The Ford Falcon (EA) is a
full-size car
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
...
that was produced by
Ford Australia
Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Comp ...
from 1988 to 1991. It was the first iteration of the fifth generation of the
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
and also included the Ford Fairmont (EA)—the luxury-oriented version.
Development
The result of a development program,
the EA Falcon bore a passing resemblance to the European
Ford Scorpio
The Ford Scorpio is an executive car that was produced by Ford Europe from 1985 to 1998. It was the replacement for the European Ford Granada line (although in the UK and Ireland the Scorpio was marketed under the Granada name until 1994). Li ...
.
[ However under the skin, it remained an entirely Australian design, and is credited as the first Falcon model to employ ]wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
testing.[ Developed under the codename ''EA26'' ( E for the large size, A for Australia, 26 for the (usually in sequence) global project number), it would retain the traditional Falcon hallmarks of width and rear-wheel drive. This proved to be the correct move as sales of the Falcon began to climb after the fuel crisis aftermath, while those of the rival ]Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is a full-size car that was sold by Holden from 1978 to 2020. It was manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of the locally manufactured versions in Australia endin ...
slipped. It became clear that Australian buying patterns had not truly changed and what the public wanted was a full-size (albeit smaller) family car.
In addition, Ford's dominance of the taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
market in Australia meant that a car that could comfortably seat three along the back seat—and even the front, with a bench seat installed—was necessary. It also ensured that Ford could retain, at least until Holden released the new Statesman/Caprice in 1990, the market for official cars for governmental use.
A centre high-mount stop light (CHMSL) was added late in Series I production as it was mandated by 1 July 1989.
Engines and transmissions
The EA series brought new engines to the Ford Falcon along with across the board fuel injection, overhead camshaft cylinder head, inclined valve alloy heads and a low profile intake manifold lowering the engine height. The capacity was decreased from the previous XF which was 4.1 litres and a push rod overhead valve (OHV) design. All EA series engines utilised the corporate Ford EEC-IV engine management system.
Engine choice initially comprised three straight-six units starting with the base 3.2-litre EFI which utilised a throttle body injection (TBI) or central fuel injection (CFI) induction to give at 4000 rpm and at 3250 rpm. This engine was standard on GL models although very few were sold and many owners of the 3.2-litre found lacklustre torque and the resultant driving behaviour caused increased fuel consumption versus the 3.9. Ford discontinued the engine circa December 1988.
Initially an extra cost option on the Falcon GL, and standard on Falcon S and Fairmont, the 3.9-litre EFI (commonly referred to as the CFI or TBI engine) increased stroke from 79 mm to 99.31 mm while bore remained at 91.86 mm. The engine used the same TBI as the 3.2-litre and power was rated at at 4250rpm and torque at 3250 rpm. This engine would also be discontinued at the end of the EB Series 1.
Standard on Fairmont Ghia and optional across the range was the multi-point injection (commonly referred to as "MPEFI") 3.9-litre. This utilised port injection along with a low profile intake manifold to increase outputs to at 4250 rpm and at 3500 rpm. The option was signified on vehicles by a "3.9 Multipoint" badge on each front fender behind the wheel arch was silver, except on Falcon S where it was red. On Falcon GL models the fitment of 215/65R14 tyres in place of either 185/75R14 (sedan) or 195/75R14 (wagon) tyres was also linked to the MPEFI option. All 30th Anniversary EA Falcons used a winged Falcon badge in the same fender location regardless of engine option causing there to be no obvious MPEFI identification.
A five-speed BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company maintains production facilities and technical systems at 93 sites (as of June 6, 2022) in 22 countries worldwide and has around 49,000 emplo ...
''T50D'' fully synchronised manual and BorgWarner ''M51 M51 or M-51 may refer to:
* M-51 (Michigan highway), a state highway in Michigan
* M51 highway (Russia)
* M51 (Cape Town), a Metropolitan Route in Cape Town, South Africa
* M51 Skysweeper, an anti-aircraft gun
* M51 MACI mine
* M51 SLBM, a Fre ...
'' three-speed automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
were offered, however the latter was replaced by a four-speed '' M85LE'' in the Series II range.
The initial four-speed automatics suffered poor reliability with loss of drive common within the first . Noise, vibration, and harshness
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), also known as noise and vibration (N&V), is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks. While noise and vibration can be readily measured, ...
expertise later found the issue to be destructive harmonics
A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the '' fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', ...
within the transmission and this was remedied with the transmissions later being highly regarded for reliability when properly maintained. Ford would often meet repair costs for these transmissions post-warranty on a goodwill basis. Until the fix, taxi owners would continue to fit reconditioned three-speed ''M51'' automatics to these cars, until the bell housing design was finally changed in later models preventing this practice.
Suspension and chassis
The EA carried over significant parts of the prior X series Falcon platform to save costs.
Rear suspension on the sedans continued with the coil spring live axle located by upper and lower unequal length trailing arms, and a transverse watts linkage. The watts linkage had its centre pivot mounted to the differential housing carrying over the roll centre movement compromise from the XE Falcon of 1982.
All wagons carried over the leaf spring suspension of prior Falcons, chosen for their performance in fleet applications including load carrying.
The biggest change for the EA series was the introduction across all models and body types of a new front architecture comprising rack and pinion steering with new front suspension utilising the short and long arm long spindle (SLALS) pseudo double wishbone design. This allowed for longer shocks, optimised ball joint location, improved geometry control, and dramatically improved front end response over the XF Falcon.
