. You cannot see anymore that was based on Opel /Vauxhall Omega. You guys also modify the cars in width and things like that. You said they thought the Taurus was too small for Ford Australia and it was a midsized car for years. It did move to fullsize until the end in recent times. I think that the last Ford LTD in Australia was a great looking car. It would have made a great replacement for Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis in the United States. With modifications a great Lincoln Town Car.
@@OLDS98 Yes the US influence was strong and while I was at Ford and Holden I certainly pushed that direction as much as possible while still ensuring the cars would be well received locally. 👍
I went from an ED futura too a EL futura and what a difference it was beautiful car to drive and I believe the ghia fitted with the uprated 6 cylinder had gold letters on the rub strip denoting 4.0.
G'day Mark , Once again a beaut and detailed description on another popular Falcon ..My 1996 EF Futura was the five speed manual ..First one I had with the 4.0 litre SOHC Intech .. She was gunmetal grey and I did some big kays in her..Traded her in 2003 on my much loved AU Series 2 Futura with same SOHC engine with a few more kilowatts ...Highly under rated engine since the famous Barra DOHC but just as capable and reliable powerplant ...Thanks again for a great vid once again...Huge fan here
Thanks Rod. Much appreciated. I forgot to mention, I have a mint EF Fairmont V8 with the 5 litre V8. It is the very dark green with only 87,000 kms on it. There is a video on the channel if you go right back. 👍
My first new car was a EF GLI sedan if I remember correctly bought on the Red Carpet scheme thru Ford dealers.. memories a bit fuzzy 🤔 Anyway a couple of years later I bought a EF Fairmont it had a lot of Tickford bits underneath and the Tickford mags my mates son used to service it for me thought it might be a special order but I don’t know and the engine was standard, I never followed it up I was dating Satans daughter at the time and I couldn’t do anything without her looking over my shoulder .. Sorry I digress anyway another great video.
Another great video. Very interesting to see the history of the design. My personal favourite is the EL. Went with my father who ordered a EL Fairmont brand new back in 97, which he handed down to me and I kept until 2018. Unfortunately it ended up at the wreckers one year after I sold it. Would’ve loved to have seen the Fairlane in this video. These days as a weekender, I think the LWBs are a better choice out of these later series, especially with a V8.
Another fascinating, well-made video about an Aussie classic! The insight into your EF-inspired design changes to the VX Commodore was genuinely interesting. Nice work!
I remember seeing photo’s of the EB/D??? Falcon at Bathurst with race tape covering the grille and thinking WTF? Then the EF was released, and it dawned on me why they did that. Also remember sitting behind an EF at the lights wondering if the head of styling said to his subordinates and asked ‘what would an EJ Holden tail light look like if it was released today’? The EL had the fancy pants oval exhaust, which did nothing
@@markbehr88 just the rounded profile of the tail lights. I used to sit behind lots of them when they were new! Even the ute tail gate reminded me of the HK ute!
I had a red EF GLi wagon for a while that used to be in a fire department, I don't remember if it was a '95 or a '96. It had the wheel mounted cruise control and the additional battery and oil pressure gauges. It sadly had an expiry date of 200,000 kms, but I'm glad I had it as it taught me the art of smooth steering input as it was very much necessary in that car. Also, those coil packs are a real pain in the behind
Thanks very much. Maybe you can find another one? I remember seeing an XH van in a wrecking yard. No wheels but absolutely mint paint and body. I wondered why it was there! 👍
Great Video as always. I remember when I got to drive an EF Futura once. It was a great comfortable car. I suppose being brand new at the time helped 🤣🤣🤣. I always loved that front of the GLi with no grille.
EB-AU1 used a diagnostic connector which was the same plug used for the EA-ED radios. So many were cut from wiring looms in wreckers The EF (EECV) diagnostic codes consisted on 3 digits whereas the EA to ED (EECIV) consisted of 2 digit codes. The reason was the system could diagnose it self much better as the processor speed and memory capacity jumped significantly. Sample rate from sensors improved leading to an items like knock sensor ,sequential injection , incorporated transmission control,improved spark timing , broadband manifolds, A/C pressure, cooling fans, coil on plug etc etc. EECV had more pin , which allowed for more sensors or electrically driven components to be added.
Man I wish I could get a scan tool for my EF I'd thought it was rather odd they never had a engine light like the commodores had since VN it took until AU to put one in
Did anyone with an EF manual alway find the rpm would hang on gear change’s which gave it a crap gear change. Main reason why I sold mine and bought a EL Ghia when it was released.
I worked in the Mining and Roading contract industry. It took years to take Ford seriously again: The EF was a re-dress from a very low point in "Cash Only Positive at Production" Falcons. The materials and punching in some special love into the package changed the atmospherics of those excellent EF Falcons. (Ford in the period of the XE¹/² to XF Series 2 in July 1986 destroyed the gift of the Cleveland Engine Plant transfer line for local production. To get 140 to 162 kilowatts [188 to 217 hp net like in the old days] you now needed not just cubic inches, but EECIV tech and instead of a 730 dollar cheque, you needed three times the money to get a multipoint Six or 5.0 'Litre V8'. Ford Australia carried that cost to get you into the 216 hp net zone. That really proves what a gift a Cleveland engine made in Geelong was. In the USA, fuel economy improved in leaps in bounds in the V8 engines, and in Australia, they opted out of a Throttle body or Port EFi V8 for 9 long years. That killed off the Falcon as a performance car with reasonable fuel economy like a 5 liter LX LTD or MTX Marquis or Mustang was. Ford Australia first started penny pinching with the continued use of local Borg Warner 40, 42 and then Whatever Four or Five speed gearboxes, and all of that cost service issues and headaches for people who just wanted something that could take a propane conversion without blowing up. The most searing criticism was the assurance that if you bought an EA- EF on Propane, you were guaranteed to blow a headgasket and would need a radiator upgrade to counteract the sand that leached out of the aluminium cylinder head castings. When multiple port EFi became standard, the employment of optional LP Gas then caused Ford Australia to push a whole lot of changes to the onboard Electronics..changes that should have occured in 1985 when the Bronco and F-100 5 litre V8 195 hp was included. It wasn't Jac Nasser who ruined the runaway gain in popularity of the EA and EB, it was the penny pinching under Bill Dix and Max Gransden, all to meet production cost targets and sales leadership requirements from Dearborn. Those guys, pulled apart the ages old Ford produced FMX based newer overdrive automatic and C4 and Toploader and heavy duty Single Rail based gearboxes, and replaced them with cheap, nasty parts, like the locally made Nissan based 2bbl Central Fuel Injection and breakage prone BTR gearboxes and clutch cables. Where Ford Australia thought they had a Better Idea, it was a More Complicated Less Elegant better idea, like EFi that didn't suit Impco LPG systems. When Ford Australia saved money, it was with a locally made knock off part, like the Throttle Body EFi with Chrysler/Nissan injectors, or the Quadrant clutch cable, or the downgraded AC Delco two way catalyst, or the roll over steer prone rear mounted rack and pinion steering box, where as the Fox, SN95 and 1989 MN12 used Cortina/ Jaguar based Front mounted steering gear. Everything resulted in decimating the old reliability found in the XA-XC's, and the locally developed EA to ED's are some of the most complicated cars to data log and fix. Whereas, a US Fox Mustang, Crown Victoria or MN12 Thunderbird is one of the best used cars to trash on. Ford Australia did fix things, the EF was the start , but an EL had to move backwards the EECIV and put a distributor back in a Six cylinder Falcon for the LPG boys in the Taxi market, and then Ford Oz really forced the component makers ( like BTR) to push a proper international component sales agenda to Sassyong, Maserati and Volvo to get reliability back on track.)
Wow! Thanks for that info. I own a few Fox body Mustangs, Panther Crown Vics and Marquis, so it is interesting to hear about the variations in components. 👍
Hello from Western Australia, Mark! I've been getting into your videos a bit lately. I remember the first time I saw an EB, that's my favourite facelift from one model to the next. I still tell my missus I want to buy and own an NL Fairlane V8 with nice wheels. I love all this stuff, keep it up.
@@markbehr88 I know, I see them a lot. It would only be train station and back weekdays and a bit more on weekends. Actually I'll hop on your channel right now, I've never just clicked the Videos tab, what haven't I seen yet. Man, we used to know of a guy just out of Lara near Geelong that had two XC Cobra in his shed.
