AU Fairmont Grilles

[Abacus]

There are two AU Fairmont grille styles.

One has a horizontal chrome bar across the middle, like this one from a Series 1 brochure:

http://www.fordforums.com.au/photos/...cat=728&page=1

The others (like mine) don't, and look like this one from a Series 2 brochure:

http://www.fordforums.com.au/photos/...cat=748&page=1

(Note that Ford didn't re-shoot the pic in the S2 brochure, they Photoshopped the S1 pic)

Only thing is, I've seen the grille with the bar on a few S2's. Anybody know what the story is with these? Did Ford fit the grille with the bar to some S2's, or have they been fitted since delivery?

[buickman]

The AU1 fairmont had the strip on the grill painted to the cars colours & the AU1 Ghia had the chrome strip.
All Au2/3 fairmonts never had the strip in the grill sold by Ford. So I would gather the AU1 grills would have been a later fit by previous owners.

buickman

[Casper]

There was also the AU1 Fairmont update like Krissy's that had some of the AU2 features but kept the AU1 front grill. This may have been what you have seen.

[buickman]

I think the only difference in the updates was the use of smartshield locking.

Then again the only real difference between the 1 to the 2/3 fairmonts were minor cosmetics of the front grill & rear chrome flash, front brakes & the laminated pressed firewall plus the interior readout screens were black writing on white background compared to the 1's orange & black.

buickman

[Abacus]

The ones I've seen have bar in the grille & S2 rear bumper.