Something is slightly wrong with you - this is the crudest imaginable contraption. As the nice man says, this was a 1970s platform with a live rear axle that was running a decade or more behind its overseas manufactured competitors.
20 years ago I had to sell my EBII Fairmont Ghia 4L and have regretted it ever since. It had the leather recaro style seats, the woodgrian on the door trims and the BBS wheels. It was such a good car to drive and I just loved the look of it. So I have just got myself another EBII Fairmont Ghia but this ones 5.0. Never letting this one go. They still look amazing and people comment and admire it whenever I take it out.
I had a 1993 XR6 in Pearl Black. I bought it in 2010 for $2200. Because I was a young man just out of his apprenticeship, I didn't have a lot of money so I learned a lot doing all the mechanical work on it. I threw the 4 speed auto in the bin and swapped it to a 5 speed manual and that really changed the character of the car. The autos have a really tall 1st gear, so they can be a bit sluggish off the line even with the 3.45 rear gear. I really love these cars. Nothing drives down the highway like a nice comfy Falcon. It's just a shame that most of them were factory installed with rust.
Many years back I replaced my wife’s Corolla with a Black EB XR8. She didn’t like the idea at first, but once she drove it. She loved it! Should never had sold it.
I grew up as a died in the wool Holden fan... I now own a BA XR6 ute and a FG XR6 Turbo ute... both are bloody great 👍 nothing better than a ford straight 6.
These were new when i was in early high school, so i have quite a soft spot for them. I had a big poster of an EB GT in cobalt blue on my bedroom wall, thought it was the toughest car going and used to crank Nirvana tracks staring at it pretending i was driving one to school hahahah! ! guess that was my ''Lamborghini Countach poster lol
XR6 thanks. Faster. Australian engine. Game over. I was always a Holden guy, but my old man wanted something a bit different from every new Commodore since VC - VN that he'd had so he got an EB. I had a lot of explaining to do at school to about half the boys, whereas the other half sneered at me over all the s**t I'd given them about the brand my old man was now driving. Honestly, the EB was a better car than any of the Holdens up until VE. I'd dearly love a VF/FE duo in the garage 6.2/4.0T in the garage, but it only fits the Alfa. Maybe one day! Fun video.
46 years grew up as a polish immigrant to Australia and the joy of these V8 was something special, till we got the Nissan RB’s and the joy to make a Porsche driver cry and any ozzy V8 was just a golden time in Australia 😂 the VN memories….. just gold….pretty sure from memory the Barra was a response to the RB 😂 cause Nissan gave Holden the engine that was half as good VL was the moment I think ford pulled apart an RB 😂
Brilliant. I only had the EBII Falcon S in the classic metallic blue with red side trim but loved it. The axle tramp sometimes was a bit of a worry. I think I was the only co car owner that waxed his car...Happy days
That was a great comparison thank you, I remember doing the launch for these at Sandown, the EXR6 really impressed the press. Happy to say I have a low kilometre one in the stable. A very balanced and satisfying car to drive.
I had an EB II XR6S back in the early 2000s, and I bloody loved it! It was a 5-speed manual, and boy was it a fun car to drive!! With the limited slip diff, with a blip of the throttle and dumping of the clutch, it was a handful!!! Great review - and awesome to see the E-Series highlighted and reviewed, as it really should be considered a 'plastic classic' particularly now that they are 30+ years old, and you really don't see them going around on the roads anymore!!
Brings back great memories working as a ford dealer for 20 years. Spent so much time in XR6/8/Sprints. 6 was a little quicker, 8 was so smooth, Sprint felt about as quick as the XR6. Only the Bendix ABS let the car down, but once disconnected it was perfect.
I had that six cylinder model as a company car for 12 months before I got promoted and moved interstate. It was a fantastic car to drive. It cleansed all the sins of the EA.
We had a Tickford XR6. Not sure if was EB, but had 181kw and was before the stupid round headlight covers. Dad reckons it was the best car he’s ever owned. *Edit* It must have been that one, with 161kw…. But it had the Tickford wing badges.
I prefer GM but the Mexican Windsor 5.0 is the best, most durable and sweetest V8 Ford ever made. The 4.6 Modular 2V V8 was second best and both motors are many times more durable than the disastrous 3V 5.4, a true lemon. If any 90s Ford containing that Windsor crossed my path at the right price I’d love to buy it. Probably prefer an LTD and go full-pimp 😁
I drove both of these new, they were really special, Ford Oz were back with the EB1 SXR8, and then nudged ahead with the EB2 XR6 4.0 replacing the anaemic 3.9, much like the release of the mighty and arguably best BA series a decade later. (There’s a lot of similarities surrounding the introduction of the EB and BA I think) Great video mate, I agree, Aussie Gen X petrol heads had it so good. I don’t have a preference, I’m just grateful to have lived it and driven the Ford and Holden products new, reading Wheels magazine launches, comparos etc; I feel sorry for our kids, BYD and MG won’t scratch that itch.
I have no love for EBs but still a great video. They're a rare sight in my rural area. Just learnt there was a very rare EB II SS with only 10 made for Group 3E racing.
Had a cobalt blue ED XR6 manual and a 94 Polynesian green XR8 Sprint also in a manual. Both brilliant cars and so much fun drive. My absolute favourite cars!
I test drove back in the days of the EF/EL both the XR6 and XR8 when I was looking to buy one... and the 6 won me over, sure the V8 had the wonderful soundtrack but the handling of the 6 was superb.
My work EB wagon. came with valve timing a tooth out, oddly repainted door. Altenator died after a year . Handled amazingly well tho, especially on dirt. Great cruiser. I always loved seeing the negative camber up front...helped the handling
The front spindles were weak and used to bend inwards..we were forever replacing them for a correct wheel alignment..the ED front ends were much improved and so were the EL models.. cheers !