@@davidwood9966 There are heaps of videos to watch here. You can also use the playlists, like the Falcon one and hit “play all” if you want a memory lane history from the very first Falcon onwards. 👍
Even though were not at the EL, I think the EL XR6 and XR8 4 headlight treatment was better than the EF since it added a grill with more body lines around the headlights rather than being all flat like the EF XR6 and XR8.
I still prefer the EF. It just looked more aero. My neighbour at the time was a NSW HWP cop, so I got up close to numerous EF and EL XR8s when he’d come home for a dinner break with his cheap maccas for the family. The EL just wasn’t as smooth to look at, and I preferred the grille-less front. It made the lower spec models stand out against the VR. Compared to the fleet GLi I was driving occasionally, the XR was amazing. They really got the separation and unique trim level formulas correct. But even a base model looked good, and was reasonably equipped too. The handling issues people complain about weren’t as bad in the day as they make out today, and many cars had a rear mounted rack with no issues. It’s the geometry that was the problem. In saying that, when the VT first came out, my HWP neighbour was given one, but went back to the EL as he hated the handling in the VT compared to the VS and VL.
I'm getting excited about the EL and AU episodes. Great episode Mark. Didn't know the handling upgrade came in in the series 2 EF. I love my EH Prem I've restored but also m you ED XR6 wagon I also restored and I'm about to end up with an EL Fairmont Ghia with OEM handling option. Oh, and I bought last year a low km series 3 AU Fairmont Ghia in pristine condition. I can't help myself. Now I wanted to tell you about a mate who visited the Ford design studios during the panic to improve the AU sales figures and I was told that there was a photograph a baboon's you know what on the wall with respect to feedback about the centre console look. They did however work hard on significant mechanical improvements as well I'm told to recover creditability which can be seen today by how many AUs are still on working duties. My daily drive is just a BA ute with XR handling. Thanks again for your Falcon series.
Thanks. Glad you are enjoying the series. You have a great collection there. I was at the agency for Ford later in the AU life. There were challenges but we sold a lot pf them. They are extremely durable cars and now are starting to be appreciated. 👍
Yes, I will absolutely be doing those in the future, so please Subscribe and hit the bell notification icon to let you know when new episodes come up. 👍
The EF/EL has always been my favourite Falcon, in terms of design, especially in XR trim. Sadly, I was too poor at the time to get one, even just an XR6, and funnily enough this holds true today, at least for a decent condition example. I look forward to your AU coverage, as my first Falcon was a used AU XR6, non VCT. I actually offloaded a VT Commodore VT S pak for it :) I didn't like the interior, I loved the exterior looks.
Hi Mark, I can see what you mean about the front of the Falcon EF styling from the US Ford Thunderbird , and now fitted with plastic head head lamps which can "yellow" through ultra violet. I was surprised in the mid 90's that the 4.0 OHC engine was not up graded to a DOHC 4 valves per cylinder as this was the way of engines in the 90's were being made but it still has plenty of power. At this time a lot of European cars including European Fords were making Diesel engines, Did Ford of Australia produce a diesel for this car or any other Ford. Personally I'm not a diesel fan and never had a diesel car. As always good to be up to date with the Australian car production, the past and today, Great video Take care
Thanks Shaun. The DOHC 24 valves came later. The cars had great torque so the SOHC did a great job. No diesels in local Fords until the Territory, which used a Land Rover engine. It was quite popular but diesels have fallen out of favour thanks to VW. 👍
For better or worse the ED to EF falcon seems to be the homeless car of choice in my suburb. Affordable, plenty of room, reliable, cheap to run. Who needs a house?
A marmite car, some people love them and had zero problems, others seemed to be cursed. Saw many EF/EL taxis using EA engines and three speed autos to try and keep costs down, Frankenstein cars built out of all sorts of Falcon models to just get them back on the road. One thing I’ll ever forget in an Aussie Falcon is that bloody awful BTR auto transmission whine from a standing start! I always lusted after a blue XR6 manual sedan or now that I’m older, a unicorn that is a wagon!
EF was the first to introduce a digital odometer. This had a diagnostic mode which you could use a digital temp gauge, voltmeter etc, but pain in the arse to enter the mode First 6 cylinder to have EEC5 and sequential injection and DFI. Most EF had an extended crank time due to the dirty signal from the crankshaft position sensors picking up feedback from the starter. Some were that bad they would start at all. By now the LE95 auto trans had all the bugs ironed out of it and actually was a very reliable unit . Fords diff supplier Borg Warner had a lot of diff bearing failures . The bearing were source from timkin Canada not Australia The umbrella handbrake was retired and a handbrake lever finally introduced. . But of you had a 6 seater the park brake lever was between the drivers door and drivers seat. The newly designed Australian designed banksia park brake was introduced Finally after years of leaks the rocker cover gasket was changed to rubber. Broadband manifold was introduced Electric thermal fans introduced Finally the wired fusible links replaced and a new fuse box was installed under the bonnet. Now all falcons had a 110A alternator because of the higher electrical demand on the system and a serpentine belt replaced the usual 3 belt combination
@@jamesfrench7299 yeah your right. Completely forgot about the,. It became standard in EF to reduce fraudulent speedo wind backs. It was easy all,easy to wind back speedo on the old ones. Today’s instrument clusters can only be advanced in km and done maximum 3 times.
I bought a secondhand 95 EF Futura in Biscayne blue which was a light blue metallic paint. It had a few problems which I rectified like a drivers window where he operating mechanism was stuffed so I fitted a new one as sometimes it wouldn't go down or come up. The plastic headlights were crazed to blazes and a buff colour so I fitted new headlights. I ended up getting a new keyfob because I'd press it to unlock the doors and they'd unlock whereupon they'd all lock again. The car came with wheel caps from the EL Futura but I found it impossible to find wheel caps from the EF Futura. The exhaust was rusted out from the cat to the back so I had a stainless exhaust fitted. In time the air conditioner compressor gave out so I fitted a new one as driving in an Aussie summer without air conditioning is not pleasant.
@@markbehr88Yes it was for it had been a cheap buy at 10K and it lasted until I sold it to buy a later Falcon which I still have. Whereas other Falcon owners have always aspired to have GT or at an almighty push a GTHO I never have knowing I could never afford one of those so a Fairmont Ghia is what I always wanted to have. But by the time I was financially able to have a Ghia that nameplate was gone. So I bought the G6E which for me was it's replacement badge.
@@markbehr88 One other thing Mark about the EF Futura the cruise control "resume coast" button unlike later cars where going from 50kph in a country town back to 100kph would see a gradual increase in speed until 100kph was reached, not in the EF where pushing the "resume coast" button would see the car's auto box kick down into 1st gear and rocket up to 100kph.
Cool video so my old engineer mate told me yesterday that the 302 Windsor small block v8 LS 1 heads bolt straight on and that the LS chev engine was a copy of the 351 Windsor v8 I definitely know what I’m going to do with my xh Ute and 1975 TD cortina now go find too AU falcons for donor cars with 302 roller cam Windsor engines
My parents had an 1995 EF Fairmont Wagon in Bordeaux when I was a kid, my nan bought a 1996 EF2 Futura Olympic Classic Sedan in Heritage Green. My parents Fairmont felt a lot nicer and more premium than the Futura that's for sure and seemed to be smoother on the road too.
I did think of a wagon but by then Ford only have a standard 6 and no turbo or V8. The cost of doing the certification and reprogramming with Bosch for ABS etc would make it a challenge too. But I like the idea. 😀👍
Been patiently waiting for this one, good one Mark.i remember when commodore came same year these really stuck with me looking much more modern, i just didn't like how long the rear end was. One thing i learned is how shit american designers are at doing our cars😂
Please see my latest Falcon history video on the EF. Please 👍Like👍 and Subscribe for more old car videos. What do you think of the EF? Better than the EA to ED series?
How did ford manage engine cooling with closed off front .?
@@Eric-kn4yn all air flow occurs under the bumper. They added a dummy grill on the EL and Fairmonts only for looks.
I loved it. It had the kind of honesty of character all Falcons have had, with some real Japanese style plastic chrome and Phil Zmood style atmospherics. Wife's and partners suddenly liked the Falcon, making joint decisions on ownership. My army buddies in ante natal classes spoke in reserved, happy times about there XR6 purchases. It was no longer a reliability worry that my other friends had with the EAs and XFs. Only issue...if you wanted to fit propane, you had to really do your research. In New Zealand, 1994 onwards, you were okay with the V8, the distributorless six was a problem to duel fuel, and harder to operate as sole fuel because the ignition system was a lot more complicated to understand. The car showed everyone how much more complicated doing modifications within a budget was.. especially if Ford said no to a modification on warranty grounds.
