Comments by "Andy Dee" (@AndyViant) on "American Learns about Aussie Icon - The Ford Falcon" video.

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  4. You got the XK and XL there, after that I believe our XM and XP are unique, based on a continuation of the XK body shape. The XR onwards are a completely different local design to US I believe, keeping the smaller body size but based on styling cues from over there. Probably a lot more similarity with our bigger "Fairlane" to US models. The XA-XC were Australian unique designs (although also available in New Zealand and South Africa), as by then the Falcon was dead in the states. The boxy XD-XF onward were based on European models, not America - the styling was based off the European Ford Granada and Capris. A stretched British car, rather than a shrunken American one. Ford Australia didn't really have the money to develop a brand new car from scratch on their own. Holden faced the same drama with the replacement for the Torana with the VB Commodore (note VB is also the initials of Australia's biggest selling beer Victoria Bitter). It had to be a local modification of someone else's gear, and like Ford, they went with a Euro design. Anything from the last Falcon XE ESP (the last v8 for ages) until the EB GT are basically all crap. Honestly so too was the EB GT, EL GT etc. But at least the V8 was back. The AU's were a better car, but ugly as hell except for the XR6/XR8 packs. Honestly it was huge mistakes throughout the 80's from Ford, and they continued into the 90's. The XD wasn't that bad, but each successive car got worse and worse right through this era. Once all the muscle car boys were mostly Ford fans. Now it's Holden fans probably 3:1 or more - partly because Ford killed the V8 for so many years, partly because for so many years their cars were total garbage - great taxis, but no performance cars, no passion, no feel. So once you get past XE, it's kind of a wasteland. The cheap XR6 and XR8's were ok bang for buck, but basically nothing inspired anyone until the mighty Barra (BA) Falcon came out. Yeah, they're a taxi, but they're still a damn good looking, quick, and tough car. Ford was back, baby.
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