Seven great Fords you may never drive

Despite our relatively small market, Australians have access to more automotive brands and models than just about any other country.

But we continue to miss out on some pretty cool metal and some car-makers are repeat offenders when it comes to turning their back on products Aussie consumers want.

There are various reasons a certain model may not be made available here via official channels.

A car-maker might struggle to justify the investment required to develop and produce a particular model in right-hand drive.

Or it might deem the Aussie market too small to warrant the expense of homologating and marketing a new nameplate, even if it is produced in RHD.

Of course, some vehicles will never meet Australian Design Rules, and others are not imported by the official distributor because of fears they would cannibalise sales of a profitable existing model.

But sometimes car-makers just get it wrong – either because they’re too focused on their own domestic market, or their regional outpost simply didn’t fight hard enough.

Take Ford, for example, which has brought us some of the finest utes, SUVs, muscle cars and hot hatches ever produced, but has a history of failing to give Aussies what they want when it comes to key models that would be hugely popular in this SUV, pick-up and performance car-loving land.

Born again after almost a quarter of a century, the all-new Ford Bronco 4x4 is built to conquer the exact kind of rough terrain we’re blessed with here in Oz.

It will be produced in short-wheelbase two-door and long-wheelbase four-door forms – just like the reincarnated Land Rover Defender and its arch-rival, the Jeep Wrangler.

But in this case, Ford’s hard-core off-roader is yet to be confirmed for RHD production – let alone Australian release – despite the healthy local appetite for just such a vehicle.

Ford Australia previously cited sales substitution with the locally-engineered Ranger ute, with which the Bronco shares its platform, as the reason it won’t be sold here.

Since then it has left the door open for a potential Australian launch sometime in the future, but we’re not expecting to do the big lap of Australia in a new Ford Bronco any time soon.

The Ford F-Series might be the world’s top-selling pick-up and the Blue Oval’s most profitable model, but it’s never been produced in right-hand drive ex-factory.

We thought that might change with the new Ford F-150 revealed last week , given the fact the latest Ford Mustang is also the first global version and that sales of full-size American pick-ups have never been stronger Down Under, where Ford previously sold a RHD-converted F-Series.

Sadly we were wrong, but that won’t stop a variety of independent converters offering the advanced new F-150 – and the monster Raptor version to come – to Aussies without official Ford backing.

Apart from the rugged Ranger-based Everest off-roader, Ford hasn’t offered Aussies a seven-seat SUV since the 2016 departure of the Territory – the only SUV ever designed and produced Down Under – leaving it without a direct rival for popular models like the Toyota Kluger.

While there was once hope the latest Ford Explorer would be sold here, Ford has since confirmed it won’t be offered here – or built in RHD, for that matter.

The Ford GT is the Blue Oval’s pinnacle performance car – a mid-engined two-seat supercar that was reborn in 2016 and recalls the original Ford GT40 that beat the likes of Ferrari to four consecutive Le Mans 24-hour crowns in the late 1960s.

But it’s never been built in RHD and is unlikely to ever grace Australian roads – despite the fact the original Honda NSX was reprised the same year and continues to be available around the world, including in Australia.

Despite the fanfare that accompanied its launch, Ford’s first electric SUV is yet to be confirmed for Australia, even if its chief engineer told us it will be manufactured in RHD and available to this market by the end of this year.

Other Ford insiders suggest the futuristic and highly effective Ford Mustang Mach-E will eventually come Down Under, but only once the US and European markets are satisfied, which may take a while since production is limited by battery supply.

The homegrown Ford Mustang R-SPEC is the first supercharged pony car ever released by Ford Australia and its 500kW-plus blown V8 delivers cracking performance.

But it’s a limited-edition model priced around $100K and Aussies are unlikely to ever have official access to either of the two (LHD-only) full-time Shelby models available in the US for years.

We miss out on both the track-focussed Shelby GT350, which packs a 392kW 5.2-litre V8, and the potent Shelby GT500 muscle-car, which pumps out a whopping 566kW/847Nm and can hit 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds.

Alright, this one’s a blast from the past – but we’re still not over it!

Ford’s original hot hatch was designed and built between 1986 and 1992 by the brand’s famed British performance partner with one thing in mind: motorsport.

Powered by a 152kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four paired with a five-speed Borg Warner transmission that’s often (still) considered unbreakable, it was never officially sold here.

Did we deserve it? Yes. Did we need it? YES! Did we get it? Nope *sigh*.