@@deanstevenson6527 Thanks. Great comments. 👍
@@Eric-kn4yn yes. All the airflow from the intakes below the number plate. 👍
I was a 12 year old when the EF came out and remember getting a whole heap of brochures on the EF range sent to me, I wrote a nice letter and emphasised I was only a kid and it was for "a school project"
Came home from school and saw the envelope, and it felt like Christmas.
We saw a display of them at our local shopping centre and Mum and I sat in a Fairmont Ghia and I remember her saying she hated the seats, but she was a Holden person(we had a near new VR Exec at the time).
I even bought a copy of the glovebox manual from the local Ford dealer with my pocket money ($16) and read up about how all these gadgets worked, went for a school holiday visit, saw the manual on the shelf in spare parts and Mum let me buy it.
You sound like you were a great kid! How cool buying the owner’s manual. I also used to write or phone the car manufacturers and ask for brochures, including writing to all the USA manufacturers, even DeLorean. I still have all the brochures and used to love coming home from school to find a big envelope full of car brochures. As you say, just like Christmas. 👍👍
@markbehr88 I had an enquiring mind, as my Grade 6 teacher wrote in my school report. I also had the manual from our old Camira and my uncle's VC that was written off. I did not buy video games, just books and magazines instead.
@@sp19822 Good on you. So much better to do that as a kid than play video games. 👍👍
Hey sp19822, You should loan your brochures to Mark so he can scan them and remake this video, as there was a lot of "fuzzy photos" in this video that let it down !!
@thunderbird1454 Sadly I no longer have them. Have moved on now.
I have good memories of the EF. Our family had a bright red EF Gli wagon which served us well for years. Interesting comments about the greater differentiation between the Forte and Fairmont/Ghia possibly increasing sales. I wonder if another factor was because the Forte/Future just looked so bad with their grills? It's interesting to see that Ford essentially introduced a de-chromed Fairmont grill on the Forte/futura on the AU2 Falcon. I never liked the base AU interior (I had a Au1 Forte) but always thought that the higher series looked nice with their wood. The dash was also considerably different to the Forte/future too, unlike the Commodore which from memory had the same dash but with wood in the higher models.Then we compare this with the VE which, from memory, had three different style dashboards (exec, sport and luxury) which must have added unnecessary complexity?
An EF red wagon would have been a good looking car back then. Re the AU. The overall styling was a real challenge, with many Ford long term customers moving to Holden, despite the car being extremely durable. I agree the high series dash looked much better. I have an AU1 Forte police pack (video on the channel) and he dash almost looks Tarago like - with the very round centre section. While many rejected them back in the day, they are starting to become more accepted now. It seems the shape grown on us? 👍😀
@@markbehr88 Yes many swapped over to Holden during the VT years. The VT was a good looking car even if the V6 and auto transmission were rubbish. The 5.7 V8 was a huge leap over the Ford, though. Especially the non-XR8 5L with (I think) 175kWs.
I'd agree that the AU has aged well, especially the AU2-3. Even the Fairlane even looks decent.
@@PaulStewartAviation I do love the AU Fairlane. I have a lovely Sparkling Burgundy V8 Ghia. 👍
@@markbehr88 Agreed. But their V8 struggled next to the Gen3 Statesman. The Fairlane's (and LTD) equipment list was pretty poor next to the GMH equivalent too. But the Ford's woodgrain looked better!
@@PaulStewartAviation mine has leather as well. I just engineered cruising in it. I worked on the WH program and like those too. 👍
I'm still blown away how all of these Falcons continued to be built down there. Some of those remind me of some of the smaller GM cars of the late 80s and early 90s. Something like a Corsica.
Yes and the nice part was we had rear wheel drive and often V8s powering them - so great cars to drive and very durable too. 👍
@markbehr88 😳 wow!
This is a great video. I have owned a ED xr6, EF Fairmont, and EL Fairmont Ghia. I can honestly say that there seemed to be more sound deadening material in the EF over the ED. Also the EF and EL seemed to have more instant torque, due to the fact that they both had duel runner (short and long) intake manifolds. These vehicles loved eating up highway km's.
Thanks. Glad you liked it. Hopefully you are subscribed too? Yes, they were smooth cruisers. 👍
Wheels magazine took their Commodore glasses off and said.....shock horror....that the EF Falcon was more refined than the Commodore. The first "touchy feely" Falcon they said. It was a very nice car, we had an EF wagon and it impressed with it's room, comfort and smoothness. Very informative video as always Mar. I look forward to each one. Cheers.
Thanks very much. Yes, the EF Falcon was a great car and the differentiation they put into Fairmont and Ghia really worked well to secure the management market of fleet and private buyers. They also had great interiors. 👍
I rolled my EF xr6 5 times at 170kph 4 years ago I closed my eyes and Crossed my arms across my chest and excepted what I thought what was going to be my death. I had a Minor cut on my elbow and that was it. I will for ever be grateful that the car sacrificed itself to save me
@@stevensmith7926 Wow. What a story. What a car! You are a lucky 🍀 one. 🙏
@@markbehr88 at the time I was pretty lost and reckless I hit a pot hole and the left tie rod end snapped on a big sweeping bend. I was unlicensed and shouldn't have been driving I took off on foot because I was a couple of ks from home 10pm I rolled it police picked the wreck up at sunrise. And 4 police turned up to grab me later the same day I wasn't home my girlfriend was 4 months pregnant and My mother in-law put her hand up for the accident. I am now sobar and just so grateful that I got to meet my daughter jade she is my world couldn't imagine her growing up never met her dad because he got killed before she was born. .
Wow. Tough eh. 🙏
Thanks again, i just finished watching the EB to EF, love your videos on the falcon. Another small detail with the EF2 was the GLI and Future badges on the bootlid were chrome, series one they were a dull grey colour.
Thanks very much. Good pick up. I prefer the chrome personally. 👍
@@markbehr88 same. That detail and the left mirror had "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" those two and different Hub caps were the only differences between the S1 and S2 EF visually.
@@markbehr88 I noticed it because it looked better having all the rear badges in chrome instead of a dull grey as well.
@@Steve_jones113 Most definitely. 👍
@@Steve_jones113 Pretty small eh? 🤔👍
I prefer the EF front to the EL at least in Falcon form.
Me too 👍
EF XR front end is an absolute beauty
@@izzy031096 I agree 👍
As a young bloke, in dads EF falcon one night, me and my best mate had a roll race from 30kmh with another p plater in his dads VP commodore. We left him for dead! Our minds were blown, that 4.0 litre gobbled up the V6!
The V6 in the Holden (Buick V6) was very good right off the mark. 👍
@@markbehr88 too good. Holden were trying to arrest the aggressive torque for years.
The Fairmont Ghia had a laminated sump to reduce noise.
The hole for the original distributor now becomes the home for the synchroniser. All it did was tell the PCM where the cam was in relation to the crank
The EF and the AU were the only 2 falcons to have DFI.
Cruise control now utilised a cruise control deactivation switch on the brake master. Notorious for leaking.
Ford decided a new brake light switch was in order. End result was every workshop had a 6 pack of them on the shelves
Loving the additional details. 👍👍
The brake light switch was the same design as the 1966 XR FALCON.
Replaced one on my AU the other day. Took the seat out to make it easier. 👍
Cant wait for the next episode - the unloved AU Falcon.
Have to say using the EF front on the XF ute and van to create the Longreach was a master stoke.
EL should be next.
Stand corrected, should have said cant wait for the AU episode.@@MrFister84
You’ll have to watch EL next, then AU. 😀. The AU will be a biggie. 👍
Yes, EL is the next cab off the rank (see what I did there!) 😀
All good. I appreciate you watching them. 👍😀
Yea baby....EF and EL
Shaggadicious! 👍😀
The raised Longreach a very practical ute. This is such a market for a replacement.
Yes. They are very cool. I would love a V8 Falcon S XH. 👍
Loved the EFs, my favourite model Falcons. Slight correction on where you mentioned XR headrests. They only had front headrests not rear.
Thanks. Yes, good pick up. The reference material said rear see through headrests ala my EB Ghia but that is clearly not the case. Thanks for pointing that out 👍
Here is the latest Falcon history video - the EF. What do you think of the EF? Better than the EA to ED series? Please be sure to Subscribe and please hit that 👍Like👍 button as it helps the channel. 👍
Love the EF Falcon. Oh I wish we could bring a car like this back!
