The Detroit bean-counters may have decided to shut down Ford Australia's assembly plants by October 2016, but that doesn't mean the locals are sitting on their hands waiting for the doors to close.
Even before the axe fell Ford Australia had a fairly comprehensive facelift for the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV in the pipeline for 2014. Now they're bringing back the XR8 performance nameplate for one more go-round as well.
Timed for release late in 2014, the new Falcon XR8 will be a mainstream model rather than a special-edition hot-rod from the FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) skunk works, which is due to close at about the same time at the XR8 comes out - although apparently the FPV performance junkies have a couple of 'final edition' projects in mind as well.
335KW FIVE-LITRE V8
That means the Falcon XR8 will be available through Ford's full network of dealers across Australia, bringing FPV's locally-engineered and manufactured, 335kW Miami five-litre supercharged V8 to a broader market
It'll also have Brembo brakes and sports-tuned suspension in a slightly fancier version of the standard Falcon trim, with aero kit probably limited to a deeper front bumper and a bolt-on boot-lid spoiler.
Sadly, since Ford SA no longer offers the Falcon range, we're unlikely to see the XR8 in South Africa.