Oh man, back in the early 2000’s I had a Monza Red (like the vid) Herrod Motorsport tuned EB XR6 5 speed manual with 3.45:1 diff gears. Damn I miss that car, was an absolute weapon. Thanks for posting this.
The Xr6 all day long. This was the start of the legend The Legend Status was cemented when the Barrra arrived in the BA onwards and the icing on the cake was the Mighty Barra Turbo 6 XR6 Turbo FPV F6 XR6 sprint I've Got a 2010 FG XR6 Turbo in my garage. Never selling it
A mates Dad has an EB XR8 that has a 351 Windsor from the Foxbody Mustang of the time; he worked R & D for Ford Oz for 30 odd years and from what i was told, this was a test mule, some of the wiring and bits & pieces you can tell it's a bitsa; coolest part is that it has an auto kick down wired in to the cruise buttons, so kinda like a paddleshift of sorts. Also, I owned a regular EB Falcon 6 seater wagon (base model), that was optioned with the V8 by a dealer, pretty basic but man did it cruise
@JC-3RZ-FE Dunno, I don't know much about that era US cars, only what I was told years ago from my mates Dad; could be, as he has full blown dementia now, possible that he misremebered when he told me 20ish years ago
There were a few, 2 or 3 ea or eb falcons that had the 351 Windsor. There was a blue one that did the rounds in the motor mags at the time and the motor shows.
I remember this in Motor (or was it Wheels) Magazine in 1990. From memory it was an EA that Ford Aus engineering sent to Michigan where Jack Roush and team fitted a 351, then sent it back to Aus. Jac Nasser even used this engineering car as his daily. What colour is your mates dad’s car?
@@southerndiy1 Its all coming back to me now, there was a bunch of EA prototypes running 351s but they were all crushed except for one survivor. It was restored at a Tafe.
My first car was an eb xr6, manual. Bought it in 2007 before my p's. Such a sweet car. Surprised a few people with how quick it was. For an n/a six anyway. I now currently own an eb fairmont ghia 5litre, which is a nice cruiser. Such great cars, smooth to drive and reliable. I bloody love fords! 👍😁
My dad had a silver 91 EB Mk1 Ghia fairmont 5.0ltr early 2000s, fantastic car most comfortable interior ever, we sold it with 375 000 ks still in reasonable condition, Tuff car.
I'm old enough to remember when these cars were brand new. Back then, I was new to the country, but after having seen an EA Falcon at the car rental place, I instantly became a Ford man. The EB with its styling changes gave the car a cleaner, more aggressive look, which I liked a lot. It's still one of my favourite Falcons, although I've personally never owned an EB, sadly. Out of these two - for me, it would have to be the XR6. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with the Aussie car culture, but I have never understood what's so grand about V8s, when straight sixes (like V12s) are inherently smoother and more refined.
I’ll be greedy and put my hand up for both! I may be biased as I own an EB II 4.0 wagon in LeMans Red - however, I believe LeMans Red, red pinstriping and the S XR6/XR8 5 spoke alloy wheels to be the best visual combo.
I had a manual ED xr8 and I had a manual ED xr6 wagon. I also had an EB S pack manual sedan. The V8 was fun but I think the six is a better car. Also with the ED you get that awesome twin round headlight front 😍
Here in South Africa between 1984 and 1988 they build 250 Ford Sierra xr8 . Fitted with a 5.0 v8 Mustang if Iam not mistaken from the fox body Mustang mated to a Granada gearbox with shortened shafts and a Granada differential it was rated at 215 bhp .It could sprint from 0-100 km/h in 6.95 seconds and reach a top speed of 230 km/h.Stopping power came from AP Racing brakes at the front and ATE Porsche 914/Ferrari 308 calipers at the rear .It was granted International Special Vehicle Operation by Bob Lutz the then Executive Vice President of Ford .He exported two to the United States one for himself the other one is at Ford HQ in Dearborn Michigan.
@gtbeetles2421 We have legendary cars like BMW E30 333i inline 6 M30B32 Engine from the 7series mated to a 5 speed dog leg gearbox.16inch wheels rapped in Perreli tyres.Bilstein gas dampers,stiffer springs.ABS brakes optional extra.194 HP not much today but this is a 1980s car .It sprint from 0- 100km/h at around 6.9seconds and reach a top speed of 228km/h.The car was a collaboration between BMW South Africa and Alpina in Germany.Ford Capri .Now we have a very unique Capri it's one of those cars you just mention the name Perana then you start a conversation.The Perana Capri fitted with a Windsor 302 5.0l V8 from the Mustang Boss Holley 462 cfm Carburator.stage 2 camshafts stiffer valve spring 280 HP at 5800 rpm and 406 nm at 3500rpm.fitted to a 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic. Limited slip differential from a Australian Ford Falcon XW .It's the only Ford Sanctioned 5.0 V8 in the world.Now when you open the bonnet of these cars the tags don't read Ford Motors,it read Basil Green Motors on the tags.Now Basil Green is the South African Carol Shelby.
Man I would love to see @RegularCars do a review of these cars to see an American view of them. The EA falcon reminds me windsor V8 1980 taurus. EA/EB/EF/EL were pretty cool. I love seeing modern footage of these classic Aussie cars. These cars look great! Great footage and commentary..
I had an EB2 XR6 in Cobalt blue. I think it may have been a limited built press/demo car, I bought it with about 2000 klm on it from a Ford dealer. It had the red piping interior with rear head rests and full electrics, it had totally brutal suspension and was really uncomfortable below 120kmh after which it knuckled down on the road and went like stink. It had no rev limiting as I found out on a wet lane marking during a 'get there quick' take off and it had no road speed limiting, it would easily pull redline revs in 5th gear with the speedo pointing to the handbrake warning lamp having run out of speedo 1000 revs ago at 200kmh I ended up selling it as it just attracted the wrong type of attention, there were 3 attempted break inns and I got tired of replacing the rear door quarter glass.