Hopefully, you can find a mint original somewhere and keep it as your Aussie classic? 👍
Would love to see a book version of this type of succinct presentation of the Falcon generations
Thanks. I’ll stick to the videos at this stage! 😀👍
There was a book made just after the Ford Australia ceased local manufacturing Ford Australia The Cars and People Who Made Them by M.D Cook and D.M Wallace. Probably only available now on the secondhand book market. It's got all the Falcon's in there plus the Cortina's and Escorts, trucks and boats that Ford Australia made in WW2.
@@AussiePom Yes. I have that book. They asked me to proof read it but when I pointed out errors they said I was being pedantic but to me, enthusiasts want accuracy. 👍
@@markbehr88I've got this book and it's disappointing about it skipping pretty much from the xd on.
@@Low760 Hopefully these videos can remedy that to some extent. 👍
Ha. Never seen a nudge bar on a falcon wagon. I dig it.
It was actually a ford design bar. It was aimed at the country buyers
Probably only in regional areas. You never saw them really in the city. 👍
Yes, it was especially made to work in co junction with the airbags. 👍
I have. Even saw some on taxi’s in the late ‘90’s…
@@paulsz6194Interesting. Can’t have payed too much attention to that. Only ever seen the bars on cop cars and cocky’s utes.
I had a VX Calais with the full leather and suade interior ... loved that car
@@MrMeldarionx Nice one. I hope you liked the woodgrain dash?
Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful looking falcons ever made.
Still think the XA-XC coups were best ever but the EF and even EL range were just so sleek looking, especially in XR form.
Just picked up an EF XR6 for my son , and man does that thing turn heads partly cos they're rare but also they're just damn good looking machines.
Great interiors, even though more and more plastic went into the interiors they seem to have stood the test of time as far as sturdiness and no trim fade on door panels goes.
Great car, great video!
PLEASE........Go easy when you get to AU 😅
Thanks glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like that XR6 you got your son into is a nice car. Hopefully he will look after that Aussie classic. The interiors do hold up well and they were nicely designed too. AU will be interesting. If you look on my channel I own a few. I was at Holden when it was released but then went to Ford’s ad agency so used to do some of the retail marketing for AU including the Runout ad. So, it will be an interesting episode. 👍
Even the base model hubcaps looked great! From memory for some obscure reason the EF used to spin really easily when just accelerating from a standstill on wet roads. Saw two alone spin on my way into work one morning. The new handbrake was awesome too.
Yes, the fabled handbrake relocation 👍😀
I worked for a parts supplier that supplied the xr bonnet scoops, spoiler & the filler moulding. The filler moulding filled the gap between the XR6 & 8 bonnet & grill. Apparently this gap was unexpected & Ford had to rush a design to fill it. We got a scale 2:1 drawing of this urgent filler moulding but in the haste calculated our material volume measuring directly from the drawing as 1:1. So the part was over quoted but as Ford was in such a panic they accepted it. So we made good money ongoing on that part!!
Interesting. 👍
This was a huge step up in modernity for this body shell inside and out. Normally I prefer blue grey interiors over tan beige but not in this case. The shade of brown they chose looked very contemporary and much more inviting and luxurious looking in the Futuras and Fairmonts over the comparatively dull blue grey version.
These have aged incredibly well and still look passably modern on our roads now and certainly very stylish, especially in metallic colours.
The bodies did feel very tight as well, over the EA, with a nice solid compliant feel to them.
These also saw the introduction of coil packs for the ignition system which will be of interest with the EL that follows.
I agree with all of your comments there James. 😀👍
I adore these cars honestly. grandpas eb fairlane was so beautiful to drive too bad i only drove it once but i ended up with an ef from Melbourne in 2013 i was 23 years old my second car. could fly over those suburban speed hump island things mate without even feeling anything. drift. drag race the lights. anything. comfort. had the dark red wagon in 2019 and sold her like a fool i am lol. just needed a barra in her thats all.
Hopefully you can find another one? A piece of Aussie car history. 👍
As a mechanic I remember the EF was the first Falcon to have a Coil Pack ignition system. Was very reliable and smooth, only to revert back to a distributor for EL.
Headlights were truly rubbish whether yellowing or not. Headbolts would break resulting in coolant leaks down the exhaust side of the block.
Was a good car tho, and the Fairmont Ghia was a particularly nice place to be.
Interesting re the coil packs. I wonder what their reason was? I am not a fan of plastic headlights but most cars have had them now for years. The Ghia interiors were excellent 👍
@@markbehr88
Reverting back to a distributor was definitely an unusual move in the EL. We used to joke at the time they had a tonne of surplus dizzys lying around from EA-ED they had to get rid off. AU returned to coilpacks
@@bradg5910 Maybe they had some teething problems with the EF system? 👍
@@bradg5910 Another subscriber said pressure from taxi and LPG industries? 🤔👍
12:40 @@markbehr88
In Adelaide we there was a leman XR6 wagon taxi. Certainly stood out in the taxi ranks.
That would have been cool!👍
Yeah I remember that red XR6 wagon getting about I'm pretty sure it was getting around in the early 2000's I wonder how many ks it had and wonder what happened to it when they retired it
@@MrVsbt1 They are very cool. 👍
A Ford EF Fairmont was our last Australian car we owned before moving to France in 2002, it was really hard to have to let go such a nice to drive good looking car.
I bought it secondhand with low kms, which I found was the way to go after leaving the car industry some years before, many of us realise that the moment you drive a new car out of a dealership you can say goodbye to 30% or more of it's value?
We thought of a Mondeo as a possible replacement, but went instead for Focus and Fiesta, as Ford models, which is still the case today.
Then once during a weak moment for a black 2 year old AWD 2.5 Jaguar X Type, because it was so good looking and made by Ford at the time, that's how brand loyalty can sometimes take you?
But we had to sadly let it go because of new exhaust pollution rules, all petrol cars built before 2012 will have to display a windscreen sticker and forbidden for use in certain parts of cities, the same goes for all diesel prior 2011!
@@lffit Those laws disallowing petrol cars should come with a big fat cheque for the owner. It is all the same atmosphere. 👍
The ef/el in xr6 and xr8 form is still a good looker today
Yes. I especially like the EF. I wouldn’t mind one 👍
Great Video Mark, The EF/EL are one of my most favourite models owning an EL XR8 i'm a little biased.
Thanks Costa. They are cool Aussie classics 👍
Such a great looking car, the EF. With the EF, Ford did with the original EA what the later BA did for the AU passenger cell.
Yes, I agree the EF was a great looking car and a really solid update on the EA design (which in itself was regarded as one of the best Ford designs at that time worldwide) 👍
How was engine cooling managed with closed off front
@@Eric-kn4yn All of the air flow is drawn in from the lower intake below the number plate. 👍
Ford shared a lot of their airflow and cooling R&D with the media when the EF was launched. The put a lot of time into working out various angles & shrouding behind the front bar, to maximise flow through the cooling pack. They also made use of low & high pressure zones (deliberately created with the shrouding) and turbulence - turbulence that helped heat transfer into the airflow stream. Even the optional trans oil cooler was studied, and the factory mounting system angled it in such a way that it not only increased the amount of heat transferred to the passing air, but it also didn’t detract from the performance of the cooling system.
@@commodorenut Thanks. Great info 👍
The EF I believe is the birth of the modern Falcon, such a good looking model and my favourite one!
I finally got my EF Fairmont back from the panel beaters today, so a well timed and a great video Mark!👍
Thanks very much. I need to drive my 87,000 km V8 Fairmont too. They are such great cars. 👍
My dear dad owned a XR6 five speed that was chipped... It was white with red trim... He treated it like he did all his cars as if it was his child...
The thing utterly got up and went.
Bit hungry on juice around town however seemed to use sweet fuck all on highway runs. Comfortable as and had a shit load of room.
It's an utter disgrace that we don't produce our own vehicles in this country anymore.
Thoughtfully made for Australian driving regarding family and commercial.
I love your videos mate. Thanks for taking the time to produce to atleast show our future generations 🇦🇺❤️✅
Thanks very much. Your Dad’s car sounded like a great cruiser in the best Aussie tradition. 👍
Good video Mark .
I miss the old conventional cars you could service. Yourself , repair them yourself and keep them going well for decades.
Unlike all the soulless characterless throw away plastic fantastic mobile phones on wheels we have today 😂 , …….. or maybe i`m just too old 😱 .