Standard suspension was fitted to all Falcon and Fairmont models. The Falcon S lowered ride height by and increased spring and shock rates with larger stabiliser bars. An optional Country Pack suspension offered increased ride height compared to the standard suspension and typically came with enhanced underbody protection including a sump guard.
Brakes were the same across the range using a hub integrated (i.e. not a hat rotor) front ventilated disc design of 287 mm and single piston callipers sliding on the hub carrier. The rear used solid discs also at 287 mm and the rear callipers carried over the Ford handbrake system using a threaded piston applying the handbrake cable forces to the rear disc pads.
Model range
The EA series was available in four model variants:
* Falcon GL sedan and wagon
* Falcon S sedan and wagon
* Fairmont sedan and wagon
* Fairmont Ghia sedan and wagon
No commercial vehicle variants of the EA were developed and the existing XF Falcon utility
As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...
and panel van
A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...
both continued in production alongside the EA passenger vehicles.[
]
Series II
Launched in October 1989, the Series II brought with it a four-speed automatic transmission, and could be distinguished via body-coloured, rather than black B-pillars.[ Despite the Series II models having significantly fewer problems than the Series I, Series II prices are also affected by curtailed resale values. The same problem also affects the NA Fairlane and DA LTD, and even the utility and panel van variants, which continued with the older XF architecture.
;30th Anniversary
Released in October 1990 the 30th Anniversary commemorative models were identified by a 30th Anniversary winged badge on each front fender. These vehicles carried the vast majority of the technical updates of the EB Falcon.
File:1991 Ford Falcon (EA II) GL 30th Anniversary sedan (2015-06-03) 02.jpg, Falcon GL 30th Anniversary sedan (Series II)
File:1990 Ford Falcon (EA II) S sedan (17741702339).jpg, Falcon S sedan (Series II)
File:1990 Ford Fairmont (EA II) Ghia sedan (2015-07-14) 02.jpg, Fairmont Ghia sedan (Series II)
File:1990 Ford Fairmont (EA II) Ghia sedan (2015-07-14) 01.jpg, Fairmont Ghia sedan (Series II)
]
Production and replacement
Production of the EA series had totalled 223,612 vehicles at the time of its replacement by the facelifted Ford Falcon (EB) in 1991.[
]
Aftermarket performance models
Due to the absence of a V8 engine and high performance model, the EA attracted significant interest from the Australian aftermarket industry hoping to gain Ford's approval for a factory backed model.
These included:
*Brock B8
*Advanced Induction Technology ("AIT") offering intercooled turbo kits sold through many Ford dealers
*EA SVO
*APV SR3900
*EA TSS
*DJR EA Falcon
*Phase Autos HO Phase 7
*EA AVO
Brock B8
Australian racing identity Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, a ...
formed Austech Automotive Developments to produce a selection of vehicles based on the S and Fairmont Ghia models. All Brock EA Falcons featured a unique body kit, 16inch wheel package and interior upgrades. The latter used the standard seats bolstered and trimmed in a cloth specific to the model. Brock also improved the power output through a re-profiled camshaft, ECU tuning and modification to the induction and exhaust systems. A suspension upgrade was also performed, improving handling and ride quality.
File:1989 Ford EA Falcon S Brock B8 sedan (7708289246).jpg, Ford EA Falcon Brock B8 sedan
File:1989 Ford EA Falcon S Brock B8 sedan (7708289972).jpg, Ford EA Falcon Brock B8 sedan
File:1989 Ford EA Brock B8 Falcon S (6058649734).jpg, Ford EA Falcon Brock B8 build plate
Advanced Induction Technology ("AIT")
One of the premium offerings for the EA Series was the offering of intercooled turbo kits sold through many Ford dealers. The kit used a front mount intercooler fed by extra air vents in the bumper, turbocharger, extra injectors and was signified by a build plate and instrumentation markings.
EA SVO
With over 1000 built, the EA SVO was the most successful aftermarket option. A creation from Australian motor racing driver and engineer Mick Webb, the EA SVO came with ROH 16-inch wheels, Recaro seats, MoMo steering wheels, suspension upgrades including Bilstein Shock Absorbers
ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational conglomerate. It is the result of the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and has its operational headquarters in Duisburg a ...
, engine modifications, spoilers and two tone grey paint work.
EA TSS
The EA TSS was a series of options from body kit manufacture GP Sportscars. These cars were known for the option of a JDD Twin Tire system and Sprintex supercharger system. GP also manufactured a complete body styling kit, and interior package. As the TSS was a range of options, rather than a specific model, an interested owner could have a complete car optioned up, or just specific options. As a result, some featured either just the supercharged motor, or body kit.
EA AVO
An Australian turbocharging company, AVO, built up a turbocharged EA falcon that held the world record for the fastest caravan tow, at .
Motorsport
Kent Youlden won the Australian Production Car Championship in both 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
and 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
driving an EA Falcon.
See also
* Ford Falcon (XF) – Utility pickup and panel van of the Falcon line running concurrently with the EA series sedans and wagons
References
External links
{{Ford Falcon
EA
Cars of Australia
Cars introduced in 1988
1980s cars
1990s cars
EA Falcon
Sedans
Station wagons
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles