The Ford Falcon (EB) is a full-sized car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1991 to 1993. It was the second iteration of the fifth generation of the Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (EB)—the luxury-oriented version. It launched shortly before the

Holden Commodore VP The Holden Commodore (VP) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden from 1991 to 1993. It was the second iteration of the second generation of the Commodore. Its range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VP) and Holden Calais (VP ...

Introduction and changes

Visually, the 1991 EB Falcon remained nearly identical to its predecessor, including carrying over the 3.9-litre Ford straight-six engine and four-speed M85LE automatic. The most noticeable changes were the transfer of the Ford emblem from the tip of the bonnet to the grille and a full-length applique bridging the gap between the tail lights, featuring reversing lamps on both sides of the rear number plate. Additionally, the

C-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stat ...

air vents were removed. The return of the V8 engine since its demise in the

Ford Falcon (XE) The Ford Falcon (XE) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1982 until 1984. It was the second iteration of the fourth generation of the Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (XE)—the luxury-oriented version. Histo ...

of 1982 was welcomed by the motoring press, but the 5.0-litre Windsor unit did not reappear in the utility variants until the " EF-shaped" XH series of 1996. The V8 was paired to the four-speed M95LE automatic transmission. Changes also were made to the front suspension geometry, giving the EB a much better level of grip and steering feel. With the new model, Ford reintroduced the sports oriented GT specification level, an exclusive 250-unit run celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first original Falcon GT. The first XR6 and XR8 sports models appeared in the EB series.

Model range

Series I

The model range of the first series on sale from August 1991 comprised these variants: * GL * S * S XR8 * Fairmont * Fairmont Ghia File:1991 Ford Falcon (EB) GL sedan (26634211185).jpg , Falcon GL sedan File:1991 Ford Falcon (EB) S station wagon (25933552654).jpg , Falcon S wagon File:1991 Ford Falcon (EB) S XR8 sedan (2010-12-17).jpg , Falcon S XR8 sedan File:1991-1992 Ford EB Fairmont Ghia sedan 02.jpg , Fairmont Ghia sedan

Series II

The revised Series II (EB II) model, appearing in showrooms in April 1992, had the six-cylinder engine upsized by 35 cm³ (from 3949 to 3984 cm³). This brought the nominal total swept capacity to 4.0 litres. The automatic transmission was updated to the M91LE specification, and the electronics were also improved, and the styling was tweaked. The base model now had body-coloured bumpers, and the previously matte black plastic exterior door handles were now given a glossy finish. The update reportedly cost . Innovation became an evident strength in the EB II: antilock brakes became an option, a Falcon first, and in 1993, a lap sash centre rear seatbelt became standard. The EB also introduced the "Smartlock" security locking system. South Australian Police revealed the operational success of "Smartlock" by inviting four professional car thieves to steal either a Holden Calais (VN) or an EB specified with the locking system. The successful theft of the motor vehicle meant the thief could keep the vehicle indefinitely. The thieves made off with the VN in under 60 seconds, but gave up on the EB after four days' efforts. Therefore, the EB was classified unstealable. Foam-filled A pillars also featured, which greatly increased crush protection and stiffened the frame, thus helping to reduce

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, ...

. The rarest model was the SS, with just 10 produced. The EB II SS was built to be successful under

Group 3E Series Production Cars Group 3E Series Production Cars is an Australian motor racing formula for production based cars competing with limited modifications. Group 3E cars formerly contested the Australian Manufacturers' Championship and Australian Production Car Champion ...

, five were absorbed immediately into production car racing. The forthcoming Tickford-enhanced S XR6 replaced the role of the SS. Production of the EB Falcon range totalled 36,374 with 84,847 examples of the EB II being produced. The EB II was replaced by the

Ford Falcon (ED) The Ford Falcon (ED) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1993 to 1994. It was the third iteration of the fifth generation of the Ford Falcon (Australia), Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (ED)—the luxury-orient ...

in August 1993. Note: GLi and Fairmont were available with either the 4.0-litre I6 or 5.0-litre V8. S and S XR6 were only available with 4.0-litre, and the S XR8 offered the 5.0-litre V8. * GLi * S * S XR6 * S XR8 * Fairmont * Fairmont Ghia * GT File:1992 Ford Falcon (EB II) GLi sedan (24948334881).jpg , EB II Falcon GLi sedan File:1992-1993 Ford EB II Falcon S sedan 06.jpg , EB II Falcon S sedan File:1992-1993 Ford EB II Fairmont sedan 04.jpg , EB II Fairmont sedan File:Ford EBII Falcon GT.jpg , EB II Falcon GT sedan

XR and GT by Tickford

The EB Series II had the first models from the joint venture between Ford and Tickford Vehicle Engineering. A new model was introduced, the S XR6, featuring Tickford enhancements to the engine and suspension. Similarly, the S XR8 was improved over the existing Series I S XR8. TVE reintroduced the sports orientated 25th anniversary EB Falcon GT specification level, an exclusive 250-unit run celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first original Falcon GT.

Motorsport

The Falcon (EB) SS was raced in the

1993 Australian Production Car Championship The 1993 Australian Production Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to Group 3E Production Cars Group 3E Series Production Cars is an Australian motor racing formula for production based cars competing with limited ...

, with Mal Rose claiming a championship win, after finishing first four times in six rounds. Marking the return of the Falcon to top-level touring car racing for the first time since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, the Group A 5.0-litre touring car specification EB Falcon had impressive success in the

1993 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for Group 3A Touring Cars. The championship, which was the 34th Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a nine-round series which ...

. This was the first season run under the new Group 3A rules, with the EB winning seven of nine rounds. Glenn Seton Racing carried the bulk of success, with drivers Glenn Seton and 1980 World Drivers Champion Alan Jones finishing first and second, respectively. The Dick Johnson Racing Falcons driven by John Bowe and Dick Johnson managed to score third and fifth. The Seton team's second EB Falcon driven by Geoff Brabham and David Parsons won the

1993 Sandown 500 The 1993 Sandown 500 was an endurance race for Group 3A Touring Cars and selected Group 3E Series Production Cars, held at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 12 September 1993. The event was staged over 161 laps of the 3.10 km cir ...

(the first Falcon to win the Sandown endurance race since Allan Moffat in an XB Falcon GT hardtop in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

), though a mid-year aerodynamic package given to the Holden Commodore (VP)'s made the Falcons not as competitive at Bathurst. The Falcon received its own upgrade in 1994 with the addition of small wings on the side of the front air dam, which brought it back into contention. This allowed the DJR Falcon driven by Dick Johnson and John Bowe to win both the

1994 Sandown 500 The 1994 Sandown 500 was an endurance motor race for Group 3A Touring Cars and selected production cars held at the Sandown circuit in Victoria, Australia on 4 September 1994. The event was staged over 161 laps of the 3.10 km circuit, a total ...

and the

1994 Tooheys 1000 The 1994 Tooheys 1000 was a motor race held on 2 October 1994 at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. It was the 35th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The race was open to cars complying with ...

at Bathurst. This was the Falcon's first Bathurst win since Johnson and John French won the crash-shortened 1981 race in an XD Falcon and the Falcon's 9th Phillip Island/Bathurst win overall.

References

{{Ford Falcon EB Cars of Australia Cars introduced in 1991 EB Falcon Sedans Station wagons Rear-wheel-drive vehicles