David Ford - Ford Australia Product Planner | SHANNONS DESIGN TO DRIVEWAY | Ep 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- “Meet the man who helped create the legend of the Ford Falcon”
Whilst no relation - but sharing the famous surname and reading his resume, you learn David M Ford was every bit the complete Ford company man.
Although he was not actually a Designer as such, we make an exception in this episode to celebrate the ‘architect’ of so many of the classic Ford models in Australia.
David Ford was a Product Planner - a role that fused the disciplines of engineering and then marketing a car design together. He became responsible for helping to shape and style the likes of the Ford Falcon XR - the first Bathurst Winner for Ford in 1967 with Fred Gibson at the wheel. It was this model that effectively created the Ford Falcon DNA - a formula of big, robust and athletic styling that would continue through the XR - XW model updates. David’s contribution helped influence the next model generations through the XA - XC years with sedans, sports coupes and luxury variants, before adapting the same principles with the XD Falcon.
David Ford is also responsible for his pragmatic, but effective formula for launching Ford’s luxury Fairlane model in Australia. He literally pieced together the pages of existing brochures to create a luxury long wheel-base variant for Australia and forced Holden to play catch up. Simple but effective, David knew how to build a car that looked good, but which the public would also like.
Such was his confidence of the cars Australians wanted to drive, it was David Ford who stood up to Ford local boss, Bill Bourke to tell him that his idea for a luxury coupe was wrong as there was little demand for such a car. Fortunately for lovers of the Ford Landau, Bourke pushed on regardless and we now have some very collectible Landau luxury coupes.
“Shannons are proud to commission this landmark series to celebrate the rich design heritage of the cars we all know and love. While Shannons plays a key role as Australia’s leading insurer for motoring enthusiasts, we also believe it is very important to preserve our automotive history for future generations” said Mark Behr, Executive Manager, Marketing for Shannons. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
The fact that a dude named Ford played a major role at Ford Australia is surprisingly gratifying.
Great to hear these designers and product planners talking about our design history of Aussie cars.
A old fella from my home town purchased a Landau new and fitted it with a Ford 428 Cobra jet engine "for a princely sum"..he used to proclaim that is how it should have came from the factory. For many years he drove it around our little town..when I was a kid he would take me and my friends for rides, we would always egg him on...we thought it was like riding in a spaceship. When he passed, his family took the car and sold it along with the original almost unused engine still sitting on a run stand. I often wonder if is is still out there...boy did she used to fly.
I love it when Shannons make series like this. The first two episodes are great. Looking forward to the next 5!
I can't get enough of this series! Well done to all involved.
I grew up on a diet of Australian cars, how exciting it was to first glimpse the new model.
100% remember seeing the new model in the flesh for the first time was always exciting
Would love to hear David Ford talk about the EF & EL models.
Fantastic series
What a time these guys had back then 👍👍
The Falcon coupe is one of the most underrated muscle cars of the period. A perfect design from the concept to the showroom.
Mad Max didn’t think so!
Underrated?
I can see you have no idea what "underrated" means....
What beautifully designed vehicles they are. Cars will never be made this way ever again. I mean clay models, using photos married together and so on. Something has been lost in design since CAD was introduced into practice, being the human touch. I understand this is progress but you can’t deny that vehicles, whatever the make and model, we’re much better looking in years gone by than they do today.
Well said
Great series about extraordinary people. Pleasure to watch.
Just another fascinating story in this remarkable series.
Sad when you think about what we have lost in this country with our car industry
and we lost the same with aircraft manufacture. Now we just have Boeing doing parts.
Thank you. Nice to hear the story from someone who actually lived it, as opposed to a whole lot of guesses, however well intentioned.
EXCELLENT video. As an American Ford fan and owner of several Ford cars over the last 45 years it was only by accident that I first learned about Ford Australia. Until the mid 70s I guess I just assumed that Australian Fords were American Fords with the steering wheel moved to the opposite side of the car. It was in the 70s when I came across an advert in the British magazine CAR for Australian Fords sold by an agent in the U.K. that I found yet another universe of Ford vehicles. My first car was "supposed " to be an early 60s Falcon, but the money wasn't there. My first car would turn out to be a Mercury Cyclone GT and there have been nearly a dozen Fords since.
Loved hearing from the designer of the car, in his own words.
Always wanted a P6 LTD, still want one
The photo towards the end, of what I can only assume would have been the P6 Landau is interesting.
Having owned a P6 LTD Silver Monarch, I had often daydreamed of building a P6 Landau. The issue is I could never reconcile the styling of the rear end. As the licence plate was recessed between the tail lights on the P6 LTD, but fitted into the rear bumper on the P5 LTD, I had figured the licence plate should have been recessed between the tail lights of a prospective P6 Landau. It also would mean either adopting the beefier looking rear bumper from the rest of the XC/ZH/P6 range or maintaining the slimmer rear bumper with exposed lower beaver panel from previous models. The issue then would become fitting the licence plate moulding of the LTD onto the boot lip of the hardtop. Some designs I played with extended the boot lip downwards, to mimic the trailing edge of the boot lip on the LTD. However looking at the prototype photos, Ford appear to have dispensed with all this, and just fitted an infill panel between the tail lights, and put the licence plate into the bumper, as per P5 design.
