From the Classifieds: Five Tickford-tuned lion-tamers

Ford’s storied Aussie heritage needs little introduction. But while the focus naturally falls on the Bathurst-conquering 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III at one end and the ‘last-of-the-line’ supercharged FPV GT F at the other, there is a chapter of Ford performance that remains largely overlooked… and it can turn up the odd bargain.

Ford abandoned performance variants with the V8 Falcon’s demise in 1982, betting its commercial future on the benefits electronic fuel-injection brought to its venerable 4.1-litre inline six. This also ended a decades-old Falcon motorsport heritage, handing the enthusiast market to Holden on a platter.

While this initially worked for the accountants – Falcon had narrowly surpassed Commodore in 1982 to take top-seller status, stretching that lead through to the XF series – but by 1989 Commodore surged ahead… and its 165kW 5.0-litre EFI V8 had captured the imagination of many Aussies.

Capitalising on its V8 monopoly, Holden doubled down via Tom Walkinshaw’s Holden Special Vehicles, emerging from the infamous Holden-Brock HDT split.

HSV cranked out modern muscle, the envy of every petrol-veined school kid, from 180kW ClubSports to 200kW SV5000s. The General’s long-wheelbase return, with V8 Statesman and Caprice models, had also squashed Ford’s Fairlane and LTD segment dominance.

Ford had to act. And it did, under the canny watch of president Jac Nasser.

By mid-1991, Ford’s significantly updated EB Falcon had arrived. Outwardly similar to the preceding EA, it was the V8’s return that garnered most of the attention.

Although Ford expected its 165kW 5.0-litre EFI V8 to account for around 15 per cent of sales, the ‘halo’ effect on sales really mattered. It restored Ford’s street cred, providing real competition to Statesman and Caprice and an opportunity to make the Falcon S feared with the new S XR8.

While the Blue Oval faithful welcomed this openly, it was EB Series 2 where things became serious. Enter Tickford Vehicle Engineering.

A famed British engineering company, Tickford had worked with Aston Martin and Jaguar and had a hand in developing Ford’s legendary RS 200 and Sierra Cosworth RS 500 homologation programs.

Seeking a rival to HSV, Ford Australia and Tickford joined forces to produce the ‘EB2’ S XR8 and an all-new model: the S XR6.

It’s ironic that the S XR6, with its upgraded 161kW 4.0-litre six and Tickford-winged red cam cover, was considered a more complete vehicle than the V8, however, Tickford had its flagship sights set higher: the return of the legendary GT nameplate in 1992.

From the 200kW EB GT’s introduction to the last 5.6-litre, 250kW ‘stroker’ T-Series of 2003, the Tickford-tweaked era created some of the most complete Australian performance vehicles in history; not the fastest in a straight line perhaps, but with a blend of refinement, ride and handling that makes them truly desirable.

Here are five from the carsales classifieds you can buy today.

1. 1993 Ford Falcon GT

It was a ballsy move for Tickford to resurrect the most famous nameplate in Ford Australia history so soon after the partnership was formalised.

Rather than go for all-out performance, the EB GT’s intent was to be as luxurious as it was muscular. With sumptuous leather, burr walnut trim and a gorgeous Momo wheel matched to a 200kW ‘5.0’, it achieved both.

Although period performance tests suggested it was rather less powerful than stated, the EB GT stood out with its Pirelli-shod 17-inch wheels and aggressively understated body kit.

Ford produced 265 EB GTs through 1992-93, including 10 pre-production cars and 15 that went across the ditch to New Zealand.

Is our featured car the ultimate EB GT combo?

With only 67,500km on the clock, plus a factory sunroof, five-speed manual gearbox and Black Pearl paint (as featured in the original brochure), it goes close.

Said to be in ‘excellent condition’ and with its original ‘factory marked’ body panels, this example at $65,000 slightly surpasses the original $62,500 list price but is one of the lower-kilometre and immaculate-looking EB GTs we’ve seen in a while.

2. 1994 Falcon XR8 Sprint

A couple of years on from the EB GT, Tickford chose a different tact for its ED Falcon range-topper. With the ED XR6 and XR8 dropping the ‘S’ and adopting the now-trademark quad-headlight front, Tickford vehicles formed a unique identity in the Falcon hierarchy.

The fiery six-pot had now moved to within 1kW of the V8. This, combined with lighter weight and nimbler handling, necessitated another special model to restore the V8 halo.

