Manufactured exclusively in Australia from 2002 to 2016, the “Barra” is an inline six-cylinder engine developed by Ford Australia, although some three-valve V8s have also been given the Barra name. These engines were built to fit the Ford Falcon, a Mondeo-style saloon that would become a true Australian legend.
The straight-six bar is actually a single overhead cam development straight from the 80s, the additions being another camshaft and variable valve timing to keep up with the technical trends of the time. The VVT systems in these engines increased power over previous Falcon engines, with the lowest output of DOHC units in the region of 210 hp.
270T bar
That power came from the Barra 182, a 4.0-liter straight-six that featured a cast-iron block, aluminum cylinder head, Ford’s custom Variable Camshaft Cam (VCT), thread and four valves per cylinder. These upgrades over the previous Ford Intech engine also gave any car with Barra a leap over its main rivals, foremost among them the lower-spec Holden Commodores.
At the top of the Barra lineup was the turbocharged 325T FGX Sprint. With a much more impressive power output of 420 bhp, this engine was installed in the Falcon FGX XR6 Turbo Sprint which was capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.5 seconds thanks to a 10 second boost system.
The main attraction of these motors is torque, as the Barras can pull well and forcefully from low to low through the rev range. Torque figures actually trump horsepower figures on most Barra engines, with turbo variants creating up to 425 lb-ft from just 2750 rpm.
The second factor that makes these units so popular is that, inherently, an inline six is a balanced engine. The pistons move in tandem with their mirror image on the other side of the block, meaning the reciprocating forces balance each other well, without the need for balance shafts or counterweights.
The FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) GT-P featured a turbocharged bar as its heart
Bars are also a fantastic base to connect with, with many people revving up NA units or simply replacing their stock turbochargers with something with a little more meat on the bone.
The main thing to watch out for, however, are the connecting rods and valve springs, as these are usually the first things to remove when the engine is tuned for any form of decent strain.
Even Australian police are having a little fun in Barra with the Falcon XR6Turbo
Sadly, those engines that ushered Ford Australia into the 21st century were discontinued with the Falcon, with the subdivision ending in 2013 and ending Barra manufacture late last year.
Despite the disconnect, these straight sixes are coveted and compare to the Nissan RB, Toyota JZ and BMW S54 in performance and tuning. So to all the Barras, DriveTribe salutes you.