Ford FH Falcon: Sweet Dream

Why torture ourselves entertaining a future that is very clearly never going to happen? Well, in our minds, though the question is now long settled, we reckon the Falcon could have continued. And this is how.

It starts seven years ago when Ford was in the market for a new rear-drive platform for the sixth-generation Mustang. Like Holden developing the Zeta rig for both VE Commodore and Camaro, it was Ford Oz that got the call up to make the new “One Ford” rear-driver.

It’s a brand new platform underpinning sixth-gen Mustang (styling of that one still left to the Yanks), new Falcon and next-gen Taurus – which is just a rebadged Falcon with the same left-drive gear as the ’Stang, amortising development costs over three separate products.

And we won’t shy away: Mustang is made in Michigan and Falcon in a muscled-up Broadmeadows – in both left- and right-hand drive.

Like the Chevy SS, the Falcon-cum-Taurus becomes Ford’s new NASCAR racer, the US falling back in love with rear-drive, V8 four-door sedans. Well, that’s the theory.

Here’s how we’d do it

THE LOOK
Falcon cops a big dose of Ford’s global styling DNA but invites a little XB to its rear haunches – a look that’s also needed to satisfy American tastes with the left-hand drive Falcon on Taurus duty in the States. The XR8 (which we’ve created here) keeps signature quad-light look and bonnet bulge.

HIGH-TECH GRUNT
The base XR6 now gets the new Euro VI-compliant Barra 4.0-litre inline-six EcoBoost, while the Turbo a heavily upgraded, boosted version of the same engine, good for 295kW and 580Nm with craploads of headroom. The XR8, however, cops the Mustang GT’s ‘Coyote’ 306kW/530Nm 5.0-litre nat-atmo V8 made in Canada. The blown ‘Miami’ gets an overhaul as the FPV brand is resurrected (just with the ‘V’ dropped off the end) for a new Falcon GT. The Aussie-made 5.0-litre is also shipped Stateside for a fleet of berserk new Mustangs. All get a new ZF eight-speed auto and multi-stage ESP; XR8 comes with an F-Type-style exhaust button and a note that gets it on A Current Affair.

CORNER SLAYER
The very tired FG X chassis is replaced with a brand new, significantly stiffer and lighter body-in-white thanks to clever use of materials like high-strength steel and aluminium. Suspension is all new, independent front and rear much like the new gear under the sixth-gen Mustang. Steering is same as the Mustang’s – electric with multiple modes, turning the Falcon into one of the best-handling sedans this side of $100,000.

CABIN FEVER
A brand new interior awaits with TFT instruments, head-up display and full SYNC3 connectivity – all the Mustang’s gadgets but much nicer materials. New steering wheel with shift paddles and aggro new bucket seats top it off.