I had two EB XR8's ... both silver (one an unmarked ex-pursuit vehicle), both written of by other people's lack of driving skill. The ex-pursuit was a blast to drive and i was really pi55ed-off when a drug driver t-boned me (it also left me with an essentially broken back with is a life-long injury). I would have loved to have purchased the wrecked XR8 back from the insurer, but back then we had Paul Keating giving us the "recession we had to have" and i was working six days a week just to pay the mortgage. EB's were such a nice vehicle to drive, really stable at high speed.
I had an EBII Fairmont 5.0, and to this day, I still have a soft spot for it. Not as fast as today's cars, and yes, the XR6 was faster, but it was a perfect size and beautiful to drive.
Should have bought one new when I had the chance. Took an XR8 for a test drive and I wasn't sure if I'd spend the money on the car or take a trip overseas. I will never know which was more fun as I didn't get the XR8 to find out. Still a great looking car.
Was working at a ford dealer years ago, had the sales manager say to me the police were excited when the EB v8 was released, excited till it came to stopping
The old wats linkage live rear axle on the poverty pack EB GLi Falcon snapped oversteered in the wet more times than my dad and I could remember. Never happened in the much missed XF Fairmont Ghia though.
Went for a ride in the S/XR8 press car (aqua metallic, with Tickford Sports pack- the Wheels cover car) A 5 speed manual, had great torque. This was a few months before the V8 was reintroduced. Although id prefer the S/XR6 as it was developed from lessons learned from the EB SS used in production car racing.
I owned a EB2 Gli Manual with ABS and LSD I owned from 1999 to 2008. Slightly larger wheels and exhaust with headers made it very drivable. The steering wheel slightly off centre was the only fault I ever found.
I’m the 2nd owner of an ED Futura. Unfortunately (I think 🤔 ?) it’s just the 4.0lt straight six, but I love her. 290 original ks and she purrs on the Highway.
I owned a vn 5.0 there wasnt a falcon manual or auto that even came close to it but thinking about it not even the vs ss manuals even came close it was just a berlina but it was a rocket .was a great time it was about 1999 and was my first v8 .the black xr8s looked awseome i remember when the vn and ea came out the 6 cylenders were rockets especially when you compared holdens vn to its older 202 with ford it was still good but the old 250 cross flows went hard i bought a xe falcon cos i knew it would blow my mates vh 202 off the road ..it did and he bought a wb deville 308 and the xe still got him .was a shame the falcon ecu wasnt as friendly as the commodore ecu when it came to remapping alot of people who wanted to do stuff to the modern falcons had to fork out big$$ for motec which i think killed alot of the mods that could have given it a bit more street credit and driven there re sale value up a bit more back then .all in all the falcon is a great car they were a much more comfortable ride and if serviced regularly and the coolant was always looked after the motors go forever.both holdens and fords looked awesome in there supercar exteriors and these cars wouldnt have been so great without the other the rivalry was what made them .i cant believe how old these cars are now and i cant bdlieve how old i am to now come to think of it 😂.great video and great to see a old icon still looking as good as it does
Great video mate. I still own my EB XR8 Lehman's Red 5 speed manual I bought in 1996. I also have a pearl black EB XR6 auto I bought in 2015. Finally being seen for how good they really were.
I had a bit of drag in my '92 EBi with my mates '91 LS V6 commodore. It was quicker. My Falcon was changing into second when his had was 3 third. They were both automatic
Ea & EB were perhaps the most boring & most bland looking Aussie cars ever. Made watching a fart dissipate in muddy mineral water look truly exciting..
Two major stuff ups in the manuals and that was the peddle box breaking and the firewall was only a single skin steel and it cracked where the clutch cable come through ...
My first car was a 3.9 EA Flacon, i loved that car. Now i have an 03 BA XR6 and i love that car too but before those cars i was always a Holden lover but Ford for me now!
I've got a Au XR8 trey top ute with the 200kw 5ltr. Thirsty is the word. I read somewhere they 'fixed' the fuel consumption by replacing the 60ltr tank with the 85ltr tank Makes me smile, not fast compared to the next generation (barra/Ls), not much faster than the 4.0 i6 tbh, but can get up and boogie and makes a hell of a nice noise doing it. Like everyone say's, the soundtrack is the selling point.
Instead of listening to what customers wanted. They told them what the wanted, Thus for many years ford was way behind it's rival Holden's HSV range. They only pulled their finger out in the early 2000's but by that time it was short lived success for Ford In Australia when they pulled the plug.
Still such a great looking car is the EBII XR8! Just one little correction, the EA wasn't the first Falcon with 4 wheel discs, that honour goes to the XF update ULP from 1986 where 4 wheels discs and power steering became standard on every Falcon sedan & wagon thereafter.
america actually sent the cleveland v8 tooling to australia, so when ford oz shut down the v8 project in 82 and let the tooling rust, the windsor really was the only mass produced us ford v8 option we were also the only ford market to get the 302 cleveland vv8
They actually kept making engines for special order government cars, and even exported them to Italy for detomaso panteras for a couple of years after that... Documented in an Australian Muscle Car magazine issue.
@@onedayiwillmakesomecontent ???? according to the internet the guy from detomaso aust went to ford aust in 1984 to buy the tooling and was told no ,it's already in pieces and buried in the ground
The original EA S-pack, with the snowflake alloys, was also very good - particularly the steering. So the EB II and ED must be very good. The EF was also good so the EL must have been the best. A EL Falcon doesnt feel worse than an AU - vice versa - just different. If anything, an EL feels more tighter or smaller around you and more initimate - like the difference between a VN and a VL.