Thanks. I get where you’re coming from. 😀👍
I AGREE! I think the EF seems to be a forgotten model. But it is, in my opinion, such a great loooking car to this day. From GLi to XR8.
Yes, terrific looking car. 👍
Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia also had different headlight assemblies because the bonnet was different.
Yes, all part of the differentiation that influenced me to do the same on the VX with different lights, grille and tail lights. 👍
@@markbehr88 trouble is the prestige head light assembly also commanded a prestige price tag. Didn’t mean it would take longer for it to turn yellow. What pissed me off the most is, it should have been a safety recall and it never was. I heard dealers use every excuse under the sun , not to replace them under warranty.
Decline reason
Wrong globes
Washed car in full sun
Excessive use of high beam
Chemicals used in car wash.
They weren’t cheap and I have replaced hundreds of them from EF all the way to FGX.
I read a Ford study on sun affecting components and materials in cars. They stated the hottest component on a car in full fun is believe it or not the head light assembly , This is due to the reflective lenses concentrating the suns rays to one focal point which results in heat . What stuffs plastics- heat!
@@tba3900 Yes. Shame they were not glass and we wouldn’t have an issue. 🤔👍
EF Fairmont and Fairmont Ghias have the same grill and bonnet
@@jacobhaussmann90 That’s right. 👍
Still miss my EF Fairmont in polynesian green. One of my first videos still uploaded to my youtube channel is a sound test I did after fitting a 2.5 inch catback exhaust to it. Don't forget the Tickford intake that we all fitted to our non-xr Falcons for HP gain, lol.
Maybe you can find another one? ☝️
its one of my favourite cars. to me it's a perfect machine
Yes. The XR models in particular are spectacular looking cars. 👍
@@markbehr88 someone told me i had a thickford motor in her from the xr that came the years after. i have a feeling it may have been a ford factory workers car with some nifty extras. bright red sedan with some lovely shark fin tornado rims i out on her. dammm
@@firstworldproblems6064 Sounds like a peach. 👍
@@markbehr88 i have a red fg falcon now. zoom zoom
@@firstworldproblems6064 Nice 👍
These Falcons and Commodores were such good value for money
@@SS-yw7vo Yes, agree. 👍
Hey mate, I love this series, it’s incredibly informative. You should do a video on the AU, I own an xr6 VCT so I’m totally not biased at all.
Thanks very much. The next episode will be EL, then I will do AU. 👍
Keep up the good work 👍. Have you considered doing a series on the Territory?
Thank you. I may do Territory but it would be a while yet 👍
I owned an ex demo EF XR6 sedan, sunroof and body kit. One thing that was a puzzle was the front had electric windows and the rear had manual windows. Soon rectified that problem with a set from a Ghia.and some additional wiring.
Yes, it was a cost saving measure. The Futura and some Falcons had front only power windows. It probably saved a few $$ and they also probably new a lot of company car drivers were the only ones in the car most of the time. 👍
Holden started doing that with the VP (Berlina got front only) and Ford followed suit a couple of years later. It was a cheap way to say “power windows” on the spec sheet in the all-important company car market, and Futura/Acclaim also did it for a while. They already had wiring in the doors for the standard central locking and power mirrors, so it wasn’t hard to add 2 more wires to each front door harness. Unlike earlier models that needed holes drilled and additional harnesses run.
@@commodorenut Yes. That’s right. Back when power windows were a novelty. 👍
Thanks for another great video mate. Love the insight into developing the VX using the EF as a bit of inspiration. It’s almost heartwarming to know that both brands were indeed sharing/borrowing ideas from eachother, even though it’s quite evident once you realise the fact it’s something not many people would pick up on
Thanks very much. I was probably a bit unusual in that I worked for both Holden and Ford and HSV and FPV. Not many people did that. I was also a big Ford fan even when I was at Holden for 9 years. I really enjoyed both companies. 👍
My EF wagon company car was wonderful. Well made, lovely to drive. Fully sorted, unlike EA, B
Good to hear. The Falcon wagons were always good cars. 👍
EF GLi was always my favourite front end of any Falcon. The base hub caps really looked the part as well. There was an EL disabled spec taxi wagon still in service around Port Stephens NSW up until about 5-6 years ago! (2018/2019)
Yes, I like the EF too. 👍
Loved the el/ef fairmont ghia.
Yes, cool cars. 👍
Fantastic content - really appreciate it
Thank you so much 🙏
Bought an EF XR8 in 2004
Was a great thing
Sounded mint
I always wondered why it did great donuts….the roll on oversteer was great
Ha hah. There you go. 😀👍
Back in 2002 I bought my ef series 2 ghia. (Argon silver). Still have it today. Love the sporty feel the tickford engine gives the car.
That’s great that you still have the car. What excellent value and service! 👍
Great video. I have an EF XR8 5speed in my fleet and I agree with you...such a great looking car. The Windsor may not be the fastest thing, but in manual it still goes great and is so smooth. Love the facts about the influence on the VX!
Thanks very much. Your XR8 sounds very cool. Yes, I thought I would add in the detail about the influence of the EF on the VX Commodore, as most people (including Holden staff) would be totally unaware of it. 👍
Manual transmission XH XR6 utes were 2 door sports cars. Light older body with around 160kw. Very tail happy cars and heaps of fun on dirt roads hahaha
Yes, a lot of fun 👍
Great video Mark, the EF was definitely an amazing car in 1994. I think you missed an opportunity to talk about the major 6 cylinder upgrade from the ED however. Which received a 2 stage intake manifold and coil pack ignition producing 157 kW compared to 147 kW on the ED and greater refinement.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Good point re the engine. I assume the weight of the vehicle increased to, in line with the added safety equipment, thus requiring more power. 👍
You couldn’t buy headlight protectors for the XR’s due to the angle of the headlight assembly to the bumper . Apparently the angle cause a diffusion of the light source. Some companies resorted to either an insert or a plastic cling film type arrangement .From what I gathered the low beam lighting was marginal for ADR anyway.
Right. I seem to recall in AU they had headlight covers for the XR that ballooned out like a globe. Maybe that was after the EF experience? 🤔👍
@@markbehr88 AU had funny headlight cover. Didn’t suit the car one bit
@@tba3900 Yes, they were strange. 👍
10:10....omfg...THAT'S a cooool car 🔥👅😜👍
Glad you like it Lance 👍
This EF/EL Falcon looked ahead of its time, compared to the VR/ VS commodores of the day. You’re right Mark, differentiating the stying from the Gli/Futura definitely made a difference for theFairmont / Ghia sales, along with the XR6/8 models. My step dad bought one of these EF Gil’s as an ex fleet car when it was 4 years old. The only problems with this model if I recall properly was the central locking failing & the a/c compressor clutch failing along with having to reseal the joints of the a/c condenser inside the cabin, as the gas was leaking out h from there.
I thought the VR was a good re-style of the VP and it modernised the front and rear ends. It sold extremely well. By VS it was getting a little long in the tooth. 👍
Have to agree this is a very clean design, especially for a makeover. Really interesting to hear your perspective from the 'other side of the fence'. But for me, those quad headlights are my favourite part of all the EF models. Cheers Mark.
Yes, a great design. They still look the goods today. I recommend people find a nice one and buy it. A nice piece of Aussie auto history. 👍
Yeah gotta agree....the EF/EL Falcons & the VR/VS Commos were the best looking...my fave Statesy is the VR/VS.....cough cough...i mean they ain't no AU....but still pretty good 😜👍
Yes the VR and VS were great looking cars. Same with the Statesman. I had Berlina VR V8 in Panther Mica as a company car and lots of Statesmans. I especially liked the dark blue. 👍
@@markbehr88 yeah anything HSV in those models has gone crazy but Berlinas & Calais will be desirable & any V8 Statesy
@@lancecooper4646 That’s exactly right Lance. 👍
Yeah nice review Mark , cant wait for the bullet proof AU
Thanks. Seems like a few are looking forward to the AU episode. That will be a biggie. 👍
It will come with time master , no rush, just saying
@@chrisgomez3078 Ha hah. Yes. It will be here soon. 👍
Great video, Mark. I remember that tall poppy ad at the end!
I loved the EF. I remember that my parents had rented an EF Series II for a road trip, in late 1996. 15 year old me, already in love with Falcons then, spent many an hour just sat in the car, poring over the manuals, playing with every switch and getting to know every single inch of the car. I also read every article in Wheels magazine about the EF so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about them. What I didn't know, was that it inspired Holden's design on the VX thanks to your input!
