Where did FORD get the AU Idea from?

[Jayden]

my dad has a series 1 XR8 signed by Brock as it was modified somehow by his workshop. has the double spoiler and the EF like series 1 lower front kit that I prefer over the series 2 squarish one. Lowered on big mags it looks hell mean, I love it. its like like a white pointer in car form. who gives a crap what anyone else says.

[bArNsY]

IMO
Those pictures are like meeting a good-looking girl and finding out they have hideous parents that were hit by the fugly stick!
never was a fan of the AU, the xr's were alright though

[sfr rob]

Originally Posted by clontarf_x

You know you love AU's when seeing that new Mercedes gives you a suprise in the pants... god damn I want that machine!

Better than a 'lump' in the throat. :

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Polyal

If you want the real story, it was a ford desgn trend at the time "Edge Styling" or something like that. Just look at the last gen focus, not as bad but similar in many was.

We all know how well that went too....

....plus a strong rumour that then Ford Aus President Jack Nasser took to the clay model after hours and rounded off the edges so until we see the original design sketches we will never know what the "un-Nassered" AU would have looked like.:

[jimt3te50]

The design of the AU was borrowed from the boat-tail styling of the Jaguar- if someone popped a pic of the Jag you could see the similarities- it's near identical.

It was definately too far ahead of it's time- half the reason the cars are more appealing today- if someone who didn't know the falcon were asked to put e series through to BA in order of year manufacture I would almost guarantee that AU would seem the logical progression from BA and not to it.

It's a styling thing that has been bought up by many very highly regarded designers from some very prestigious marques worldwide- there are quite a few articles on it.

[Hawk]

I just love cars that have rear wheels that are half-covered. So stylish.

[Jayden]

well, we can be proud of the AU for that then, when there are more cars like it coming out of other countries we can smugly say, meh.....thats so late 90s falcon.

[Lukeyson]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

Long Live the Australian Freedom of Speech

The ABC wishes to advise your thread has been cancelled

[mosman69]

^^^^ HAHAHA classic, i agree the standard AU's are lacking a little something but the XR's are definately growing on me, i think i just need a new car and anything will do hahaha :

[MeestaNob!]

Ingredients for a nice AU: Lowered, 18"+ rims.

HELLO BOYS.

[Yaw]

Getting away from the AU bashing, I wonder if the car that started this thread had its origin from the original 1979 Ford Probe concept car, look at the similarities.
http://www.scottgrundfor.com/concept/1979probe.html

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

I read an article 12 months back from a Mercedes Benz Engineer he said the AU Falcon shape was to far ahead of its time.

So was the P76

[XRQTR]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

They were the GM EV-1, a pure-electric car. From memory it appeared as a show car around 1990, and on the road a few years later. The performance figures for the show car I remember being pretty good (good acceleration and not completely useless range - good for an urban car) They only built a limited number and the cars were not sold but leased (or similar) so GM had control over them. Then, when it suited them, GM took them back and crushed them except for one which is in a museum.

I wouldn't get too worked up over the styling, that type of car is about optimising efficiency, including aero. It is startling how similar the tail lights are to the AU are though!

There have been other similar cases like this, I can think of a Ford one in Europe, and back in the 1960s Citroen did similar with a rotary car except they weren't leased, Citroen bought the cars back so they wouldn't have to keep stocks of parts.

There was a doco on these cars not too long ago, funny thing they mentioned was the rebate scheme they had for leasees, you got $4500 back on the EV1 but if you went out and leased a Hummer and you were a small business you got close to $100K.

Good to see the US government doing there bit for the environment :monkes:

[SVG]

The BA/BF is just an AU with a few modifications body wise so I don't see why the B-series people get so high and mighty all the time when everyone knows the E-Series Falcons are the best looking cars of all time!

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by MeestaNob!

Ingredients for a nice AU: Lowered, 18"+ rims.

HELLO BOYS.

+ Factory bodykit. Squares it off and looks awesome. I love the look of the AU 2 or 3 Ghias with the Tickford wheels and bodykit. Dump them and they look great.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by 070mstg

wow,there is an uglier car than the AU

Yeah yours, Woohoo another AU bashing thread.

[Aussie Falcon]

Originally Posted by XRQTR

There was a doco on these cars not too long ago, funny thing they mentioned was the rebate scheme they had for leasees, you got $4500 back on the EV1 but if you went out and leased a Hummer and you were a small business you got close to $100K.

Good to see the US government doing there bit for the environment :monkes:

I saw a review on it recently looked like a good doco to see eventually. It's still at the cinemas: http://www.dendy.com.au/moviedetail.asp?Mov_ID=M728

Trailer is here http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/

[qwigybo]

au3 xr's and t3's were the best looking, from the front guard to the rear they look like they should've followed the BA but they needed different headlights, the triangles just look bland

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by MeestaNob!