My first Falcon was a '92 GLi 4 liter and did modefations (suspension, intake, and exhaust). Then, I brought a '04 XR6 Then downgraded it to a '01 Ford Focus. I ended up another Falcon '03 XR8 DJR body kit, professionally lowered, exhaust intake, and computer. 300 kw at the wheels. I would love to get ED XR8 or XR6 Sprint. After watching this , I would prefer an XR6. An XR8 Sprint in the E series would be good. On trade-me New Zealand there is a 1994 EB XR8 with real low km 2,232 for $80,000
Had a 94 ED XR6 Daintree green. Was the best roundabout drifter I ever owned. Dropped on its guts. Was like it ran on rails. Such a fun old rig. Bought for $3600 in 2010. Garaged at 170km. Sold a few years ago for a lot more 😅
I had a sky baby blue 1986 5 SPD falcon 3.3carb. all original. It was my second car after a Toyota corrola DX station wagon, with air conditioning that couldn't be beat
i miss that noise in my EB XR8 , when i try to lock the doors and the locks used to go up and down by themselves and leave my car unlocked , but the V8 exhaust note , made up for it.
Had an EB XR6 auto in the blue colour and it had that beeyootiful steering wheel and seats. Went like the clappers and nobody knew what it was… it was just…. anonymous. Someone stole the wheels one night. We used to laugh that a car that sounded so crisp and handled so well, could have a viscous clutch fan that on a hot day with the a/c running made it sound like a taxi of the time…. Pushed hard on a mountain road it was easy to run out of brakes and really should have had wipers on the side windows as well as the windscreen, such was the propensity for this young bloke to oversteer as often as I did. Just ‘testing’ to make sure the slippery diff was working right… was real easy to adjust attitude with the throttle and didn’t make an attempt on my life every time it rained in the same manner as my various similar-era Commodores, especially non-FE2 variants. Cool old car probably up a pole or down a ditch now…. Was pretty loose by the time I had finished with it. Was on LPG when I bought it ( coz it was the 90’s and it was the ‘in thing’ kind of like a dashmat was. Like those dopey flat sunglasses are these days …that look like welding goggles. We will laugh about them one day, because ‘fashun’ ) and that LPG kit came straight off. Some desperado bought the gas kit and was fairly frothing to get hold of it. Yep the 90’s. We loved compromise back then.
I was never a Ford man but now that the 2 great Australian cars are no more, I would proudly drive one. It still really burns me we can no longer purchase new aussie falcons an commodores :(
@glennt69lol correct. I never said it was factory. But when having a good friend who was involved in the industry and racing at the time, had access to fords parts bin. So it became possibly one of the first legal road going ea v8s. Fitted with the gt40p heads and inlet manifold.
Born in 2003 and this still gives me the shivers…. What an amazing country we once were.
When Australians bought local cars.
@@freeagent8225When Australian’s were Australian🫢
quit selling AU short, it's no trashy USA
Something is slightly wrong with you - this is the crudest imaginable contraption. As the nice man says, this was a 1970s platform with a live rear axle that was running a decade or more behind its overseas manufactured competitors.
20 years ago I had to sell my EBII Fairmont Ghia 4L and have regretted it ever since. It had the leather recaro style seats, the woodgrian on the door trims and the BBS wheels. It was such a good car to drive and I just loved the look of it. So I have just got myself another EBII Fairmont Ghia but this ones 5.0. Never letting this one go. They still look amazing and people comment and admire it whenever I take it out.
We had a Ghia - August 91 5.o in the stable for a while. Lovely car to cruise in but not an XR8
I had a 1993 XR6 in Pearl Black. I bought it in 2010 for $2200. Because I was a young man just out of his apprenticeship, I didn't have a lot of money so I learned a lot doing all the mechanical work on it.
I threw the 4 speed auto in the bin and swapped it to a 5 speed manual and that really changed the character of the car. The autos have a really tall 1st gear, so they can be a bit sluggish off the line even with the 3.45 rear gear.
I really love these cars. Nothing drives down the highway like a nice comfy Falcon. It's just a shame that most of them were factory installed with rust.
Many years back I replaced my wife’s Corolla with a Black EB XR8. She didn’t like the idea at first, but once she drove it. She loved it!
Should never had sold it.
I had an Ed Fairmont 94 Polynesian green colour my cat sat in the back listening Huey Lewis! Bad is bad ! Loved it !!!
What an absolute brilliant video Glenn! Would love to keep seeing more Falcon content.
XR6 for me, the Aussie brute 6!
Thanks Callum
Love this content, more 90s falcons!
I grew up as a died in the wool Holden fan... I now own a BA XR6 ute and a FG XR6 Turbo ute... both are bloody great 👍 nothing better than a ford straight 6.
dyed
Hi Glen thanks for the trip down memory lane.My first car was a 1992 EB GLI manual.So the EB will always be an important car to me.
I owned a 1991 LTD 5.0 some twenty odd years ago… beautiful cruiser it was. So much so that I’m on the hunt for another one.
Really happy/wrapped to see Glenn doing retro rides... A+ review !
These were new when i was in early high school, so i have quite a soft spot for them. I had a big poster of an EB GT in cobalt blue on my bedroom wall, thought it was the toughest car going and used to crank Nirvana tracks staring at it pretending i was driving one to school hahahah! ! guess that was my ''Lamborghini Countach poster lol
XR6 thanks.
Faster. Australian engine. Game over.
I was always a Holden guy, but my old man wanted something a bit different from every new Commodore since VC - VN that he'd had so he got an EB.
I had a lot of explaining to do at school to about half the boys, whereas the other half sneered at me over all the s**t I'd given them about the brand my old man was now driving.
Honestly, the EB was a better car than any of the Holdens up until VE.
