Built Ford tough: from the ‘Squatters Joy’ to Ranger utes

Ford Australia is 100 years old – no longer a local manufacturer, yet still a major player in Australia’s automotive scene.

This year, the home-grown Ford Ranger ute is a best-seller. In 1925, it was the Model T: the redoubtable ‘Tin Lizzie’, known in Australia as the ‘Squatter’s Joy’ for its rough country ability, reliability and value.

The Model T was the first Ford out of the company’s Australian assembly plant in Geelong and soon conquered one-third of the local market.

Fast forward to 1935 and it was the Ford coupe utility: the Lew Bandt-designed ute which answered a farmer’s question for a vehicle in which he could head to church on Sunday and off to the livestock market on Monday.

In Detroit, Henry Ford dubbed this ‘the Kangaroo Chaser’.

Others had built light truck- style vehicles – covered seats up  front of a tray – but this Ford ute was  the first with a one-piece body and  sedan comforts.

By the 1960s, Ford Australia was designing and building the local  Falcon, taking the fight to General Motors’ Holden.

There was competition on the sales floors and the race tracks. Bathurst 1000 battles between Falcon GTHOs and Holden Monaros, then Falcon Hardtops and Holden Toranas, were annual sporting highlights.

By the time the 21st century rolled in, both Ford and Holden had lost ground for a range of reasons. By 2017, both stopped building cars here.

While General Motors decided to close shop completely, Ford kept on with research, design and testing vehicles, leading to the acclaimed Ford Ranger utes and Everest SUVs.

The Ranger remains one of Australia’s most popular vehicles.

Built in Thailand while engineered here, these utes are well regarded for on- and off-road manners, general performance and comforts.

Full credit to the Ranger crew, while other Australian Fords this century have also well fulfilled intended purposes.

There was the Falcon RTV ute:  a two-wheel drive with 2.5”  suspension lift, wider track and lockable rear differential.

This – in particular with the optional 220kW V8 – was proper hard to beat down a rough country road.

There was the 2004 Ford Territory: a five-door SUV that was one of the most competent of family wagons found anywhere in the world (if a bit thirsty).

Best of these was the Territory  Turbo Ghia, with all-wheel drive,  254kW of turbocharged power and as good as premium, more expensive European rivals.

And among the last of the Falcon sedans was one of Australia’s best  tourers ever.

The 2008 Falcon G6E ran with a turbocharged, six-cylinder engine pushing out 270kW and 533Nm of torque through a six-speed transmission.

Perhaps others were a tad sharper through the turns, but the G6E was forever quick, comfortable, well-mannered and engaging (and well-loved by highway patrol officers).

Ford’s honourable Australian history also includes one of the world’s longest sporting sponsorships, having backed the Geelong Cats since 1925.

And for the first time, more than  2300 brochures and images of  Australian Fords have been added to the online Ford Heritage Vault and its 19,000 digital items.

 It’s worth a look at the Ford Heritage Vault: fordheritagevault.com