Just a nitpick, though - you mentioned that remote central locking and boot release was an extra on the Fairmont (at 9:14)? I don't think it was. I'm 95% sure that it was standard on every Falcon since Smartlock was introduced to the range in early 1993 about midway through the EBII's run.
I'm looking forward to the next one. The EL Fairmont Ghia is probably one of my favourites of all Falcons. And I almost bought one. I say almost, because at the time, I owned an EA Falcon GL which was causing me some grief, and I was tossing up between cutting my losses with the EA, with which I had bonded emotionally, and taking a punt on another used car which may be no more reliable. Clearly, I made the wrong decision.
Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. You could still find an EL Ghia I reckon! 👍😀
Great video Mark. EF was my favourite E-series. EL went backwards in styling imo. I still remember many of those media prints as A2 sized laminated posters around my workplace at the time. I gave the XR ones to a mad Ford friend when we replaced them with AU ones. I note the media shots of the Ghia didn’t have the front cornering lights. These also added to the differentiation of trim levels. I still really like the “3 step” boot treatment - L1 had nothing, L2 got the chrome spear, and L3 got the added plate escutcheon. Holden never got that level of difference, preferring to play around with tail lights instead (like the larger units on VY-VE). The EF remained my favourite Falcon until the FG arrived.
Thanks. Yes, I really like the EF too. Great looking car and I love my V8 Fairmont. 👍
My first car was a red EF wagon with factory 5 speed manual and since then I’ve owned heaps of EF falcons including a white XR8 with Tickford kit, FTR shark fins and sunroof and a heritage green option 20 XR8 (profile picture). I really miss the green XR8 and the red wagon.
They sound like great cars. 👍
@@markbehr88 they were, the wagon was great to camp in and go to car meets, lift up the tailgate and kick back on the mattress with a few hundred beers (except for the designated driver of course) and the green XR8 was a comfortable freeway cruiser and lots of fun in the twisty bits. I also won the chuck a spud competition at singleton show n shine back in 2014 with the green xr8, the only driving event I have ever competed in.
@@danieljones7843 Fond memories hey? 👍
@@markbehr88 some of the best times of my life
I had a ‘95 EF Futura Wagon and it was an awesome car. Very smooth and quiet - So much better than the 3.8L V6 in the VR/VS Commodore. Test drove all of them and the Falcon easily won out.
Loved the T-Bird front end too.
There was a tendency for the hydraulic engine mounts to leak though. I had mine fitted with adapters to use the AU engine mounts when they failed.
I agree with the clear glass look on the taillights, much cleaner. I ended up putting EL wagon tail lights on mine for the same effect.
Would’ve loved an XR6 wagon…
@@davodrums Very good. Glad you enjoyed the episode. 👍
The series continues! This styling is an vast improvement. This is a nice upgrade. The front end resembled not only the Thunderbird, it resembled Crown Victoria which was restyled for 1992 model year. It also looks similiar to the updated 1992 Taurus. The Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia grille looked like the updated 1998 Ford Contour/Mondeo front end styling. I enjoyed hearing about your work on the Holdens at that time too. Who knew that Ford impacted the Holden. That was interesting. The XR Series had good looking front ends. Why didn't the put the antenna on the trunk as opposed to the front fenders. I must say Ford of Australia looks better than Amerircan Ford during the same time. Thank you again.
Thanks Olds98 and good pick up re the Crown Victoria too. And I can see the Taurus and Contour family resemblance too. 👍
@@markbehr88 You are welcome. This Falcon generation was not bad looking. It looked more Ford as it should. There is a point you cannot tell when Australia Ford influenced American Ford or the other way around. I still think the Holden story was good.
@@OLDS98 I think we generally took influences from the USA and Europe bit put our own blended spin on it to suit our market. Ford MD said back in the XD days that Germany had the closest taste to Australia when in came to styling in the 1980’s. Interesting. 👍
@@markbehr88 I noticed what you said is true over the years at Ford Australia and GM ( Holden). I have seen Holdens that look like Oldsmobiles and Pontiac other American GM parts on Holdens . I saw Cadillac exterior mirrors on a earlier Statesman Caprice. I really can see especially with this car 1990's American Ford influence. I have seen Lincoln influence on LTD/Fairlane several times over.. Some of the earlier Falcons you shared looked like European Fords. One looked like Nissan/Mazda as well. I agree with your statement, but I would say Ford Australia and GM ( Holden) are more connected to the United States if anything. You guys kept the spirit of the UTE and and other cars alive after the United States had left those behind. You guys put an interesting twist. Look at the Holdens you worked on. You cannot see anymore that was based on Opel /Vauxhall Omega. You guys also modify the cars in width and things like that. You said they thought the Taurus was too small for Ford Australia and it was a midsized car for years. It did move to fullsize until the end in recent times. I think that the last Ford LTD in Australia was a great looking car. It would have made a great replacement for Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis in the United States. With modifications a great Lincoln Town Car.
@@OLDS98 Yes the US influence was strong and while I was at Ford and Holden I certainly pushed that direction as much as possible while still ensuring the cars would be well received locally. 👍
Thanks Mark another great video.The XR8 is a beautiful looking car specially with the shark fin wheels. 👍
Yes, they did a fantastic job on the XR’s. They still look very sharp today. It has aged very well. 👍
EL was more my style when it came to headlights and tail lights. Although the EF XR headlights were better than the ELs
Yes, styling is very subjective. I really like the EF base models without the grille versus the oval mouth on the EL but each to their own. 👍
I went from an ED futura too a EL futura and what a difference it was beautiful car to drive and I believe the ghia fitted with the uprated 6 cylinder had gold letters on the rub strip denoting 4.0.
Cool. I thought they were silver but you could be right there? They had great interiors. 👍
looking forward to the mighty AU!
Yes, that will be a mega episode! 👍
G'day Mark , Once again a beaut and detailed description on another popular Falcon ..My 1996 EF Futura was the five speed manual ..First one I had with the 4.0 litre SOHC Intech .. She was gunmetal grey and I did some big kays in her..Traded her in 2003 on my much loved AU Series 2 Futura with same SOHC engine with a few more kilowatts ...Highly under rated engine since the famous Barra DOHC but just as capable and reliable powerplant ...Thanks again for a great vid once again...Huge fan here
Thanks Rod. Much appreciated. I forgot to mention, I have a mint EF Fairmont V8 with the 5 litre V8. It is the very dark green with only 87,000 kms on it. There is a video on the channel if you go right back. 👍
My first new car was a EF GLI sedan if I remember correctly bought on the Red Carpet scheme thru Ford dealers.. memories a bit fuzzy 🤔 Anyway a couple of years later I bought a EF Fairmont it had a lot of Tickford bits underneath and the Tickford mags my mates son used to service it for me thought it might be a special order but I don’t know and the engine was standard, I never followed it up I was dating Satans daughter at the time and I couldn’t do anything without her looking over my shoulder .. Sorry I digress anyway another great video.
@@Ballterra Ha. Thanks. Glad you enjoy the videos and hope you avoided the clutches of the daughter. 😀👍
Another great video. Very interesting to see the history of the design.
My personal favourite is the EL. Went with my father who ordered a EL Fairmont brand new back in 97, which he handed down to me and I kept until 2018. Unfortunately it ended up at the wreckers one year after I sold it.
Would’ve loved to have seen the Fairlane in this video. These days as a weekender, I think the LWBs are a better choice out of these later series, especially with a V8.
Thanks. I will be doing a separate series on the long wheelbase cars, so stay subscribed. 👍
Another fascinating, well-made video about an Aussie classic! The insight into your EF-inspired design changes to the VX Commodore was genuinely interesting. Nice work!
Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it 👍
I remember seeing photo’s of the EB/D??? Falcon at Bathurst with race tape covering the grille and thinking WTF?
Then the EF was released, and it dawned on me why they did that.
Also remember sitting behind an EF at the lights wondering if the head of styling said to his subordinates and asked ‘what would an EJ Holden tail light look like if it was released today’?
The EL had the fancy pants oval exhaust, which did nothing
I must say, I can’t see the EJ Holden tail light. I think it was more influenced by the US designs including the Ford Contour.👍
@@markbehr88 just the rounded profile of the tail lights. I used to sit behind lots of them when they were new!
Even the ute tail gate reminded me of the HK ute!
@@jamesmcgowen1769 Right. I’ll have to have a closer look? 👍
@@jamesmcgowen1769I still see the XA tailgate on the utes!