I like the Landau very much, but I feel this would have negatively impacted the styling were the model to go into production.
Wow what a fantastic video, thanks to everyone involved.
Great memories of the vehicles, for me a XL and a XT before marriage. also an FB, HR HD and HK work Utes.
Bring on part 3 . This is excellent
Ep1 was alright and informative same with ep2 but i still feel like we are skipping over so many key points and ideas that were conceived back in the day. You have these fellas with decades of history aswell as the first hand knowledge as to what happened behind close doors but i still feel like we are cutting down the episodes far to much and just doing the quick timeline and not doing the history its self justice
I love my bf xr6! Best falcon ever made😊
I'm happy that David Ford is proud of his work, but I've thought for years that Ford Australia gradually lost the plot. Evidently others thought so too - sales went down and down until they closed down.
The original 1960 Falcon, which was the same as the US Falcon except for right hand drive, was just what the market wanted at the time as an alternative to the baby Chevy styled tailfin "American Graffiti-wagon" Holden. The later Ford Australia models XK-XW-XY were just what the large car market wanted. At the end Ford just weren't making what people wanted.
Being a man who needed a nice car to take the wife out in, go camping with the kids with lots of gear, and transport long planks or angle iron or sheets of plywood and steel for my hobbies, the XC station wagon, with its 2-way tailgate copied from the Rambler, was perfect. The cross-flow head engine was heaps better than the Holden red motor modified for phase 2 emissions standards - although the XC was heavy car, so it was a bit sluggish to drive. At least it was smooth and didn't sound sick like the last of the Holden red motors. When you opened the tailgate there was a convenient step that you could rest a couple of planks on to make a ramp and easily load a heavy lawnmower or drum. So no need for a trailer.
But when I needed to replace the old XC, the new Falcons had plastic everywhere and felt cheap and nasty. And the wagon no longer had a proper 2-part tailgate, let alone a 2-way tailgate. No reason to buy it anymore. No reason to put up with the squeaks and clonks and gearboxes that failed too early.
You're right, it'll never happen again.
We need more designers to spend time actually producing things. We see the problem now - designers who have no experience at manufacturing producing 3D models that cant be moulded.
Great episode
❤wonderful video by Ford.
Really enjoyed video
The XD release, and our first impressions, screamed 'new'! The reality discovered through ownership and more thorough road tests with/against competitors, proved definitely otherwise.
It had flatter, less comfortable front bucket seats, and still had...
• The same chronically uncomfortable rear seat
• 'recirculating ball' steering gear, which was heavy and slo-o-o-ow, without power assistance - quick but totally numb, with the power option.
• under-dash handbrake
• near identical engines
• near identical gearboxes and gearshifts
• leaf-sprung rear suspension, on all variants - from panel-van, to ESP, to LTD
• same single throat, down-draught carburettor.
Along with that, were some of the new problems which can't always be identified 'til owners are bringing the cars back for servicing - or warranty claims...!
Door-handles that were friggin' horrible and awkward to use, and regularly broke.
Tail-lights that failed in both sun _and_ rain: plastics faded; water seals didn't; connectors didn't.
The 6-cyl motors _did_ get an aluminium head half way through - that's something, I guess..!
Not 'til the XE series, did we see new better (mostly) rear suspension, all new comfortable rear seat, dual-throat Weber carbs standard, 15" wheels on some variants, a 5-sp manual optional with the smaller 6 engine.
The XE was the car that the XD _promised_ to be, 3 years earlier.
When l come to Australia they were making Ford Holden Chrysler and BMC now there is nothing very sad.
🥝✔️ Loved it.
15:00, is not how I remember it. VB,VC Commodore were not great sellers. Even before release, Holden was regretting the compact size of their car ( according to Leo Pruneau). The HZ was discontinued at end of 1979, leaving the XD, and CM Valiant (dinosaur) as the only large car options.
Just like Holden regretted making a compact car, Ford regretted making a large car, thinking the public wanted a smaller package. Market research of both companies was off, and Ford held market lead until 1989, when the larger VN Commodore was released.
In my opinion, the VB/VC/VH Commodore was a much more stylish and refined car than the XD/XE package. The XD had a boxy appearance (of an old mans car) with a horrible dashboard/instrument cluster, and giant black plastic headrests. But if you wanted a large car, the only other choice was the CM, which was an early 70s design, and used more fuel. The XF was a major styling improvement, but mechanically, they were little changed from the XR Falcons, with their leaf springs (European indeed).
Also, XD,XE,XF drivers door would start to sag after about 5 or 6 years, becoming the second owners problem.
The VB and VC were good sellers, being the top selling cars for their entire duration.
