ALTHOUGH it might not necessarily look it, Ford’s BA Fairlane is a grateful recipient of the far-reaching changes introduced with the BA Falcon. If the styling is less dramatically different to the previous AU Fairlane, then at least there is a new interior, a new driveline including yet another rework of the inline six-cylinder engine - plus an all-new V8 - and a new "Control Blade" rear suspension that is much more comfortable, yet doesn’t detract from the car’s handling. In fact, looking at every aspect of the new Fairlane (and LTD), there appears to be very little given away to the hitherto more complex and sophisticated Europeans that are taking ever-larger slices of the prestige car market.

Ford Fairlane
Released: March 1999
Ended: June 2003
Family Tree: FairlaneBASED on the unsuccessful AU Falcon released in 1998, the previous generation Fairlane (pictured) went on sale in March 1999, replacing the EL Falcon-based NL Fairlane that appeared in September 1996. Both generations employed SOHC, two-valve versions of Ford's inline six and the venerable 5.0-litre Windsor V8, replaced by a twin-cam 182kW six and DOHC 5.4-litre V8 in the current generation.
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