I'd dearly love a VF/FE duo in the garage 6.2/4.0T in the garage, but it only fits the Alfa.
Maybe one day!
Fun video.
46 years grew up as a polish immigrant to Australia and the joy of these V8 was something special, till we got the Nissan RB’s and the joy to make a Porsche driver cry and any ozzy V8 was just a golden time in Australia 😂 the VN memories….. just gold….pretty sure from memory the Barra was a response to the RB 😂 cause Nissan gave Holden the engine that was half as good VL was the moment I think ford pulled apart an RB 😂
Brilliant. I only had the EBII Falcon S in the classic metallic blue with red side trim but loved it. The axle tramp sometimes was a bit of a worry. I think I was the only co car owner that waxed his car...Happy days
Great review IV got a 94 Ed xr6 I love it owned it for 12 years and plan on keeping it forever getting more collectable and harder to get 👌🏻💪🏻
I have a 94 ED XR6 to mate, manual, had it 19 years, and like you I'll never sell it
That was a great comparison thank you, I remember doing the launch for these at Sandown, the EXR6 really impressed the press. Happy to say I have a low kilometre one in the stable. A very balanced and satisfying car to drive.
Smart man yes we think they are a keeper
Total rate all your reviews such genuine enthusiasm for everything Aussie made!!
Cheers Richard that means a lot
Great video, I remember as a BHP Trainee whipping the Boss' XR6 (in Green) around the mill and Wollongong ... surprised it never ended in tears LOL
Great video! Looking forward to seeing more of these! It's interesting how minimally they were differentiated on the outside!
Thanks Paul we appreciate the support
I had an EB II XR6S back in the early 2000s, and I bloody loved it!
It was a 5-speed manual, and boy was it a fun car to drive!! With the limited slip diff, with a blip of the throttle and dumping of the clutch, it was a handful!!!
Great review - and awesome to see the E-Series highlighted and reviewed, as it really should be considered a 'plastic classic' particularly now that they are 30+ years old, and you really don't see them going around on the roads anymore!!
Brings back great memories working as a ford dealer for 20 years. Spent so much time in XR6/8/Sprints. 6 was a little quicker, 8 was so smooth, Sprint felt about as quick as the XR6. Only the Bendix ABS let the car down, but once disconnected it was perfect.
I had that six cylinder model as a company car for 12 months before I got promoted and moved interstate. It was a fantastic car to drive. It cleansed all the sins of the EA.
Amazing cars
Beautiful things.
I had 91 v8 Ghia
We had a Tickford XR6. Not sure if was EB, but had 181kw and was before the stupid round headlight covers. Dad reckons it was the best car he’s ever owned. *Edit* It must have been that one, with 161kw…. But it had the Tickford wing badges.
Mate, you and my brother could probably chat for hours about EB's.
Love it 👍
I prefer GM but the Mexican Windsor 5.0 is the best, most durable and sweetest V8 Ford ever made. The 4.6 Modular 2V V8 was second best and both motors are many times more durable than the disastrous 3V 5.4, a true lemon.
If any 90s Ford containing that Windsor crossed my path at the right price I’d love to buy it. Probably prefer an LTD and go full-pimp 😁
Subscribed. That was a good vid, mate.
We really appreciate you subscribing
Great video and great cars! Love the genuine enthusiasm
I drove both of these new, they were really special, Ford Oz were back with the EB1 SXR8, and then nudged ahead with the EB2 XR6 4.0 replacing the anaemic 3.9, much like the release of the mighty and arguably best BA series a decade later. (There’s a lot of similarities surrounding the introduction of the EB and BA I think)
Great video mate, I agree, Aussie Gen X petrol heads had it so good. I don’t have a preference, I’m just grateful to have lived it and driven the Ford and Holden products new, reading Wheels magazine launches, comparos etc; I feel sorry for our kids, BYD and MG won’t scratch that itch.
I have no love for EBs but still a great video. They're a rare sight in my rural area. Just learnt there was a very rare EB II SS with only 10 made for Group 3E racing.
Don’t you mean EB XR8!!!
Not SS…
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@jvanjetski5860 No, I meant EB II SS. Google it.
Had a cobalt blue ED XR6 manual and a 94 Polynesian green XR8 Sprint also in a manual.
Both brilliant cars and so much fun drive. My absolute favourite cars!
I test drove back in the days of the EF/EL both the XR6 and XR8 when I was looking to buy one... and the 6 won me over, sure the V8 had the wonderful soundtrack but the handling of the 6 was superb.
My work EB wagon. came with valve timing a tooth out, oddly repainted door. Altenator died after a year . Handled amazingly well tho, especially on dirt. Great cruiser.
I always loved seeing the negative camber up front...helped the handling
The front spindles were weak and used to bend inwards..we were forever replacing them for a correct wheel alignment..the ED front ends were much improved and so were the EL models.. cheers !
Oh man, back in the early 2000’s I had a Monza Red (like the vid) Herrod Motorsport tuned EB XR6 5 speed manual with 3.45:1 diff gears. Damn I miss that car, was an absolute weapon. Thanks for posting this.
The Xr6 all day long.
This was the start of the legend
The Legend Status was cemented when the Barrra arrived in the BA onwards and the icing on the cake was the Mighty Barra Turbo 6
XR6 Turbo
FPV F6
XR6 sprint
I've Got a 2010 FG XR6 Turbo in my garage. Never selling it
I'll have one of each please! Remember the ED Tickford Sprint? What awesome machines we once produced in our great country....
A mates Dad has an EB XR8 that has a 351 Windsor from the Foxbody Mustang of the time; he worked R & D for Ford Oz for 30 odd years and from what i was told, this was a test mule, some of the wiring and bits & pieces you can tell it's a bitsa; coolest part is that it has an auto kick down wired in to the cruise buttons, so kinda like a paddleshift of sorts.