Really enjoying your videos. Very keen for the EL video, EL is my personal favourite Falcon
Thanks. EL coming up next. 👍
I had a red EF GLi wagon for a while that used to be in a fire department, I don't remember if it was a '95 or a '96. It had the wheel mounted cruise control and the additional battery and oil pressure gauges. It sadly had an expiry date of 200,000 kms, but I'm glad I had it as it taught me the art of smooth steering input as it was very much necessary in that car.
Also, those coil packs are a real pain in the behind
@@MuscleCarLover Great cars. Would have looked good in red too. 👍
@@markbehr88 Mine was badly sun bleached on one side, the red side looked great however
@@MuscleCarLover 😀👍
Aw Mark......makes me regret selling my '98 XH van.......great show again, mate.
Thanks very much. Maybe you can find another one? I remember seeing an XH van in a wrecking yard. No wheels but absolutely mint paint and body. I wondered why it was there! 👍
Great Video as always. I remember when I got to drive an EF Futura once. It was a great comfortable car. I suppose being brand new at the time helped 🤣🤣🤣.
I always loved that front of the GLi with no grille.
Thanks. I also love that EF Falcon front end. Very Thunderbird. 👍
EB-AU1 used a diagnostic connector which was the same plug used for the EA-ED radios. So many were cut from wiring looms in wreckers
The EF (EECV) diagnostic codes consisted on 3 digits whereas the EA to ED (EECIV) consisted of 2 digit codes. The reason was the system could diagnose it self much better as the processor speed and memory capacity jumped significantly. Sample rate from sensors improved leading to an items like knock sensor ,sequential injection , incorporated transmission control,improved spark timing , broadband manifolds, A/C pressure, cooling fans, coil on plug etc etc. EECV had more pin , which allowed for more sensors or electrically driven components to be added.
I am loving this info 👍👍👍
Man I wish I could get a scan tool for my EF I'd thought it was rather odd they never had a engine light like the commodores had since VN it took until AU to put one in
@@MrVsbt1 Are they not available? 👍🤔
@@markbehr88 well I can't seemed to find one unless I fork out $$$$ for a snap on or something like that with plugs and software
@@MrVsbt1 Hopefully someone here will give you an answer. 👍
Did anyone with an EF manual alway find the rpm would hang on gear change’s which gave it a crap gear change. Main reason why I sold mine and bought a EL Ghia when it was released.
Interesting. I have not heard that before. 🤔👍
@@markbehr88 I thought it was mine until I drove another new one, exactly the same.
@@tba3900 Right 🤔
I worked in the Mining and Roading contract industry. It took years to take Ford seriously again: The EF was a re-dress from a very low point in "Cash Only Positive at Production" Falcons. The materials and punching in some special love into the package changed the atmospherics of those excellent EF Falcons. (Ford in the period of the XE¹/² to XF Series 2 in July 1986 destroyed the gift of the Cleveland Engine Plant transfer line for local production. To get 140 to 162 kilowatts [188 to 217 hp net like in the old days] you now needed not just cubic inches, but EECIV tech and instead of a 730 dollar cheque, you needed three times the money to get a multipoint Six or 5.0 'Litre V8'. Ford Australia carried that cost to get you into the 216 hp net zone. That really proves what a gift a Cleveland engine made in Geelong was. In the USA, fuel economy improved in leaps in bounds in the V8 engines, and in Australia, they opted out of a Throttle body or Port EFi V8 for 9 long years. That killed off the Falcon as a performance car with reasonable fuel economy like a 5 liter LX LTD or MTX Marquis or Mustang was. Ford Australia first started penny pinching with the continued use of local Borg Warner 40, 42 and then Whatever Four or Five speed gearboxes, and all of that cost service issues and headaches for people who just wanted something that could take a propane conversion without blowing up. The most searing criticism was the assurance that if you bought an EA- EF on Propane, you were guaranteed to blow a headgasket and would need a radiator upgrade to counteract the sand that leached out of the aluminium cylinder head castings. When multiple port EFi became standard, the employment of optional LP Gas then caused Ford Australia to push a whole lot of changes to the onboard Electronics..changes that should have occured in 1985 when the Bronco and F-100 5 litre V8 195 hp was included. It wasn't Jac Nasser who ruined the runaway gain in popularity of the EA and EB, it was the penny pinching under Bill Dix and Max Gransden, all to meet production cost targets and sales leadership requirements from Dearborn. Those guys, pulled apart the ages old Ford produced FMX based newer overdrive automatic and C4 and Toploader and heavy duty Single Rail based gearboxes, and replaced them with cheap, nasty parts, like the locally made Nissan based 2bbl Central Fuel Injection and breakage prone BTR gearboxes and clutch cables. Where Ford Australia thought they had a Better Idea, it was a More Complicated Less Elegant better idea, like EFi that didn't suit Impco LPG systems. When Ford Australia saved money, it was with a locally made knock off part, like the Throttle Body EFi with Chrysler/Nissan injectors, or the Quadrant clutch cable, or the downgraded AC Delco two way catalyst, or the roll over steer prone rear mounted rack and pinion steering box, where as the Fox, SN95 and 1989 MN12 used Cortina/ Jaguar based Front mounted steering gear. Everything resulted in decimating the old reliability found in the XA-XC's, and the locally developed EA to ED's are some of the most complicated cars to data log and fix. Whereas, a US Fox Mustang, Crown Victoria or MN12 Thunderbird is one of the best used cars to trash on. Ford Australia did fix things, the EF was the start , but an EL had to move backwards the EECIV and put a distributor back in a Six cylinder Falcon for the LPG boys in the Taxi market, and then Ford Oz really forced the component makers ( like BTR) to push a proper international component sales agenda to Sassyong, Maserati and Volvo to get reliability back on track.)
Wow! Thanks for that info. I own a few Fox body Mustangs, Panther Crown Vics and Marquis, so it is interesting to hear about the variations in components. 👍
Hello from Western Australia, Mark! I've been getting into your videos a bit lately. I remember the first time I saw an EB, that's my favourite facelift from one model to the next. I still tell my missus I want to buy and own an NL Fairlane V8 with nice wheels. I love all this stuff, keep it up.
Thanks very much. I love the EB too per my V8 Ghia on the channel. You should buy that Fairlane. They still aren’t too dear. 👍
@@markbehr88 I know, I see them a lot. It would only be train station and back weekdays and a bit more on weekends. Actually I'll hop on your channel right now, I've never just clicked the Videos tab, what haven't I seen yet. Man, we used to know of a guy just out of Lara near Geelong that had two XC Cobra in his shed.
@@davidwood9966 There are heaps of videos to watch here. You can also use the playlists, like the Falcon one and hit “play all” if you want a memory lane history from the very first Falcon onwards. 👍
@@markbehr88 yeh I'm onto it hey. Thanks!
Love all the details Mark!!!
Thanks very much. 👍
Even though were not at the EL, I think the EL XR6 and XR8 4 headlight treatment was better than the EF since it added a grill with more body lines around the headlights rather than being all flat like the EF XR6 and XR8.
I like both designs. They have both aged very well. 👍
I still prefer the EF. It just looked more aero. My neighbour at the time was a NSW HWP cop, so I got up close to numerous EF and EL XR8s when he’d come home for a dinner break with his cheap maccas for the family. The EL just wasn’t as smooth to look at, and I preferred the grille-less front. It made the lower spec models stand out against the VR.
Compared to the fleet GLi I was driving occasionally, the XR was amazing. They really got the separation and unique trim level formulas correct. But even a base model looked good, and was reasonably equipped too.
The handling issues people complain about weren’t as bad in the day as they make out today, and many cars had a rear mounted rack with no issues. It’s the geometry that was the problem. In saying that, when the VT first came out, my HWP neighbour was given one, but went back to the EL as he hated the handling in the VT compared to the VS and VL.
I'm getting excited about the EL and AU episodes. Great episode Mark. Didn't know the handling upgrade came in in the series 2 EF.
I love my EH Prem I've restored but also m you ED XR6 wagon I also restored and I'm about to end up with an EL Fairmont Ghia with OEM handling option. Oh, and I bought last year a low km series 3 AU Fairmont Ghia in pristine condition. I can't help myself. Now I wanted to tell you about a mate who visited the Ford design studios during the panic to improve the AU sales figures and I was told that there was a photograph a baboon's you know what on the wall with respect to feedback about the centre console look. They did however work hard on significant mechanical improvements as well I'm told to recover creditability which can be seen today by how many AUs are still on working duties. My daily drive is just a BA ute with XR handling. Thanks again for your Falcon series.
