Ford's Crown Vic Could Have Gone Aussie, and This Render Shows the Ute It Never Built

Ford once weighed replacing Australia's Falcon with an imported Crown Victoria, but the plan was investigated and then dropped before ever reaching buyers. The Crown Vic was a familiar sight in the US as a cop car and taxi, but it never made it to Australian showrooms. Now, a digital design by Abimelec Design imagines what an Aussie version might have looked like, not as a sedan, but as a ute, a body style invented in Australia.

The renderings are based on the later AU Falcon XR8 Ute, mixing elements from both Fords. The front end is unmistakably Crown Vic, with its headlights, small central grille, bumper, hood, and front quarter panels. From the front doors back, the cabin gives way to a pickup bed with a silver sports bar.

Under the skin, the two cars shared a similar philosophy: old-school V8s and rear-wheel drive. 6-liter V8 made 200 to 235 horsepower in civilian trim, with the Police Interceptor nudging 250 hp. 0-liter Windsor V8, starting at 248 hp before a 2001 revision lifted it to 268 hp. 6-liter stroked version.

With both the Falcon and Holden Commodore utes now out of production, the ute as it was known is gone. Mid-size pickups dominate, though plenty of Falcon and Commodore utes still roam the roads. For owners wanting a unique look, sourcing Crown Vic parts could be one route, though it's likely no one will actually build such a mashup.