2001 Ford Falcon AU XR8 – Today’s Ex-Cop Tempter

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 18.06.2017

What seems to be the problem here, officer?

It’s arguably one of the best looking Falcons of all time, but the AU looks better still when dressed in Tickford attire.

The AU XR6 and the XR8 are highly recognisable in a sea of mundane modernity, but there are still plenty of them knocking about, so the real question is; how do you differentiate your AU from all the others?

One way you can stand out from the crowd is by looking at an Option 20 car. What is an Option 20 Falcon, you may ask? Well the ‘Opt20’ moniker denotes police vehicle.

That’s what this AU XR8 is, an ex-chariot of New South Wales’ finest. Strangely however, it’s actually not that different from a standard XR8 that any old punter could have purchased.

In reality, the only real changes made to Police AU XR8 Falcons were a different speedometer, light switch and some more holes in the dash to accommodate the constabulary paraphernalia.

Some will tell you that the ECU has been re-worked to churn out more power but, unfortunately, that wishful thinking is nothing more than an urban myth.

On the plus side though, it’s still an XR8, which means you get a 5.0l Windsor V8 that’ll pump 200kW and 420Nm to the rear wheels.

This particular XR8 has the oomph handled by a 4-speed automatic transmission, although the XR8 was also available with a 5-speed manual.

The seller is asking $6500 for this four-wheeled white knight, and anyone interested can view the full listing here. 

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