Also, I owned a regular EB Falcon 6 seater wagon (base model), that was optioned with the V8 by a dealer, pretty basic but man did it cruise
Pretty sure the biggest v8 the fox body had was the 302. Wasn’t the f150 lightning 5.8 was it?
@JC-3RZ-FE Dunno, I don't know much about that era US cars, only what I was told years ago from my mates Dad; could be, as he has full blown dementia now, possible that he misremebered when he told me 20ish years ago
There were a few, 2 or 3 ea or eb falcons that had the 351 Windsor. There was a blue one that did the rounds in the motor mags at the time and the motor shows.
I remember this in Motor (or was it Wheels) Magazine in 1990. From memory it was an EA that Ford Aus engineering sent to Michigan where Jack Roush and team fitted a 351, then sent it back to Aus. Jac Nasser even used this engineering car as his daily.
What colour is your mates dad’s car?
@@southerndiy1 Its all coming back to me now, there was a bunch of EA prototypes running 351s but they were all crushed except for one survivor. It was restored at a Tafe.
My first car was an eb xr6, manual. Bought it in 2007 before my p's.
Such a sweet car. Surprised a few people with how quick it was. For an n/a six anyway. I now currently own an eb fairmont ghia 5litre, which is a nice cruiser. Such great cars, smooth to drive and reliable. I bloody love fords! 👍😁
His tickford 6. Loved it .
My dad had a silver 91 EB Mk1 Ghia fairmont 5.0ltr early 2000s, fantastic car most comfortable interior ever, we sold it with 375 000 ks still in reasonable condition, Tuff car.
I'm old enough to remember when these cars were brand new. Back then, I was new to the country, but after having seen an EA Falcon at the car rental place, I instantly became a Ford man. The EB with its styling changes gave the car a cleaner, more aggressive look, which I liked a lot. It's still one of my favourite Falcons, although I've personally never owned an EB, sadly.
Out of these two - for me, it would have to be the XR6. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with the Aussie car culture, but I have never understood what's so grand about V8s, when straight sixes (like V12s) are inherently smoother and more refined.
Agreed. But smoothness ? Refinement ? Not exactly traits Aussies are known to aspire to. I’d like to own a V8 before they’re cancelled for good.
We had a EB2 falcon Sport just before the XR6 & XR8 came out & it was a bloody good car
3 seconds in: SUBSCRIBED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess that means you liked it?!!
Awesome review i reckon the btr is a better box never had a t5 e series pass me yet🤷🏼😂good to see some love for the e’s😎
I’ll be greedy and put my hand up for both! I may be biased as I own an EB II 4.0 wagon in LeMans Red - however, I believe LeMans Red, red pinstriping and the S XR6/XR8 5 spoke alloy wheels to be the best visual combo.
Great video, owned both models and loved my EB's!!! my favorite was my first month eb1 xr8 manual in factory black. Don't make em like they used to.
I learnt to drive in an EB. I always liked the style of them.
I have a manual EF XR6, a couple of models on but man its a fun car to drive. I enjoy it everytime i get in it.
My first falcon was a series 2 eb id kill to have it back. I spent a bit of coin modifying as a 18 year old. Still one of the best cars ive owned.
Love seeing those 2 stunners at Mulbring oval, shame the weather didn't play nicely
the weather could have been FAR worse so after all the planning, we're grateful!
I had a manual ED xr8 and I had a manual ED xr6 wagon. I also had an EB S pack manual sedan. The V8 was fun but I think the six is a better car.
Also with the ED you get that awesome twin round headlight front 😍
Here in South Africa between 1984 and 1988 they build 250 Ford Sierra xr8 . Fitted with a
5.0 v8 Mustang if Iam not mistaken from the fox body Mustang mated to a Granada gearbox with shortened shafts and a Granada differential it was rated at 215 bhp .It could sprint from 0-100 km/h in 6.95 seconds and reach a top speed of 230 km/h.Stopping power came from AP Racing brakes at the front and ATE Porsche 914/Ferrari 308 calipers at the rear .It was granted International Special Vehicle Operation by Bob Lutz the then Executive Vice President of Ford .He exported two to the United States one for himself the other one is at Ford HQ in Dearborn Michigan.
yes, that Sierra XR8 was a terrific idea!
@gtbeetles2421 We have legendary cars like BMW E30 333i inline 6 M30B32 Engine from the 7series mated to a 5 speed dog leg gearbox.16inch wheels rapped in Perreli tyres.Bilstein gas dampers,stiffer springs.ABS brakes optional extra.194 HP not much today but this is a 1980s car .It sprint from 0- 100km/h at around 6.9seconds and reach a top speed of 228km/h.The car was a collaboration between BMW South Africa and Alpina in Germany.Ford Capri .Now we have a very unique Capri it's one of those cars you just mention the name Perana then you start a conversation.The Perana Capri fitted with a Windsor 302 5.0l V8 from the Mustang Boss Holley 462 cfm Carburator.stage 2 camshafts stiffer valve spring 280 HP at 5800 rpm and 406 nm at 3500rpm.fitted to a 4 speed manual or 3 speed automatic. Limited slip differential from a Australian Ford Falcon XW .It's the only Ford Sanctioned 5.0 V8 in the world.Now when you open the bonnet of these cars the tags don't read Ford Motors,it read Basil Green Motors on the tags.Now Basil Green is the South African Carol Shelby.
@@RonaldAntonio-wq6dx yes I know a little of the versatility and dynamics of the SA car industry... you had some cool stuff goin' on over there!