Ingredients for a nice AU: Lowered, 18"+ rims.

HELLO BOYS.

I agree with that statement..............

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by drcook

but why do efficient, environmentally friendly cars have to look so shthouse (hello, toyota prius).

Lexus RX440h hybrid anyone?

[1970galaxie]

Originally Posted by GCFordChic

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the story on these cars?

I have no idea what the hell they are, and I am quite glad, but now I am intrigued.

Surely it wasnt their 'style' that took them off the road? :

OK, I got it all sussed!
There's a new movie out now called "Who Killed the electric Car?" It's a doco type movie about these cars, called GM EV1. That's right, A General Motors product!

[RG]

Originally Posted by MeestaNob!

Ingredients for a nice AU: Lowered, 18"+ rims.

HELLO BOYS.

Well thank you. :sm_drool:

[tourinea]

You might want to look at this site ppl
http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/ev1crush.html

[Dark Horse]

Ok, AU styling arguments aside, which have gone around in circle forever and a day and back to that "Who Killed The Electric Car".

I was listening to a very interesting interview on Triple J's Hack program regarding this car and in short GM copped a lot of flack from oil companies etc etc as the car would not require consumables as per internal combustion vehicles.

It would become so efficient to run that because it wouldn't require as much reliance on replacement parts over the long term compared with the internal combustion engine executives at GM became very concerned that this car would put GM out of business, so recalled all vehicles.

Potential trial customers weren't even allowed to purchase the cars, rather they could only lease them on a time limited basis as already mentioned. Eventually the head honcho's of the EV program recalled all vehicles to a remote location where they were to be destroyed.

[bigAl]

conspiracy

[39ClevoUte]

Just to support the Jag theory here is a shot I got when at Gelong a few years back. Looks like a Jag front for a "AU" LTD, Fairlane or Fairmont.

[buickman]

What a wast they didn't even keep a few for car museums. At least Leyland Australia left 9 Force 7's from destruction another wasted exercise.
Having owned a AU Ghia I reckon they are a underated car with IRS & the S3 XR8 & Tseries will become collectable down the track more so than the BAxr8.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by Aussie Falcon

I saw a review on it recently looked like a good doco to see eventually. It's still at the cinemas: http://www.dendy.com.au/moviedetail.asp?Mov_ID=M728

Trailer is here http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/

I got hold of a copy of that movie who Killed the Electric Car. Its a good watch as those things were quicker than a most cars. Its really a conspirancy by the car makers & the oil companies & the Republican's allowing the car makers to take the state of California to court over the emmissions issue to get these cars of the roads. Ford also had a E/car at that time.

Oh sorry I FORGOT to add a line..................

As I do with all my posts......................

All 1100 plus of them...........

No one is in the Pedersen car museum in LA number 99. You want to have a look at the movie doco

[crYnOid]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Ok, AU styling arguments aside, which have gone around in circle forever and a day and back to that "Who Killed The Electric Car".

I was listening to a very interesting interview on Triple J's Hack program regarding this car and in short GM copped a lot of flack from oil companies etc etc as the car would not require consumables as per internal combustion vehicles.

It would become so efficient to run that because it wouldn't require as much reliance on replacement parts over the long term compared with the internal combustion engine executives at GM became very concerned that this car would put GM out of business, so recalled all vehicles.

Potential trial customers weren't even allowed to purchase the cars, rather they could only lease them on a time limited basis as already mentioned. Eventually the head honcho's of the EV program recalled all vehicles to a remote location where they were to be destroyed.

Unfortunately the "Who Killed the Electric Car" doco only really looked at the publics point on view with token 'spun' input from a GM spokesperson. From GM's point of view they showed the EV1 at an auto show, and the public jumped up and down demanding it. From the response GM figured they could sell/lease 150,000 vehicles a year. A bit over a billion dollars later the vehicle went on sale. Leased was the only option.

~10,000 where leased in the first year, a few thousand more then next year. This was MASSIVELY short of sale expectations. So instead of throwing more money at it GM pulled the plug and ate the billion dollar loss on the vehicle.

The reason the EV1s where then taken back and crushed by GM at the end of there lease was that GM no longer had parts to maintain them. If they couldn't be repaired safely (which they couldn't) GM could be held liable and sued (a BIG risk in NA). So it was cheaper/safer to just crush them.

Why did the EV1 fail? SUVs were cheap. Fuel was cheap. And the US Gov. was subsidising SUVs making them cheaper.

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

Long Live the Australian Freedom of Speech

Australia doesn't actually have a legislative concept of free speech. Its all assumed under common law. Thus, technically, we dont have the freedom of speech :P