Ford test mules

[Bill M]

Are there any Ford Falcon test mules that have escaped into private ownership known of here? If not I assume they are destroyed?
cheers
Bill.

[boss-290]

My TAFE has test mules.

[Dr Smith]

Not with today's regulations. Plus many mules are made up of different parts and trims which are fitted, removed and tested etc. It's really only the final field evaluation vehicles which are the last builds before job#1 (1st customer sellable car) that come close to what we can eventually buy. Often these last FEV's are kept for long term durabilty studies/factory staff hacks etc...

[Bossxr8]

Anything before FEU has to be destroyed after they are finished with. FEU's are saleable units and are either used by the company or onsold.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by boss-290

My TAFE has test mules.

Explain plz

[LOWBA6]

Ford give their ex test veihcles to tafes so the young blokes that do automotive can work on em. The local one here recieved a BA or a BF fairlane last year. the car was in pretty average condition, interior trims missing or buggered, outside was pretty average and had well over 100,000kms. They dont do that for all their cars but it gives them a good rep with the community when donating stuff like that........

[EDManual]

Most early cars get destroyed as they are worth lots of money, ie $500,000 or whatever and this is the best way to get the most tax benefit from them. Finishes off the R&D depreciation.... plus they wouldnt want them out in the public breaking down and looking ordinary etc.

[Qwik6]

More likely just the pre 80's Ford test mules couldve went into private hands.
Check out Australian Muscle Car Magazine.

[aussiblue]

My NB Fairlane is an ex Ford prototype that Ford have said should have been crushed rather than sold.

[iCat]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

My NB Fairlane is an ex Ford prototype that Ford have said should have been crushed rather than sold.

tell more!

[Rock ape]

My GT is build no p001.

[LUXO_8]

NB's were to actually be a model....dont know why it was canned though...
a lot of parts listings list NA,NB,NC

[aussiblue]

NB's were to actually be a model....don't know why it was canned though...

I know but DOTARS (the Commonwealth agency that authorise/issue compliance plates have advised that my NB compliance plate is actually illegal as they never approved its use for a production vehicle; hence I suspect Ford's official insistence this is a mistagged NA rather than an NB although it has some NC parts in it and was always registered as an NB (including when it was part of Ford's New Products engineering fleet) and Ford admit it was an ex-prototype that should have been scrapped.

[aussiblue]

See http://www.trueblueford.com/RossNBfairlane.html for more.

[GTpilot]

We got hold of a LHD capri in the mid 90's, the condition we got it was that we would strip it for the parts, Then we had to return the bare shell to be destroyed.
Had fun stripping it, BBQ, few mates, serveral beers, We did most of it in the street one saturday, got some weird looks, especally when we rolled it on to it's side to strip the underneith.
Most of the interior and other bits went into a stolen/recovered shell we had bought at auction.

[aussiblue]

PS I suspect the NCt was canned when they decided to await for the arrival of the reintoduction of the V8 before introducing a new model (the NC). Otherwise other than the new grill and the 4 speed auto, Forde probably thought there wasn't going to be enough difference between the NA and NB to call it a new model or that it didin't justify tooling up for additional cosmetic changes for what was always going to be a low volume model with the NC around the corner.

[smally289]

Not a test mule, but a very early pre production vehicle maybe. I remember working on an October '87 EA GL 3.2 5 speed sometime in the middle of '88. It still belonged to Ford Motor Company at the time.

[aussiblue]

I suspect the NCt was canned when they decided to await for the arrival of the reintoduction of the V8 before introducing a new model (the NC).

Oops that should be: "I suspect the NB was canned when they decided to await for the arrival of the reintoduction of the V8 before introducing a new model (the NC).

[Bobman]

We had an '87 EA at work as well.

Also, when I went to Chisholm TAFE in Frankston as part of my apprenticeship, they had numerous test mules. Most were donated by Holden though.

Another thing is some test mules are donated to emergency services, in particular CFA and the SES for their RCR training.

[Mr Hardware]

that is really awesome aussiblue. I'm glad such a car is in the hands of someone who will treasure it.

[Bossxr8]

The ED was supposed to be the EC too, until Ford realized that it was used as an abreviation for "earth closet", which I think is a hole in the ground toilet?

If you look at the factory towbars on ED's it say suitable for EA,EB and EC Falcons.

[eb2fairmont]

probably the most famous example is the bill bourke xw

[Mr Hardware]

Well the Bill Bourke XW was more of a 'one off specialbuild' than a test mule. But yes, i see what you're saying, it'd be the most well known factory one-off.
And I thought it was the EBII which was supposed to be the EC... I could be quite wrong however. I believe i have a 1990 issue of Wheels somewhere which unveils the changes to the new-model EC falcon. And the ED didn't come until 1993, so i'm pretty sure it's an EB. Also, i have i think a 1989 issue of Wheels which has an article called 'foured falcon' which talks about nothing other than the four-speed electronically controlled wonder transmission for the falcon.

[onfire]

Any truth in Ford testing Turbo AU's?
Iv heard a brief mention of it here and there, but nothing solid.

[vbomber]

Originally Posted by onfire

Any truth in Ford testing Turbo AU's?
Iv heard a brief mention of it here and there, but nothing solid.

I remember also reading something like that or was it superchargers?, I am sure that I read something

[belvo]

the tafe i use to go to had a ed station wagon with el runing gear and interior

[Polyal]

Yeah definately NOT sold or even passed on. Way to many laws etc.

I remember seeing an EL GT prototype out the back, still in good nick with all the right parts. Offered to try and organise something but no go, I couldn't even buy the rims for my EL Ghia at the time. Such as waste, AFAIK its crushed now.

Even cars that they bring in from overseas are either crushed or taken back. To many risks involved all round really.

[zetec]

Originally Posted by fairmont599

Ford give their ex test veihcles to tafes so the young blokes that do automotive can work on em. The local one here recieved a BA or a BF fairlane last year. the car was in pretty average condition, interior trims missing or buggered, outside was pretty average and had well over 100,000kms. They dont do that for all their cars but it gives them a good rep with the community when donating stuff like that........

Wasn't a Zest Fairlane Ghia 6cyl was it? With Stone leather trim?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by eb2fairmont

probably the most famous example is the bill bourke xw

That was more of a present for Bill Bourke for the good job he had done in Australia, and was purpose built for him. It wasn't a test car or anything, it was his personal transport.

[onfire]

Originally Posted by vbomber

I remember also reading something like that or was it superchargers?, I am sure that I read something

There was the EL Predator SC 6 Showcar.

I remember the story going something along the lines of a bunch of AU 6cylinder test falcons winding through the hills some where, either supercharged or Turbo. Whether they were running the BA XR6t engines or not, whether it possible, either way within a year the B series was released.