Man I would love to see @RegularCars do a review of these cars to see an American view of them. The EA falcon reminds me windsor V8 1980 taurus. EA/EB/EF/EL were pretty cool. I love seeing modern footage of these classic Aussie cars. These cars look great! Great footage and commentary..
mums 97 el was a beast mates ed was sick the old ebs are just timeless those guards are dope!
I had an EB2 XR6 in Cobalt blue. I think it may have been a limited built press/demo car, I bought it with about 2000 klm on it from a Ford dealer. It had the red piping interior with rear head rests and full electrics, it had totally brutal suspension and was really uncomfortable below 120kmh after which it knuckled down on the road and went like stink. It had no rev limiting as I found out on a wet lane marking during a 'get there quick' take off and it had no road speed limiting, it would easily pull redline revs in 5th gear with the speedo pointing to the handbrake warning lamp having run out of speedo 1000 revs ago at 200kmh I ended up selling it as it just attracted the wrong type of attention, there were 3 attempted break inns and I got tired of replacing the rear door quarter glass.
I had two EB XR8's ... both silver (one an unmarked ex-pursuit vehicle), both written of by other people's lack of driving skill. The ex-pursuit was a blast to drive and i was really pi55ed-off when a drug driver t-boned me (it also left me with an essentially broken back with is a life-long injury). I would have loved to have purchased the wrecked XR8 back from the insurer, but back then we had Paul Keating giving us the "recession we had to have" and i was working six days a week just to pay the mortgage. EB's were such a nice vehicle to drive, really stable at high speed.
I had an EBII Fairmont 5.0, and to this day, I still have a soft spot for it. Not as fast as today's cars, and yes, the XR6 was faster, but it was a perfect size and beautiful to drive.
I had a silver one of these as well, traded it in for a vt acclaim wagon 😂😂. Wish I held onto it.
Should have bought one new when I had the chance. Took an XR8 for a test drive and I wasn't sure if I'd spend the money on the car or take a trip overseas. I will never know which was more fun as I didn't get the XR8 to find out. Still a great looking car.
Was working at a ford dealer years ago, had the sales manager say to me the police were excited when the EB v8 was released, excited till it came to stopping
Aww mate give me the Xr8! I wish these were still made. Imagine if they came with a boss 302 as standard, amaze balls!
The old wats linkage live rear axle on the poverty pack EB GLi Falcon snapped oversteered in the wet more times than my dad and I could remember. Never happened in the much missed XF Fairmont Ghia though.
That's what made em fun though!
Went for a ride in the S/XR8 press car (aqua metallic, with Tickford Sports pack- the Wheels cover car)
A 5 speed manual, had great torque.
This was a few months before the V8 was reintroduced.
Although id prefer the S/XR6 as it was developed from lessons learned from the EB SS used in production car racing.
XR6 every day of the week. Great video.
v8 falcons, and the hunter economic zone.... a match made in heaven!
I owned a EB2 Gli Manual with ABS and LSD I owned from 1999 to 2008.
Slightly larger wheels and exhaust with headers made it very drivable.
The steering wheel slightly off centre was the only fault I ever found.
XR6 for me. If only because I live in the states and build SBF’s and would love an Aussie 6 with the clean lines of this vintage Falcon!
Got a white xr6 manual, momo steering wheel full electric, still exice me every time I drive it.
Excellent work Glenn. XR6 all the way. I've had 7 over the years. Ford saved the best for last 🎉
I would love to bring one of these over to the UK
I’m the 2nd owner of an ED Futura. Unfortunately (I think 🤔 ?) it’s just the 4.0lt straight six, but I love her. 290 original ks and she purrs on the Highway.
I owned a vn 5.0 there wasnt a falcon manual or auto that even came close to it but thinking about it not even the vs ss manuals even came close it was just a berlina but it was a rocket .was a great time it was about 1999 and was my first v8 .the black xr8s looked awseome i remember when the vn and ea came out the 6 cylenders were rockets especially when you compared holdens vn to its older 202 with ford it was still good but the old 250 cross flows went hard i bought a xe falcon cos i knew it would blow my mates vh 202 off the road ..it did and he bought a wb deville 308 and the xe still got him .was a shame the falcon ecu wasnt as friendly as the commodore ecu when it came to remapping alot of people who wanted to do stuff to the modern falcons had to fork out big$$ for motec which i think killed alot of the mods that could have given it a bit more street credit and driven there re sale value up a bit more back then .all in all the falcon is a great car they were a much more comfortable ride and if serviced regularly and the coolant was always looked after the motors go forever.both holdens and fords looked awesome in there supercar exteriors and these cars wouldnt have been so great without the other the rivalry was what made them .i cant believe how old these cars are now and i cant bdlieve how old i am to now come to think of it 😂.great video and great to see a old icon still looking as good as it does
Great video mate. I still own my EB XR8 Lehman's Red 5 speed manual I bought in 1996. I also have a pearl black EB XR6 auto I bought in 2015. Finally being seen for how good they really were.
Great review - When you look back the Falcon EB was a much better car than the VN/VP Commodore. It hasnt aged to badly either !
Thanks mate, yes we love the EB
I agree with you mostly, the EB was the better car, although I found the VP more predictable on the limit.
The EB2 was a very good car
I had a bit of drag in my '92 EBi with my mates '91 LS V6 commodore. It was quicker. My Falcon was changing into second when his had was 3 third. They were both automatic
Ea & EB were perhaps the most boring & most bland looking Aussie cars ever. Made watching a fart dissipate in muddy mineral water look truly exciting..
Thanks was in nz. Mate just wonted one. Black with red. No turbo but was good. Least then it did. Cheers
Two major stuff ups in the manuals and that was the peddle box breaking and the firewall was only a single skin steel and it cracked where the clutch cable come through ...
My first car was a 3.9 EA Flacon, i loved that car.
Now i have an 03 BA XR6 and i love that car too but before those cars i was always a Holden lover but Ford for me now!
