TO say that the EF Falcon saved Ford Australia's bacon is an understatement. A multi-million dollar modernisation of the 1988 EA Falcon, the EF shared few body panels, no interior parts and underwent a massive mechanical overhaul. Big strides in refinement, safety and performance were made, although there was some grumbling from a few quarters that the revised suspension calibration caused the base models to have skittish handling on some types of unmade roads. Ultimately this robbed the EF the coveted 1994 Wheels Car of the Year award. An angry Ford responded by recalibrating its steering and suspension inputs for its EF II range released in 1995. Nevertheless, the EF was a big success, meeting the big sales inroads the 1993 VR Commodore made with relative ease. It also won Ford Australia's case to develop the next all-new Falcon locally, the 1998 AU. But that is another story altogether...