Ford Australia wanted to bring a car to replace the Japan-imported Ford Telstar in 1989, so they came up with the Ford Corsair.
Ford Corsair Australia was initially released as a 4-door sedan with two available engines – a 2.0-litre CA20E engine and a 2.4-litre KA24E engine under the Button Plan model sharing scheme. The hatchback version became available in the 1990, with the same engine and trim choices.
However, Ford Telstar was extremely popular that the Ford Corsair sales never matched up and was discontinued in 1992.
The History of the Ford Corsair Nameplate
This was not the first Corsair in the history of automobiles. The name Ford Corsair was introduced to the world in the 1963 London Motor Show in October. In Britain, the name was used for a car produced for seven years (1963-1970).
Originally, the British Corsair was referred to as Ford Consul Corsair (1963-1965), a mid-sized car powered by a 1.5-litre Kent engine with a single carburettor that boasted of 60 BPH. It came in two versions, a saloon and a station wagon. Crayford Engineering also made convertible versions which are now extremely sought-after classics. There were only 18 of these vehicles produced, and only four are known to exist.
In 1965, Consul was rebranded as Ford Corsair. The rebranding was accompanied with some changes including the upgrade to a 2.0-litre 1663-cc Ford Essex V4 engine with a top speed of 180 km/h (very impressive for a car during that time). Crayford also customised these cars for interested clients by replacing its original engine with a 3.0-litre Ford Essex V6 engine.
Interesting Facts about Ford Corsair–Britain
In 1967, it underwent a facelift. Special wheel trims, reversing lights, updated cabin fittings, dechromed flanks, improved door handles, and a vinyl roof were some of the additions made to the car. The Corsair would eventually be replaced by the MK 3 Cortina in 1970.
The styling of the car was unique, featuring a horizontal V-shaped crease at the very front and round headlights. However, the overall styling was similar to the 1960 Ford Thunderbird.
Ford Corsair Australia
In Australia, Ford used the name to market a badge-engineered version of the Nissan Pintara from 1989 to 1992 based on the U12 series of the Nissan Bluebird. It’s worth noting that Bluebird was to Nissan, as Corona was to Toyota, and the Ford Corsair was one of Bluebird’s spinoffs.
Engines of the Ford Corsair Australia
There were two engine choices for the Ford Corsair Australia.
- 1.974-cc CA20E inline-4 for the GL trim level (83 kW, 168 Nm, 8.5L/100km)
- 2.389-cc KA24E inline-4 for the Ghia trim level (96 kW, 189 Nm, 9.1L/100km)
Both Ghia and GL trim levels were available for the sedan and hatchback variants, with either 4-speed AT and 5-speed MT to choose from. They were assembled in Clayton VIC from 1989-1992.
In 1991, Ford Corsair sales went down significantly, and shortly after, the badge-engineered model was discontinued. This was around the time when Nissan closed its plants in Australia. Ford once again offered the Telstar, which Corsair succeeded briefly.
Do you have a 1991 Ford Corsair for sale?
If you own a Ford Corsair 1990, Ford Corsair 1991, or earlier model year, and it’s just sitting in your yard or garage, why don’t you sell it? One man’s junk could be another man’s treasure, you know. You can advertise it as a used car or sell its parts. Now, if disposing of it sounds like too much work for you, you can contact wreckers near you. You can find them using our Directory here, by providing your post code, you can locate those within your neighbourhood.
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