An AU Falcon racing in South Africa? No way.
Actually, it did occur and it was rather successful against its European rivals in the South African Production Car Series.
The man behind the program was long-time Ford devotee Steve Wyndham, who had raced a Mondeo Super Tourer in the mid-1990s after great success in production cars.
Wyndham’s program was in alignment with the Falcon being sold on South Africa and there was a change in the South African motorsport landscape as production cars took over as the top class.
South Africa enjoys a long history in production car racing, Wyndham was the 1993 Production Car champion, but in 2001 introduced the AU Falcon to circuits such as Kyalami, Killarney and East London.
The program supported by Ford Credit lasted for three years entering alongside a strong BMW contingent, but its start was difficult after parts were late to arrive from Australia. Its V8 powerplant and wiring harness were two components missing as Wyndham made his debut in Class A at Killarney.
“I am ready to really give the Bee-Ems a proper run for their money this time,” said Wyndham at the time. “We have a few small hick-ups to iron out, but we will be there in full force.”
Wyndham achieved success against BMW, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo in what was a tough series featuring more than 40 entries on occasions encompassing more than 10 brands represented across four classes.
The program came to an end as competition went up a level and the game changing BA Falcon failed to make it on the ship to South Africa as Wyndham downsized to a Ford Fiesta ST (or XR4 here in Australia).
In fact, Class A competition rose to include Audis and Nissans, leading to a golden period for the class where rivalry was high in the category.
Class T catering for forced induction hot hatches proved the most popular during this period as Volkswagen, Ford, Seat, Mazda, Opel, Renault and Mini all enjoying a factory presence during this era.
Production car racing ceased to be the top-tier of motorsport in South Africa in 2016 after the introduction of GTC, which was derived from the Australian MARC Cars concept as the V8 was replaced by a turbocharged 2.0-litre units.