The Australian Ford Engine You Can Finally Buy In America

It turns retired that GM's CEO isn't nan only personnel of nan Barra family that's made a people connected nan car world. While Mary Barra has been starring General Motors since 2014, nan Barra motor family — named for nan Asian oversea bass, nan barramundi — led nan measurement for Ford capacity from 2002 to 2016. Never heard of that Barra? It's from Ford of Australia, which designed nan motor for its location marketplace and didn't fto it go. Consider it different Down Under driving advantage for illustration getting to keep Apple CarPlay and Android Auto successful their Cadillac EVs.

There were really 3 motors made pinch nan Barra moniker. There was a 5.4-liter V8 that produced 295 horsepower for nan Ford Falcon, and an inline-six that ran connected liquefied petroleum gas, but nan astir celebrated mill was its 4.0-liter I6. Originally launched arsenic a people aspirated motor for nan Falcon and nan Ford Territory SUV, this portion took to nan streets pinch a respectable 244 horses. In its final, turbocharged form, nan Barra I6 boasted 436 horsepower for nan FG-X Falcon XR6 Sprint.

Of course, those numbers each mention to mill engines. The Barra I6 really showed its worldly erstwhile Australian tuners sewage their hands — and wrenches — connected it.

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The first Barra engines were developed for nan BA-series Falcon created to thief modernize Ford's sedans. A reviewer for nan Aussie publication Drive noted nan Barra-powered Falcon "absolutely flies by family sedan standards" — which meant getting from 0 to 62 mph successful 7.8 seconds.

That capacity imaginable was soon exploited by nan tuning community. Popular upgrades see newer, much powerful turbochargers, high-performance physics power units, and less-restrictive exhaust systems pinch wider outlets. In addition, there's immoderate grounds that — contempt nan engine's estimation for robustness — its lipid pumps and connecting roads are anemic spots. So those are often replaced pinch high-power alternatives arsenic well.

The results tin get beautiful extreme. Marcus Cripps manages to compression 1,400 horsepower from nan Barra motor he's swapped into his XD Falcon, transforming it into a street-legal supercar pinch seven-second quarter-mile times. Then there's nan Barra-powered Dodge Avenger pinch a mill tuned by Dyno-Mite Performance for complete 2,000 ponies. Fueled by methanol and revving to complete 11,000 rpm, it helped laic down a quarter-mile clip of a specified 6.53 seconds astatine 220 mph. Sure, nan guidelines car whitethorn look an overseas choice, but possibly nan Dodge Avenger's trading wholly worked connected nan team.

The determination to extremity producing nan Barra motor was conscionable portion of nan bad news for Ford Australia successful 2016. The Ford Motor Company unopen down nan country's past 2 Ford plants that year, erstwhile nan Blue Oval ended much than 90 years of Australian automotive production. But Ford Australia has stayed engaged pinch projects for illustration the Ranger Super Duty pinch a snorkel. And a decade aft nan decease of nan Barra motor successful Australia, it's uncovering caller life successful nan United States — wherever it's yet ineligible to import now. 

That's because nan cardinal line for bringing overseas engines into this state comes from nan Environmental Protection Agency's 21-year norm for importing parts, not nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 25-year regularisation connected importing afloat vehicles. In different words, Barra engines built betwixt 2002 and 2004 are presently importable, pinch newer mills fresh to go disposable arsenic nan years spell by.

There are still hoops you'll person to jump done to do it yourself, but pre-owned Barra motors are opening to make their measurement into nan U.S. aftermarket. For instance, Auto Mafia imports non-turbo engines priced successful nan debased $2,000 range, and examples precocious showed up connected eBay from a seller successful nan United Arab Emirates for astir doubly that magnitude (including delivery). If you're fresh to up your capacity pinch an motor from Down Under, nan Barra straight-six whitethorn beryllium nan switch for you.