And so, we arrive at the T3, the moment where Ford FINALLY drew a line in the sand and gave the people what they were asking for!
By the time the T3 went on sale in late 2001, I was a fully-fledged Ford boy. The T3 was my "poster car", I remember counting down the days until I could go and buy Wheels and Motor magazine to read the reviews and drool over the pictures. This poster came in a later edition of Motor and hung on my wall for a long time................
With the T3, Tickford finally gave the AU chassis the power it deserved. I have said this before, but my T3 TS50 was easily the best Falcon I have ever driven. For some reason, the combination of engine-chassis-brakes-tyres was in balance with this car, where in later models the balance was out of kilter.
Stylistically, while the car used the same bumpers, they were capped with more aggressive lower halves, both front and rear. The grill and side skirts were new, as were the TS and TL 18-inch wheels. The TE and TS also got that huge wing. At the time, Ford actually had to get head office approval for the ride height of this car. The TE actually reverted to the XR interior with blue dial faces, losing the Fairmont center console and door trims. The TS50 also reverted to XR seats and could be had with the red or blue colouring, but retained the white dial faces. TL50 remained unchanged except for the wheels.
While Tickford went balls out with the styling, let's be real here, the T3 was all about the engine. Stripped from a crate engine and rebuilt using numerous locally designed and manufactured parts, the old Windsor was taken out to 5.6 liters and 250 kW and 500 Nm. That huge intake plenum also meant it has some lungs at the top end of the rev range. The T3 also went to dual square exposed exhaust tips, that let the world see where that glorious noise was coming from. I loved how this engine chugged along at idle, the wild cam making the car rock on its haunches. The only drawback to this engine was the less than smooth running and the horrendous fuel consumption. You pay to play. So much was the torque this engine produced, a new Tremec T45 5-speed manual replaced the T5, a special adaptor plate machined to allow the new gearbox to mate to the old engine.
The T3 also heralded the arrival of proper brakes on a Falcon, 4-piston Brembo calipers all round, even braided stainless steel lines. My car had the Brembo's, one of the highlights of the car.
My TS50 was bought in 2012 from the original owner, it having been sold alongside the BA FPV GT. That car was in the signature colour Blueprint, Vivid Blue Interior, Brembo Brakes, ESS Auto and Premium Sound. If I was to spec one today, it would be a TS50 in Narooma Blue, Manual, Vivid Blue Interior, Brembo's and Premium Sound.
The T3 was a moment in time car, the point where Tickford were let loose to go and fight Holden and HSV with both arms swinging. It also previewed what was to come. Not many get to meet their boyhood dream car, let alone driving or owning it. My T3 ownership was brief, but one that I'm grateful for.