There is a new film out called 'Stander' - I don't know whether it is/will be released in the UK.
It is the true story of a South African cop turned bad, who becomes a bank robber... this all occurred in the early 80s.
Features as his getaway car a Ford Cortina XR6 Interceptor. (as driven by the rogue himself).
Interesting specs on this beastie...
"Interceptor.....only 250 built (its a "south african" version...so only 250 worldwide). The car (from the factory) had modified branches, camshaft (i think it was a 275), high compression pistons, modified cylinder heads, and most important ...3 42DCNF downdraught webers. All cars were numbered ..1 to 250, and all came out with 13" ronal (i think) mags. The rest of the car was standard XR6."
Yeehah!
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aaaah, more on these delightful 'local' specials... [and others!]
Ford Cortina XR6
Manufactured by: Ford Motor Company of South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa
Years produced: 1981 - 84
Price at launch: unknown
The Ford Cortina XR6 Mark V, which was only available in four door form, was powered by the 3.0 litre (183 cu. in.) It was launched in 1981, following the 3.0S Mark IV, and was powered by a 140 HP Essex V6 engine, coupled with a four speed gearbox. The rear suspension of this car was a unique five-link setup instead of the more fragile trailing-arm system of the European Cortina. The reason for this modification was to cope with South African road conditions.
Mid-June 1982 brought about the birth of the Cortina XR6 Interceptor. This was a real true blue Ford and has become a very sought after collectors item. This car included modified exhaust headers, camshaft, cylinder heads, high compression pistons, a 3.08 differential and, most important, three 42 Webers. This very special car also boasted 13" alloy rims. This combination became a legend on both race track and on the street. Only 250 of these were ever made.
Between 1981 and 1984 variations of the XR6 included the XR6 TF (Team Ford) which sported a white paint job with Ford blue striping and Interceptor rims.
A very limited edition was the Cortina X-Ocet. The car was similar to the Interceptor except for its being fueled by a 450 cfm Holley.
Ford Sierra XR6
Manufactured by: Ford Motor Company of South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Years produced: 1984 - 1992
Price at launch: unknown
As the Ford Cortina was replaced by the Ford Sierra, not only in Europe, but also in South Africa, the Cortina XR6 was in 1984 replaced by the Sierra XR6. This was available only as a four door hatchback, and was powered by the same 140 HP 3 litre (183 cu. in.) Essex engine as its Cortina predecessor. However, this engine was coupled to a five-speed gearbox.
From 1984 to 1992 most changes to the Sierra were cosmetic, i.e. the introduction of alloy wheels in 1986, different seats, instrumentation and decals. Mechanical differences to the 1986 Sierra were an uprated 5-speed gearbox and a 3.36 differential.
Around 1986 to 1987 a factory XR6 Alpina Bi-turbo was produced. This car was endowed with a top sped of 231 km/h (144 mph). (The standard XR6 had a top speed of 203 km/h (127 mph)).
In mid 1989 the South African Sierra was given a facelift. (That was two years after the European Sierra had one). This included a different front end and tail lights from the Sapphire.
In 1991 the XR6 3.0iRS was produced. This car had fuel injection, a modified hydraulic cam shaft and high compression pistons.
Ford Sierra XR8
Manufactured by: Ford Motor Company of South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa
Years produced: 1984
Price at launch: 27500 Rand (£15700 equivalent)
To compete with Alfa Romeo and BMW in South Africa's racing tracks, it was decided that more power was needed than that available from the Sierra XR6. Therefore the XR8 version of this car was introduced. It was equipped with a 302 cu. in. (5 litre) 205 HP V-8, a Holley 4 bbl carburettor and a five-speed Borg-Warner gearbox. Like the XR6, it was only available in four door hatchback form, but with a biplane tailgate like the XR4i. It was equipped with disk brakes on all four wheels and 15" Ronal alloy wheels. As a larger radiator was needed to cool the engine, a slatted grill was mounted.
Despite the high power output, the chassis of this car was fully capable of handling all the power available. However, only 250 or 255 such cars (depending on sources) were produced. Due to demand it was planned to make an additional 250 of them, but this came to naught. At the time of its production run South Africa was subject to sanctions from the outside world. That limited the export potential of this car.
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Ah, the good old days of Webers, Holleys etc & the induction noises they produced, esp. if filtered by 'pancakes'!
Fuel injection just ain't the same somehow is it?
Had an Avenger once that was home tuned to Tiger spec. with twin 40s on it. Went like stink & was a hoot to drive. Hate to think about the fuel cons. now though!
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Ian,
the Interceptor was a brilliant car, thanks for sparking the memory.
When the Interceptors came out, we were living in Orangemund, SWA (Namibia). Orangemund was still a closed town and the Ford rep from Cape Town used to avoid visiting us unless he was seriously close to missing his target. He had to apply for a visitors permit 14 days in advance so it was a bit of a pain. It was always profitable though. He'd spend a couple of days with us and then go back to CT with a big smile on his face.
In mid/late '82 he'd driven up to Orangemund in a new Interceptor. I bought it on the spot, trading in my 3.0S. It was noticeably quicker than the 3.0S on tarmac and handled really well on dirt roads. It would drift through bends with almost no effort.
Unfortunately, a few months after I bought it, my FIL became seriously ill so we had to return to the UK and I sold the car to another ex-pat.
South Africa has never been acknowledged for their car production, but even in the 70's and 80's South African auto subsidiaries were very good at producing local variations of Euro or American models that were far superior to their foreign siblings. My neighbour had a Granada Ghia Coupe that came with a 302ci V8 as standard. It was probably the best 2-door Grand Tourer you could buy for less than Bentley prices.
On the down side, a South African colleague told me that in the early 70's you could buy a Morris Marina, straight out of the showroom with a straight-six under the hood. I never saw one on the road... thank god!
Kevin...
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I thought 25-6 was a pretty impressive South African stat today. Did Austin Healey play? (Motoring connection).
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NO!
Why work when you can sleep?
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Watched the game, consumed to much ale, fell asleep, only to awaken at 2am. Can't sleep, drove to work - you wanna see the carnage on the streets! The England game has been hyped up here something silly, and all the boozers were packed. Some of the lads were on the road after finishing drinking at 2 [our licensing laws allow late opening!] and it was pretty hairy.
Saw 4 broken lamposts, surrounded by wreckage...
Great game, though ...
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Indeed it was a great game. Suspecting in advance this would be the case I walked to my local drinker (a German pub) leaving my vehicle at home (motoring link). Not enough tries though. Growlette has developed an unhealthy attraction for Johnny Wilkinson -- something to do with the way he lines himself up for those dead-eye kicks.
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