Thanks. Glad you are enjoying the series. You have a great collection there. I was at the agency for Ford later in the AU life. There were challenges but we sold a lot pf them. They are extremely durable cars and now are starting to be appreciated. 👍
Thanks fpr the hp ratings!
Pleasure 👍
Any chance you could do the Commodore ranges as well keep up the good work
Yes, I will absolutely be doing those in the future, so please Subscribe and hit the bell notification icon to let you know when new episodes come up. 👍
The EF/EL has always been my favourite Falcon, in terms of design, especially in XR trim. Sadly, I was too poor at the time to get one, even just an XR6, and funnily enough this holds true today, at least for a decent condition example. I look forward to your AU coverage, as my first Falcon was a used AU XR6, non VCT. I actually offloaded a VT Commodore VT S pak for it :) I didn't like the interior, I loved the exterior looks.
Thanks. Maybe you could buy a doer upper? Like my AU VCT XR6 on the channel but in EF or EL form? 👍
I owned a XR6 EF manual.They were pretty quick.I traded it for a BA Futura lol.
That EF manual would have been a nice car. 👍
Hi Mark, I can see what you mean about the front of the Falcon EF styling from the US Ford Thunderbird , and now fitted with plastic head head lamps which can "yellow" through ultra violet. I was surprised in the mid 90's that the 4.0 OHC engine was not up graded to a DOHC 4 valves per cylinder as this was the way of engines in the 90's were being made but it still has plenty of power. At this time a lot of European cars including European Fords were making Diesel engines, Did Ford of Australia produce a diesel for this car or any other Ford. Personally I'm not a diesel fan and never had a diesel car. As always good to be up to date with the Australian car production, the past and today, Great video Take care
Thanks Shaun. The DOHC 24 valves came later. The cars had great torque so the SOHC did a great job. No diesels in local Fords until the Territory, which used a Land Rover engine. It was quite popular but diesels have fallen out of favour thanks to VW. 👍
The EF XR 6 and 8 have to be the best looking Falcon ever.....they were good cars my 95 GLi would easily get 30 mpg in the old money...
They were and are great cars. Despite the roll oversteer they ride very nicely, are smooth and comfortable and look great. I love my V8 Fairmont EF. 👍
For better or worse the ED to EF falcon seems to be the homeless car of choice in my suburb. Affordable, plenty of room, reliable, cheap to run. Who needs a house?
Ha. Like real estate, they are starting to gain in value (as long as they are in decent condition). 👍
@@markbehr88thankyou albo mr 31%
A marmite car, some people love them and had zero problems, others seemed to be cursed. Saw many EF/EL taxis using EA engines and three speed autos to try and keep costs down, Frankenstein cars built out of all sorts of Falcon models to just get them back on the road. One thing I’ll ever forget in an Aussie Falcon is that bloody awful BTR auto transmission whine from a standing start! I always lusted after a blue XR6 manual sedan or now that I’m older, a unicorn that is a wagon!
Yes, or Vegemite! 😀. An XR6 wagon would be nice. 👍
Thanks very much for the video
Pleasure 👍
EF was the first to introduce a digital odometer. This had a diagnostic mode which you could use a digital temp gauge, voltmeter etc, but pain in the arse to enter the mode
First 6 cylinder to have EEC5 and sequential injection and DFI. Most EF had an extended crank time due to the dirty signal from the crankshaft position sensors picking up feedback from the starter. Some were that bad they would start at all.
By now the LE95 auto trans had all the bugs ironed out of it and actually was a very reliable unit .
Fords diff supplier Borg Warner had a lot of diff bearing failures . The bearing were source from timkin Canada not Australia
The umbrella handbrake was retired and a handbrake lever finally introduced. . But of you had a 6 seater the park brake lever was between the drivers door and drivers seat. The newly designed Australian designed banksia park brake was introduced
Finally after years of leaks the rocker cover gasket was changed to rubber.
Broadband manifold was introduced
Electric thermal fans introduced
Finally the wired fusible links replaced and a new fuse box was installed under the bonnet. Now all falcons had a 110A alternator because of the higher electrical demand on the system and a serpentine belt replaced the usual 3 belt combination
Thanks. Great additional details. 👍👍
EA - EB1 Fairmont Ghia and EB1 Fairmont only had a digital odometer that came with the digital dash.
Also the XF Fairmont Ghia.
@@jamesfrench7299 yeah your right. Completely forgot about the,. It became standard in EF to reduce fraudulent speedo wind backs. It was easy all,easy to wind back speedo on the old ones. Today’s instrument clusters can only be advanced in km and done maximum 3 times.
@@tba3900 dashes from a lower Km wreck can be swapped out.
@@jamesfrench7299 With Falcon ,From September 2010 the car wont start. . PATS was incorporated into the IIPC to prevent this dash swop.
Had 3 still got a 94 ef Fairmont
It’s great you still have one. So do I. A dark green V8 Fairmont. 👍
I bought a secondhand 95 EF Futura in Biscayne blue which was a light blue metallic paint. It had a few problems which I rectified like a drivers window where he operating mechanism was stuffed so I fitted a new one as sometimes it wouldn't go down or come up. The plastic headlights were crazed to blazes and a buff colour so I fitted new headlights. I ended up getting a new keyfob because I'd press it to unlock the doors and they'd unlock whereupon they'd all lock again. The car came with wheel caps from the EL Futura but I found it impossible to find wheel caps from the EF Futura. The exhaust was rusted out from the cat to the back so I had a stainless exhaust fitted. In time the air conditioner compressor gave out so I fitted a new one as driving in an Aussie summer without air conditioning is not pleasant.
Hopefully after all that it was a good car?😀👍
@@markbehr88Yes it was for it had been a cheap buy at 10K and it lasted until I sold it to buy a later Falcon which I still have.
Whereas other Falcon owners have always aspired to have GT or at an almighty push a GTHO I never have knowing I could never afford one of those so a Fairmont Ghia is what I always wanted to have. But by the time I was financially able to have a Ghia that nameplate was gone. So I bought the G6E which for me was it's replacement badge.
@@AussiePom I do like the G6E but they should have kept the Fairmont and Ghia nameplates imo. 👍
@@markbehr88 I too Mark think they should have stayed with the Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia nameplates.
@@markbehr88 One other thing Mark about the EF Futura the cruise control "resume coast" button unlike later cars where going from 50kph in a country town back to 100kph would see a gradual increase in speed until 100kph was reached, not in the EF where pushing the "resume coast" button would see the car's auto box kick down into 1st gear and rocket up to 100kph.
Cool video so my old engineer mate told me yesterday that the 302 Windsor small block v8 LS 1 heads bolt straight on and that the LS chev engine was a copy of the 351 Windsor v8 I definitely know what I’m going to do with my xh Ute and 1975 TD cortina now go find too AU falcons for donor cars with 302 roller cam Windsor engines
Thanks. Good luck on the V8 Au’s. I am sure there are some out there but going up in $$. 👍
@@markbehr88 to me there’s nothing better than a modified small block Windsor putting one in my TD cortina will be heaven Summernats here we come..
@@michaelbyrnes7944 My mate used to have one in his TC. Went like a bullet 👍
The Fairmont has a sports button on the gear lever to increase the rev range .
Probably a power / economy setting. 👍
@@markbehr88 something along those like Mark on the the gear shift mate.
@@mathewhyland8925 👍
Had an EF II. Great car, except for the head.
Fair enough. 👍
My parents had an 1995 EF Fairmont Wagon in Bordeaux when I was a kid, my nan bought a 1996 EF2 Futura Olympic Classic Sedan in Heritage Green. My parents Fairmont felt a lot nicer and more premium than the Futura that's for sure and seemed to be smoother on the road too.
Nice you had two in the extended family 👍
Wish they did a typhoon wagon or turbo wagon with the last models
I did think of a wagon but by then Ford only have a standard 6 and no turbo or V8. The cost of doing the certification and reprogramming with Bosch for ABS etc would make it a challenge too. But I like the idea. 😀👍
Been patiently waiting for this one, good one Mark.i remember when commodore came same year these really stuck with me looking much more modern, i just didn't like how long the rear end was. One thing i learned is how shit american designers are at doing our cars😂
Thanks. Glad you liked it. The rear was slightly long. I noticed that a lot more on the Fairlane rear end. 👍
@@markbehr88 the American ones looked terrible 🤮the xr models looked way better than the Holden's at the time