OP's Puzzle #1583 - Australian Ford Capricorn Concept

[Otto Puzzell]

Not Rotary-engined, nor MX-6. It was, as you had intuited before, related to the 626.

[Otto Puzzell]

Bring it home, Pro

[Djetset]

Could it be a Tickford Ford Telstar?

[Otto Puzzell]

No

[Carnut]

Some kind of Sierra proposal based on the Mazda?

[Otto Puzzell]

Sierra's not the name for this one.

[Otto Puzzell]

A visit to the tropics may help you solve this topic.

[Otto Puzzell]

Hint: it's not a GTO, but there is a connection

[SeaLion]

Ford Laser Sport, proposal from early 80s

[Otto Puzzell]

No

[Otto Puzzell]

Carnut: this one should be in your wheelhouse.

[Carnut]

Carnut: this one should be in your wheelhouse.

I've spent far too much time searching for this one already...
I thought I would get there easily with the info so far but can't find any reference to it.
Those wheels looks very Giugiaro 70's but can't find a connection to any Italian styling house.
I've got to admit: I'm stumped!

[Otto Puzzell]

Carnut: this one should be in your wheelhouse.

I've spent far too much time searching for this one already...
I thought I would get there easily with the info so far but can't find any reference to it.
Those wheels looks very Giugiaro 70's but can't find a connection to any Italian styling house.
I've got to admit: I'm stumped!

No Giugiaro connection that I am aware of

[pnegyesi]

This one is called the Capricorn from 1981

[Otto Puzzell]

That's it!

Capricorn - the car that never was

IN the petrol crisis days of the late '70s and early '80s, Ford was 'having a few bob each way' on the design for the XD Falcon replacement. In a case of bad timing, it had introduced the full-size XD at the same time as Holden had 'downsized' with the new Commodore.

Ford's engineers and stylists set about designing a smaller 'Commodore-sized' Falcon in both sedan and hatchback styles.

Code-named 'Capricorn', the car reached full clay and fibreglass model stage. The interior had been designed and, by late 1981, all it needed was final approval before going to the next stage of driveable prototypes.

At the same time, Ford was revamping the Falcon range of engines and introduced the alloy head and other improvements that kept the Falcon's fuel economy on a par with the smaller Commodore. Falcon sales soared, Ford became No.1 in the market place and the Capricorn died!