It seems that the Ford AU Falcon was not a flop, merely ahead of its time.

Much maligned when new, primarily due to its controversial styling, it appears that the droopy-nosed family hauler’s time to shine has finally come.

MORE Own a one-off Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint Highway Patrol car

While the design wasn’t to late-1990s tastes, almost a decade later it proved much more palatable when it provided the inspiration for the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

Ferrari ford front
AU Falcon front end S15 200SX
AU Falcon front end 180SX
AU Falcon front end Stagea

The AU Falcon’s finest performance model, the T3 TE50, also managed second place behind the mighty XY GT-HO Phase III in our Greatest Falcons ever reader poll, though we placed it 10th in our list of the Greatest Falcons Ever.

Long live the AU Falcon!