I've got a Au XR8 trey top ute with the 200kw 5ltr. Thirsty is the word.
I read somewhere they 'fixed' the fuel consumption by replacing the 60ltr tank with the 85ltr tank
Makes me smile, not fast compared to the next generation (barra/Ls), not much faster than the 4.0 i6 tbh, but can get up and boogie and makes a hell of a nice noise doing it. Like everyone say's, the soundtrack is the selling point.
I'll take one of each thanks!!!🤙🤣
I had a opt20 eb xr8 manual, 2 black eb xr8 Manuals, ed v8 ghia, and a ed xr6 in all the colours would love to buy another black eb xr8 man
I took a thirtieth anniversary EA from Kalgoorlie to Esperance and back one weekend. A very competent open road car.
Nice video.
Instead of listening to what customers wanted. They told them what the wanted, Thus for many years ford was way behind it's rival Holden's HSV range. They only pulled their finger out in the early 2000's but by that time it was short lived success for Ford In Australia when they pulled the plug.
Still such a great looking car is the EBII XR8! Just one little correction, the EA wasn't the first Falcon with 4 wheel discs, that honour goes to the XF update ULP from 1986 where 4 wheels discs and power steering became standard on every Falcon sedan & wagon thereafter.
america actually sent the cleveland v8 tooling to australia,
so when ford oz shut down the v8 project in 82 and let the tooling rust,
the windsor really was the only mass produced us ford v8 option
we were also the only ford market to get the 302 cleveland vv8
They actually kept making engines for special order government cars, and even exported them to Italy for detomaso panteras for a couple of years after that...
Documented in an Australian Muscle Car magazine issue.
@@onedayiwillmakesomecontent ????
according to the internet
the guy from detomaso aust
went to ford aust in 1984
to buy the tooling
and was told no
,it's already in pieces
and buried in the ground
@@onedayiwillmakesomecontent you might discover those 'government cars' (eg: police Falcons) were built using engines that had been 'stockpiled'
I have an eb falcon have a problem with the battery but over all an amazing ride to own.
The original EA S-pack, with the snowflake alloys, was also very good - particularly the steering. So the EB II and ED must be very good. The EF was also good so the EL must have been the best. A EL Falcon doesnt feel worse than an AU - vice versa - just different. If anything, an EL feels more tighter or smaller around you and more initimate - like the difference between a VN and a VL.
i love an all black eb xr8, would love one one day
My first Falcon was a '92 GLi 4 liter and did modefations (suspension, intake, and exhaust). Then, I brought a '04 XR6 Then downgraded it to a '01 Ford Focus. I ended up another Falcon '03 XR8 DJR body kit, professionally lowered, exhaust intake, and computer. 300 kw at the wheels. I would love to get ED XR8 or XR6 Sprint. After watching this , I would prefer an XR6. An XR8 Sprint in the E series would be good. On trade-me New Zealand there is a 1994 EB XR8 with real low km 2,232 for $80,000
Had a 94 ED XR6 Daintree green. Was the best roundabout drifter I ever owned. Dropped on its guts. Was like it ran on rails. Such a fun old rig. Bought for $3600 in 2010. Garaged at 170km. Sold a few years ago for a lot more 😅
I had a sky baby blue 1986 5 SPD falcon 3.3carb. all original. It was my second car after a Toyota corrola DX station wagon, with air conditioning that couldn't be beat
i miss that noise in my EB XR8 , when i try to lock the doors and the locks used to go up and down by themselves and leave my car unlocked , but the V8 exhaust note , made up for it.
Hard to choose between the two , the xr8 for the sound ...
Having owned both (and commodore variants) , the xr8 was the best all-rounder
Iv got a few of em.
Start off with the nc 2 ghia v8
A xh xr6 manual
And a little bit newer to all these the
Au2 xr6 vct
Had an EB XR6 auto in the blue colour and it had that beeyootiful steering wheel and seats. Went like the clappers and nobody knew what it was… it was just…. anonymous. Someone stole the wheels one night. We used to laugh that a car that sounded so crisp and handled so well, could have a viscous clutch fan that on a hot day with the a/c running made it sound like a taxi of the time…. Pushed hard on a mountain road it was easy to run out of brakes and really should have had wipers on the side windows as well as the windscreen, such was the propensity for this young bloke to oversteer as often as I did. Just ‘testing’ to make sure the slippery diff was working right… was real easy to adjust attitude with the throttle and didn’t make an attempt on my life every time it rained in the same manner as my various similar-era Commodores, especially non-FE2 variants. Cool old car probably up a pole or down a ditch now…. Was pretty loose by the time I had finished with it. Was on LPG when I bought it ( coz it was the 90’s and it was the ‘in thing’ kind of like a dashmat was. Like those dopey flat sunglasses are these days …that look like welding goggles. We will laugh about them one day, because ‘fashun’ ) and that LPG kit came straight off. Some desperado bought the gas kit and was fairly frothing to get hold of it. Yep the 90’s. We loved compromise back then.
Ive got the exact same car as the XR6 but in manual and only 138,000kms
Sounds like a nice car mate
@RetroRides_Classics thank you!
I was never a Ford man but now that the 2 great Australian cars are no more, I would proudly drive one. It still really burns me we can no longer purchase new aussie falcons an commodores :(
Had a blue Peter Brock ea falcon with the 5.0 lt v8. Was a great car at the time
The Brock EA never had a V8 option - No EA had a V8 factory fitted
@glennt69lol correct. I never said it was factory. But when having a good friend who was involved in the industry and racing at the time, had access to fords parts bin. So it became possibly one of the first legal road going ea v8s. Fitted with the gt40p heads and inlet manifold.
These cars must be local to the hunter bit of filming done at HEZ
Excellent 👍🏼