Modern Classic: Fairlane versus Statesman
The Ford Fairlane was in production in Australia from 1967 to 2007. Photos: Supplied
Remember the days of the Ford Fairlane and the Holden Statesman? The “big” twins some might say, and an ode to an era where if the common Ford Fairmont Ghia or Holden Calais wasn’t enough, you could supersize.
In their days, they also had the full options list thrown at them as standard features, so “Sir and Madam” got the very latest in tech and innovation from both marques.
This, at some steps along the model journey, included over the top quilted velour seats, wildly complex stereo systems, and climate control (very whiz-bang for the early 1990s).
Management parking lots easily stratified different levels of importance. If you were the top dog, you had the LTD (“Limited” version of the Fairlane) or the Caprice (the upper version of the Statesman).
These differentiated from the “standard” versions of the Fairlane and Statesman, which the next level drove and so on down into the up-spec versions of the shorter Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, which over time had many derivatives, but for simplicity (and at their peak) maxed out at the aforementioned Fairmont Ghia and Calais in their heydays.
Despite the New Zealand and especially Australian markets liking big cars, both countries would later track towards Europe tastes where small cars (and SUVs) are now the favourite. This trend would spell the death of not only the “big twins” but also the whole Falcon and Commodore genre itself.
The Fairlane and Statesman were uniquely produced in Australia, like their “lower grade “compatriots, and exported widely across the world, finding particular favour in the fuel-guzzling Middle East markets. The Statesman took on pseudo identities including the Daewoo Statesman, the Buick Royaum, and the Chevrolet Caprice.
The Holden Statesman was still in production until 2017.
Most people enjoyed their 5.2-metre wheelbase behemoths in V8 form over the standard V6 (Holden) or straight-six (Ford), from the later ’90s and early 2000’s. Back in the ‘70s, it was only about the V8s until Ford axed it in 1982, for it to return in 1996. Holden’s V8 hung on to 1984 and then reappeared from 1990 all the way to the end.
From a peak of 5144 Fairlanes and 816 LTDs in 1995, sales figures slumped to 1703 Fairlanes and 77 LTDs in 2007 and the last long-wheelbase example rolled off the production line in December 2007. By then Ford’s Territory SUV would become the luxury focus, although spiritually it would never replace the “upper luxury” barge category of the Fairlane/LTD.
The Statesman/Caprice duo also peaked in 1995 with 4461 Statesmans being sold and 740 of the Caprice. Holden shifted only to the Caprice from 2011 and sales finished with only 551 in 2017, when it was axed.
The Fairlane died an earlier death in 2007, while the Statesman hung on until 2017.
The Fairlane was retired at the age of 48 years, with it being born in 1959 (albeit with US production then switching to Australia from 1967). Meanwhile, the Statesman came into existence in 1971 (replacing the Brougham which competed with the Fairlane between 1968 and 1971) and lasted to 1984, before being reincarnated from 1990 to 2017.
The Statesman essentially lived off two platforms being the “GM V”, for 16 years, from 1990 to 2006 (split over two generations from before and after 1999) and the more modern “GM Zeta” from 2006 to 2017. The Fairlane moved through five generations with the fourth generation from 1989 to 1999 being the most popular.
The Ford Fairlane Limited (LTD) was the pick for top management.
The story of the Statesman and Fairlane brings melancholy of the good old days of motoring when size did matter in terms of prestige. Those long-wheelbase platforms offered plenty of space in the rear, eclipsed only by top-level BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.
In their day, Australia’s twins put out a solid challenge to the world but the world caught up and overtook quickly.
Fast forward to 2021, big cars still exist and even bigger SUVs but we see another era of rapid change before our eyes as we rapidly switch towards hybrid and electric powertrains.
The bodies of luxury cars also are more modular meaning that top luxury could be in a well-packaged liftback (Tesla Model S style) or a versatile seven-seater SUV (Tesla Model S), with full electrification.
So as we remember the “big twins” we celebrate chapters of motoring that seem so right at the time, and so wrong as we look back. I wonder if that’s the same as we will view many cars sold now or indeed over the last decade when we look back in 2030. Time will tell.
The Holden Statesman Ghia was the top spec model.
