Ever since the day I saw the 1975 Ford Fairmont that a pilot I worked with pull into the hangar parking lot, I’ve dreamed of bringing in something Australian to drive. I knew it was possible…the pilot told me the story on how he had purchased his all-black Ford…and through some of the forums I frequented, I even chatted with some people who sent cars back and forth across the Pacific Ocean. I only had two problems: I would have to figure out which car I wanted, and I pretty much assumed that I was too broke to make it happen. You can’t help finances, but I could never settle on a car, either. I wanted a third-gen Aussie Falcon, like most people do, then I saw a Holden Torana that a guy I know in California bought as a project. Then I got to set eyes on a 340 Six-Pack powered Valiant Charger VH, painted up to look like a Hemi-6 car. Recently, I’ve been going after reasonably-priced and import-legal aged utes.
What I wasn’t looking for when I stumbled upon this 1988 Ford Falcon XF Ute wasn’t an Australian anything whatsoever. I was actually doing a quick paw through eBay and had been searching for Ford Rancheros. The XF isn’t exactly a first-choice selection if you are going to bring a Ford over from Australia: in 1982, the company quit putting V8 engines into the Falcon range, much to the annoyance of the Ford faithful. In place of a proper eight is a carbureted 4.1L inline six hooked to an automatic on the column. No, it’s not sporty, but utes weren’t really viewed as a sporty car…they were viewed more often than not as a light-duty truck and usually treated as such.
That being said, this Falcon presents about as well as a nearly 30-year-old car should, especially since it’s trip across the pond (it’s currently living near the Washington/Oregon border). It could use paint and some minor bodywork, the stock wheels were ditched for wheels you’d normally find on a late-60s Mustang GT or Torino, which look great on the car, and as for that six…well, after thirty years, we are more than sure that it’s due for a rest. We’re torn between a built old-school small-block Ford and a Coyote swap. Send the ute to the paint booth for a new color…we’re thinking Bright Regatta Blue with blackout trim, like a late 1980s Mustang GT. What do you think?
eBay Link: 1988 Ford Falcon XF utility
Another for sale in Nashville for $19K- V8 and Rare, Chrysler UTE in Atlanta for $12K
I’d like a 80s Australian F150, looks just like U.S. model but RHD.
This car is just fugly no matter how rare or interesting…
Ugly yes, but I’d still cruise it.
these are extremely common for sale in Australia, good running rego’d examples can be as low as $500. Plenty of 5 speed manuals, and if you’re looking for running gear why not a later Barra 6 – even the crossflows in these can be turbo’d or drop in a later turbo 6. Have a search on gumtree.com.au – theres a bazillion available
Hey, I live next to this guy! His name is Lawrence and he’ll import you anything you want from Oz, that’s his business. (Aussie Cars Limited) He has a sweet legit XB Falcon GT in Plum that I’ve drag raced against.