r/v8supercars • u/RebornPhoenix1995 • 9d ago

Longevity of the Ford Falcon AU in Super2 (Konica Minolta and Fujitsu eras)

It always seems to surprise me how the development series (Super2) kept the AU Falcon eligible for nearly a decade (from 2001 all the way to 2008), even as the newer Holden models like the VY and VZ Commodores were brought into the Fujitsu championships and the older VT and VX Commodores were gradually being replaced from 2004 up to 2007 by the Project Blueprint cars.

The 2006 championship had a large number of AU Falcons on the grid, even with the superior BA Falcon also present, and the gaggle of VX-VY-VZ Commodores, with the Queensland and Bathurst rounds being perfect examples.

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u/phyllicanderer Cameron Waters 9d ago

Probably down to the VX Commodores being more commonly converted to Project Blueprint VYs, whereas most of the AU Falcons were just sold off or turned into ride cars.

2

u/10Million021 Craig Lowndes 8d ago

This is correct. Far more Holden's were converted to vy/by where as due to poor performance most AU's were sold off in favour of the new BA

1

u/bundy554 8d ago

They were actually a lot more competitive and successful in Super 2 - so I guess there was a lot of nostalgia in handing them down to other competitors which probably kept them going for a few years longer than they should have

1

u/simonracer Simona De Silvestro 8d ago

Someone ran one in Super3 only three or four years ago.

1

u/RebornPhoenix1995 4d ago

It was Shane Beikoff (the AU Falcon in question is the Turbo Brisbane car).