Comments on: Fuel to the fire: 2 Ford Falcon prototypes spied outside of Detroit

By: zoomzoomr

zoomzoomr — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:56:15 +0000

Blakkarr is thinking along the same lines I am.. why wouldn’t they bring this as a Mercury Marauder, right now, as is? At least until they come up with new sheetmetal for Interceptor/MKR variants and kill Mercury altogether.

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:35:07 +0000

I say bring it here as is.

By: Blakkarr

Blakkarr — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:01:48 +0000

So will any car, if you treat it like you want to keep it. That’s the nasty truth of any automobile. Even a YUGO will last a decade or two if you take care of it… and it really was a disposable car.

Don’t try so hard, “Need more”. You’re losing your audience.

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:56:06 +0000

Yeah, if the thing is actually running long enough to get past the monster G8. POS will be in the shop the first week you own it. G8’s will run forever needing nothing but brakes, tires and petrol. That’s what you expect with the American Revolution

By: bigp

bigp — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:14:34 +0000

By: Aussie#1

Aussie#1 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:40:42 +0000

i dont understand why lln don’t put up any images of the car without camouflage its already been shown here is oz and ready for sale in may. also the ones shown are not G8 fighters, the FPV variants are.

By: xkr

xkr — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:40:04 +0000

They look front wheel drive

By: 400horseSS

400horseSS — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:36:20 +0000

Gizmo lay off the Glass Dick

By: Blakkarr

Blakkarr — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:16:54 +0000

The Panther platform was introduced in 1978. It has never been thoroughly overhauled like FORD’s Trucks. It is only because GM posed no competition after killing the B-body, and Chyrsler had NOTHING, that FORD did nothing with this platform.

Now that CHRYSLER is threatening to take fleet sales, to include police fleets who need more up-to-date cars to take more up-to-date offenders’ cars, GM and FORD are scrambling to catch up.

Testing Falcon’s in the US is good because FORD has the basic car already made for testing. They are working the right angle here. But moving the development ENTIRELY to the US may not be a very bad move in the long run.

One) FORD’s Engineer’s are out of practice. They haven’t made a new RWD, IRS, Hi-pro platform sense the 1990’s “Aero-bird” Thunderbird. The Blunderbird was a DEW-98 Jaguar/Lincoln. FORD USA needs practice with RWD cars. They aren’t quite the same as Trucks and SUVs.

Two) AUSTRALIA has freer hands thanks to a local market that encourages the kind of Vehicle AMERICA used to make out of habit over 15 years ago. The Aussies can tinker and tweak with more freedom and the US engineers will have more effective base designs to work from.

The only drawback is that FORD is currently notorious for having “cold feet” when it comes to interesting designs. But FORD doesn’t have any good excuses for the Auto-press, investors, and customers. Those Eco-boost engines will be a great alternative to larger engines. As much as I’d want a 5L Hurricane V8, I’ll settle for a buff turbo-pumped I4, I5 ,or V6.

Heck why not! FORD does have a great 2.5L I5 that can easily thump out 300HP. Why not go that route.

Also, if FORD is not going to scrap Mercury (right away), then ship the FALCON largely as is as a MERCURY. Even if it is a only stop gap until the FORD and LINCOLN models are ready.

By: enthusiast89

enthusiast89 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:08:18 +0000

aging is a bit of a euphemism for the Crown Vic’s status…

By: carbonsigma

carbonsigma — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:48:31 +0000

Go Australia!

By: gizmo2

gizmo2 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:26:54 +0000

Give them a break, at least they have a new mind set. By the way I prefer the Ford line up over GM. Ever try to do something simple like changing a water pump or thermostat on GM ecotec 2.4L? think about removing the exhaust manifold.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:14:45 +0000

They just need to give it the right marketing spin, you know, like the Flex. Somehow they have to convince us these are not performance oriented sedans aimed at those who are looking for something slightly more stimulating than the vanilla FWD commuter coffins, but rather that they’re aimed at church groups, farm workers and sports teams looking to replace their Econolines.

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:28:57 +0000

It’s about time Ford made something good besides the F-150 and Mustang. The Focus, Fusion, and Five Hundred (Taurus) are crap-o… and why on earth are they still selling the Crown Vic anyways? Those things were dated when grand-dad bought one 10 years ago.

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:26:44 +0000

Ford is run by those pussy Europeans, they are no longer American. At least not since before Jacque Nassar F’d them up once and for all.

By: LaCaLover

LaCaLover — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:50:10 +0000

driver54, the person to whom you refer is an attention seeker, ignore him.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:49:19 +0000

Aren’t these platforms getting tired? Perhaps they were updated since I saw them last. The problem is they are heavy vehilces with either a turbo-6 or V8.

By: driver54

driver54 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:34:42 +0000

According to you, need more oil, you are only an American if you buy American. Why would you bash an American company? That sounds pretty anti-American based on your ****ty logic.

By: jumpoffit

jumpoffit — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:30:18 +0000

what is with the rear doors looking out of place? this should have been the ford Taurus instead just so they could bring back the SHO-

By: DeansterTJ

DeansterTJ — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:28:11 +0000

^ The tow truck was busy hauling Buick Centuries and Regals

By: Need4SSpeed

Need4SSpeed — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:28:01 +0000

Wow and LLN or whichever spy photographers are just getting this now? I attend college right in Dearborn that’s about 1 minute from Ford’s world headquarter. I’ve seen a Ford Falcon and Mondeo driving around town as well as the Lincoln MKS before it debuted at the NAIAS. I guess this has become an everyday sight for me. Bring em Ford!

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:23:37 +0000

Where’s the picture of the one on the tow truck?

Found
On
Road
Dead

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:22:51 +0000

G8 fighter, lol. Ford will be lucky if these things stand a chance against a front drive Impala, let alone a hot, class leading muscle car like those from Pontiac.

By: DeansterTJ

DeansterTJ — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:22:15 +0000

Looks decent enough. As I was thinking, “Would this cannibalize anything Ford already puts out?…” I was shocked to realize, Ford’s lineup is SO boring/forgettable I don’t even know (or care) if they have a sporty sedan offering. Do they?

By: shaver

shaver — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:20:15 +0000

LLN; Max Mosley News, please include photos?

By: DeansterTJ

DeansterTJ — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:19:59 +0000

first