When the XE replaced the XD, the Falcon then became the top selling car in Australia from 1982, on. By this stage, the VH was the current Commodore, and it just wasn't as popular as the XE. Fuel prices were dropping at this stage, helping Falcon sales to a degree.
@@noelgibson5956 I did a bit of research, and it seems you are correct.
According to Norm Darwin's book 'History Of Holden Since 1917", 95,906 VB Commodores were produced over 20 months between Nov 78, and July 80.
HZ, 50,153 over 30 months from Oct 77 to May 80.
HX, 111,269 over 13 months from July 76 to Oct 77.
HJ, 167,251 over 21 months from Oct 74 till July 76.
UC, 53,007 over 20 months form March 78 to Sept 80.
LX, 50,102 over 26 months from Feb 76 to March 78.
LH, 71, 408 over 20 months from May 74 to Feb 76.
The numbers clearly show a decline in large to medium cars across the range, with VB bucking the trend, blitzing both HZ and UC.
Thanks for putting me straight, but hell, I was young.
A watts link coil rear started in XE sedans. It was a big upgrade over the leaf springs.
@@geepuller1 watts link was added to the XE, but leaf springs remained to XF (little change from XL). VB used a pannard bar 5 link and McPherson struts on front, and handling very well out of the box.
@@bodgiesteve8849 leaf springs on xf was for ute and wagon for good load and towing ability.
Ford , Holden , Valiant , We all had different taste ..
If you've ever driven an XD Falcon or ZJ Fairlane, you'll notice how uncomfortable the driving position was. Despite the huge amounts of legroom in the back, Ford didn't make the front seat runners long enough for tall drivers to position themselves far enough away from the steering wheel to be comfortable. The steering wheel itself was also too close to the driver. This was a foolish and silly design oversight.
The boot was too shallow to accommodate an Esky and the front bumpers on many examples didn't appear properly aligned.
I owned an XE, which was a much improved car, but still had a rust issue. Despite this, Ford fixed many of the XD's shortfalls with the XE. The XE model run was a golden era for Ford, but spoilt by the axing of the V8 engines. My XE was a 3-3 four speed. It's performance was average unless the correct gear was engaged. I was so disappointed with its sound that I later fitted a 302 and auto to it for a beefier note and huskier performance.
Ford should have kept the V8's right through.
XE had V8 options, XF didn't.
@@GL-xz3xk
Only early XE's had V8 option. V8's were discontinued less than halfway through it's model run.
That drivers' seat position complaint, was relatively common back in the day of the XD - flatter than previous, shapely front buckets, and not enough reach as you say. The rear seats were _at least_ as poor as the fronts.
The earliest Falc series I rode in was the XW, and it was nothing special. In multiple XA Falcons the rear seat was no better. Unchanged in XC and, surprisingly, just as uncomfortable in the XD.
It wasn't until Ford Australia had a woman (I believe) come into the design team, that the rear bench finally got some proper design work, and became genuinely comfortable and supportive.
be keen to learn about what happened with the au falcon, excellent aerodynamics and decent engine, but they did it with their eyes closed
Such great looking vehicles. We now live in the most bland era of motor vehicle design in history. Crappy SUVs, hatchbacks and pick up trucks, which all look the same no matter the manufacturer. Cars devoid of any originality or style. No wonder these old beauties are so sought after.
Huge land boats
The Falcon coupe is a Gran Torino and 71 Mustang
The family resemblance is quite obvious.
The pinnacle of Australian automotive design.
My dad still daylies a xd.
should ave added fish oil and then the au happened whhhyyyy
Was this guy behind the disastrous AU?
I don't think so. 🤣
@@kelvinrf he was frog marched out the door when it became clear the AU was a massive misstep.
Story I heard that the AU look was imposed by Detroit head office as fitting into the new Ford world look.
You’ll find out soon enough later in the series.
Hey c'mon - I love the AU!
Is this the full episode of just a preview? It seems extremely truncated as did the first one.
22 minutes without ads. I would call that an episode.
@@markbehr88 how much was cut out? There are holes everywhere and all I want to hear is the person being interviewed allowed to tell the many and varied tales of their experience. They have so much to say.
Nothing was cut out but it is the practicalities of presenting 7 designers rather than 7 episodes on 1 designer. Be thankful that we have a series that tells part of their stories and the parts the designers themselves wanted to tell.
FAIRLANE.... "NOT FARM"
The XD was like a RR compared to the VB commodore, cant even compare the 2, the VB was built like garbage.
The XD was the beginning of the end in the styling department.
XD Falcon didn’t win the 1979 Wheels Car Of The Year!
That stupid award was a big deal then! No
One cares about it now!
Designs something with a ruler that looks like a Lego car and wonders why people don't like it.... LoL
XD; edges too sharp, roofline too square, belt line too low, rear quarters too slim and wheel arches not round enough. Fix all that and you'd have a good looking car
The xa b and c Ford is the most ugly Ford series ever made.