100 Year Party
Words & Photos: Mike Ryan and All Ford Day
They may no longer build cars here, but Ford still has a presence in Australia, with the Blue Oval’s link to this country reaching 100 unbroken years in 2025. Ford has already hosted their own celebrations to mark the local centenary, but for rank-and-file Ford fans, this year’s edition of the annual All Ford Day in Geelong became one of the biggest birthday parties ever.
Ford’s 100 Years in Australia was undoubtedly one of the reasons why the 34th annual edition of the All Ford Day was the biggest in the event's history, with more than 1,600 vehicles from all over Victoria and beyond making their way to Geelong’s Eastern Park on Sunday, 6 April. Throw in good weather, celebrity guests from the world of Supercars and the Geelong Football Club, an auction, trade stands, plenty of food options and some unique attractions, and it explains why there was an unprecedented attendee turnout this year, too.
“The level of excitement and engagement from attendees, exhibitors, and special guests was truly incredible,” said Event Director, Nick Heath. “It’s clear that Ford has left a significant mark on Australia, and we’re proud to host an event that honours that legacy.”
Ford Australia was established in Geelong in 1925, so for the city to host the All Ford Day 100 years later, and just a short distance from where the first cars were locally assembled, was extra special.
“This event isn’t just about the cars—it’s about the people, the history, and the incredible community that continues to celebrate Ford’s legacy in Australia,” Heath added.
100 Years of History
Fittingly for a 100-year celebration, vehicles on display covered the full century of Ford’s official presence in Australia – and then some, with a big turnout of Model T Fords being just one of the highlights of this year’s event.
Ford Australia presented cars from their own heritage collection, plus a swag of the latest models, including the new F-150 Super Duty, Transit vans and a specially liveried Mustang. It was also interesting to see the Ranger – Australia’s top-selling car for the past two years – grow its presence at the All Ford Day. This included the ‘Ford Rangerettes’ club that arrived in numbers, with vehicles from as far away as Queensland in their display.
A special treat this year was a display of cars from the renowned Bowden Collection in Queensland and the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst. These included cars from the golden age of Group C touring car competition, like Dick Johnson’s ‘Tru Blu’ XD Falcon and the Bathurst ‘1-2’ Falcons from 1977, as well as Allan Moffat’s iconic Trans Am Mustang and the sole surviving factory Group C XY Falcon GT-HO Phase 3.
These cars shared space in the undercover display with Marcos Ambrose’s 2005 BA Falcon V8 Supercar, the Lowndes/Whincup Bathurst winning BA Falcon from 2006, the Bond/Jones Ford Sierra from 1988 and an Escort RS1600 with ATCC history.
All Fords for all Tastes
Amongst the general display, the variety of Fords on show this year was truly breathtaking, with even regular All Ford Day attendees remarking on the amount of cars they’d never seen before.
No matter what era of Ford’s history your passion falls into, there was something impressive to see, from early Mustangs and classic Aussie Falcons to the Escorts, Cortinas, Lasers and Capris from the ‘Small Ford’ brigade. E Series Falcons, F-Series pickups, Zephyrs and Zodiacs were also on show, along with Ford hot rods, FPV cars, new Mustangs, panel vans, Fairlanes and much more. There was even a group of big Ford semi trailers on show this year. And as the All Ford Day welcomes all members of the Ford family, there were Lincoln and Mercury vehicles on display, too.
EL King is AFD King
With 19 major judging categories, and 38 other marque- and era-specific categories, the trophies on offer at this year’s All Ford Day meant the judges were kept very busy! Special ‘Ford Australia 100 Years’ awards this year went to a 1970 Capri GT and 1972 Falcon GT, while the Ford Appreciation awards couldn’t be split, either, going to a 1994 LTD and a replica of the Henry Ford 1898 quadracycle.
Best Engine went to a 1977 TE Cortina Ghia, a 1970 XW Fairmont won Best Interior, and a 2008 FG G6E was rewarded for Best Paint. In the Best Performance Ford category that’s open to any GT, RS, Tickford, Shelby, etc., a classic 1970 Falcon GT took the honours, while a ’78 Escort panel van beat out a strong contingent of utes and Falcon-based commercials to win Best Panel Van or Ute.
Classes for early and late Mustangs were keenly contested, as were those for late-model Falcons. Against some strong competition, a 1965 Thunderbird convertible was a worthy winner of Best USA Ford, while a 1932 roadster picked up the Best Hot Rod award.
Fittingly, a Geelong-built 1925 Model T won the Survivor award for the best unrestored vehicle, and the T-Series Club received the Best Club trophy.
Of all the 57 trophy categories at the All Ford Day, the most sought after is the William Clay Ford Jnr. Award for the Best Ford. This year, that honour went to ‘EL KING’, a 1997 EL Falcon XR6. A class winner in past years, this immaculate sedan was judged the best EF-EL Falcon again in 2025. To also scoop the overall trophy was reward for a car that had been so incredibly well-prepared and presented. EL KING’s owner, Ethan Agius, is a spray painter by trade, which explains the car’s immaculate paint – a Vivid Red topcoat over a Regency Red base.
Prepping for 2026
Given the buzz around the local centenary, this year’s All Ford Day will be hard to top, but organisers are already at work preparing for the 2026 event. A date was yet to be locked in at time of writing, but should be sometime in early April.
For updates and further details, go to: allfordday.org.au or look for All Ford Day on Facebook and Instagram.