The 1994 XR8 Sprint toned back the GT’s excesses, favouring subtlety with its 16-inch ROH alloys, four-spoke Momo steering wheel and lowered suspension. It retailed for $45,000 – around $8000 more than the XR8.

Its engine made use of GT componentry for 192kW; giving it the separation needed over the 164kW XR6.

Despite the temptation of a lower-kilometre automatic example for only $32,000, we’ve again gone for the black-painted, five-speed option with this ED XR8 Sprint.

Currently priced at $52,500, it’s clear the owner has lavished love on this example, despite it nearing 300,000km.

With an engine rebuild in 2013 and stored since 2016, this Black Pearl XR8 Sprint is one of only 184 manuals produced.

It benefits from a recent front-end respray and appears meticulously original… besides the 3.0-inch exhaust the owner says ‘puts a smile on your face every time you start her up.’

3. 1998 Falcon XR6 VCT

With divisive styling, the AU Falcon signalled the end for several Falcon staples, being the last available with Windsor 5.0-litre power. It also completed the Tickford-tweaked era, Ford moving in-house for its XR-series models from BA onwards and creating Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) to take on HSV.

Under the surface, the AU XR6 VCT was an impressive swansong for the cult-hero six-pot.

It handled sweetly, debuting independent rear suspension to maximise its limited-slip differential-assisted traction. Supporting the dynamics was a hot 172kW 4.0-litre six fitted with variable camshaft timing.

This combination made the $43,990 XR6 VCT so desirable that Ford had to pump AU XR8’s output from an initial 185kW to 200kW and finally 220kW to keep pace… in a straight line, at least.

‘Garaged since new’, this Dynamic White, Series 1 XR6 VCT rides on the standard-fit 16-inch alloys. Coupled with the optional four-speed automatic and having covered 209,000km from new, it’s priced at $15,000 and is an accessible way to enjoy a Tickford XR6 at its most evolved.

4. 2001 Ford TE50

The AU Falcon era also debuted a new top-tier Tickford, with the ‘T-Series’ introduction.

Debuting in 1999, the TE50, TS50 and TL50 were designed in the spirit of the EB and EL GTs, smoothly combining luxury with higher performance.

Dubbed ‘Synergy 5000’, the engine range started with a 200kW 5.0-litre V8 for the entry-level TE50 and long-wheelbase TL50, with the TS50 gaining aluminium cylinder-heads and a larger throttle body for 220kW.

This was timely for Ford amid stiffer-than-ever Holden competition, as the VTII Commodore debuted 5.7 litres and 220kW of V8 power (250kW in HSVs).

T-Series Fords also deployed ‘Electronic Sports Shift’ on the four-speed auto, which allowed manual control via steering wheel-mounted buttons.

A further enhanced T-Series range came in 2000, adding the alloy-headed motor to TE50 and TL50, too.

This Fairmont-based Venom Red ‘T2’ TE50 is one of only 141 produced. It’s an original two-owner car with complete service history and is replete with ‘T2TE50’ South Australian number plates.

Offering the aluminium-headed engine spec and ‘ESS’ auto transmission, it features an ‘excellent condition’ red/black two-tone leather interior and retains its sought-after ‘TE50’ engine cover.

Clearly, this TE50 has been a well-loved member of an enthusiast collection (the reason for selling is ‘due to having too many cars’). Priced at $53,950 new, this 164,000km example is available for $40,000.

5. 2002 Ford TS50

While the T-Series stepped up the power game, Ford fans remained a little breathless as Holden and HSV continued to introduce ever-gruntier LS1-powered Commodore products.

With the BA Falcon on the horizon, the ‘T3’ T-Series was Tickford’s parting gift.

As a last hurrah for the ancient Windsor V8, Tickford deployed an Australian-developed stroker kit to increase capacity to 5.6 litres. This almost squared The General’s ledger in terms of capacity, as did its 250kW peak power.

The stoker was matched to a brash body kit, offered with a wider paint range including Liquid Silver, Congo Green and Blueprint.

Finished in ‘Blueprint’ with matching interior, the featured T3 TS50 you see here is build number 119 of 224, powered by the ‘5.6’ with the ESS automatic transmission.

With 173,000km under its belt, it rides on the 18-inch five-spoke wheels, comes with a full service history and has been a ‘daily driver’, says the TS50’s owner.

When new, the T3 TS50 listed for $66,950; today this ‘two-owner’ example could be yours for $47,900.

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