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#1610, 15 September 2016, page 12.

180KW POWER RANGER!

WHEELS IMAGE #1610, 15 September 2016, page 12. is back! EXCLUSIVE: Iconic badge set to make a comeback with road project

A HOT and hyped-up the old Ford Tickford Experience PRA Garage has also been from V8 racing at the end of 2015. Mustang will be the first two (FTE) high performance brand appointed an official wholesaler “People associate us with Ford models from a road car business was a joint-venture sanctioned by and retailer of the global Ford product and we have no plans to established by the Blue Oval’s the factory (see breakout), as was Performance Parts catalogue. work on anything else,” Nash said. former factory V8 Supercars team, its successor Ford Performance “PRA Garage is going to build Tuning work will cover off both Prodrive Racing Australia (PRA). Vehicles (FPV), PRA is going it performance and enhancement engine and chassis, as well as The venture has been alone without official backing of parts for ultimately most of the delivering exterior and interior registered as PRA Garage ’s local sales and (Ford) products, but initially it’s styling enhancements. but is expected to be marketing arm. to do with Ranger and Mustang,” Development work is being marketed under the But there is some involvement PRA co-owner Rod Nash told done in-house and through Tickford name from Ford internationally, as Wheels in an exclusive interview. suppliers here and overseas. associated with parts and accessories are being Planning work began on Bosch Australia has been local fast Fords in developed by PRA Garage in the PRA Garage project two contracted to test modifications to the 1990s and conjunction with Ford Asia Pacific years ago as Nash and co faced an OEM level. early 2000s. to supply to the regional licenced restructuring the business in the Nash said conducting its own But while accessories program. aftermath of Ford’s withdrawal development and gaining official

Why Tickford? While Rod Nash is happy to confirm PRA Garage as the that started developing performance models for Ford legal name of his race team’s new performance tuning Australia in 1991. business, he won’t comment on whether Tickford is the By 1999 a family of higher-performance AU Falcons and name it will be marketed under. Fairlanes had been developed under the Ford Tickford However, a Wheels search has established that the Experience banner to take on HSV. Tickford name was trademarked in Australia by PRA Tickford also ran the factory racing operation. Garage Pty Ltd of Campbellfield earlier this year. But in 2002, after Tickford was taken over by rival British Tickford Vehicle Engineering was the British business firm Prodrive, a new joint-venture was established with Ford Australia as Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), with Ford (FPR) becoming the factory race team. The Tickford name bounced around through a number of hands in subsequent years, but had no direct involvement in above-the-line automotive development or branding. Ford closed FPV in 2014 and FPR became PRA in 2015; Ford still owns the rights to FPV and FPR. Amusingly, by now claiming the Tickford name and using it to badge production vehicles, PRA has essentially gone back to the future and taken control of its own predecessor. #1610, 15 September 2016, page 14.

recognition from Ford globally come with South Australian-made Global Ford recognition separates PRA Garage from rival Supashocks, the same brand PRA aftermarket tuning houses. uses on its race . separates PRA Garage “We are not only a buy-in parts Under the bonnet, the Ranger’s business. Much of what we are 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel doing we are tailor-making and is expected to have a power boost from rival tuning houses engineering ourselves.” of more than 20 percent. A Ranger Wildtrak development In development for two years, mule spotted by Wheels was the project will be officially fitted with 20-inch beadlock-style launched at the in wheels developed for the new early October, intentionally at the venture, and a new exhaust with same time as Ford’s Australian dual outlets that exited behind factories clang shut for the last the right-rear wheel. time, ending production of Falcon The development mule was and Territory. testing Bilstein dampers, but the Customers will be able to production model is expected to purchase individual parts or

THE LINE-UP

Mustang Ranger Next on Tickford’s list is The Ranger will kick Mustang, tipped to land off the Tickford revival just months after Ranger. with a circa-180kW Mustang performance tune for its 3.2-litre parts for are common and five-cylinder turbo- Ford Australia is looking diesel. Suspension to offer a suite of options, OUR SPY PICS SHOW A mods by Supashocks including a supercharger RANGER DEVELOPMENT MULE RUNNING WITH and 20-inch alloy kit for the 5.0-litre V8. SIDE EXHAUSTS wheels are designed to Full details of Tickford’s improve dynamics. plans for Mustang are not yet known.

Everest And then… Tickford will apply the Tickford has not same drivetrain and revealed its next styling tweaks from the move beyond Ranger, Ranger to the Everest Mustang and Everest, SUV for a 2017 launch. other than hinting Think 180kW diesel that most of the Ford engine, alloys, fender line-up is under flares and suspension the microscope for tweaks. The addition potential attention. of coil-spring rear The Kuga SUV and suspension will require Focus hatch would a retune of the rear. seem a logical fit. #1610, 15 September 2016, page 14.

enhancement kits through Ford in the dealers or PRA Garage direct. and another two in the Dunlop Three stand-alone PRA development series. It raced as Garage modification centres and Ford Performance Racing from showrooms are to be established 2003-14 and won the drivers’ in , Sydney and championship with Mark Brisbane by early 2017. Winterbottom in its final year as PRA, which is currently based Ford’s factory race team last year. in FPV’s old headquarters just PRA Garage currently employs around the corner from Ford about 10 staff directly but can Australia’s Broadmeadows plant, call on the extended engineering is planning to move into new, ability of the PRA organisation. larger facilities to cater for the The division is run by former manufacturing work required Walkinshaw Performance to service PRA Garage and its Products chief Tony Harris, who expanding racing business. quietly joined last February. It currently races four Falcons BRUCE NEWTON