Ford donates the first of the last Ford Falcon XR8’s to charity for Auction

It’s almost time to get a bit teary eyed about the end of the Aussie-made family sedan with Ford very close to ending a long run of production here in Australia – but they’re going out with a bang, and doing some good at the very same time.

The Limited Edition XR8 Sprint is going to be a big ticket item, in fact only 750 will be built, and don’t go down to your local dealer – because they’ve all been sold.

Except One.  The Number 1.  1 of 750 is a “Winter White” six-speed manual which Ford Australia have donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF).

The JDRF is putting that car up for auction to raise money for research.  The auction runs until midnight on May 31.

Here’s the thing though, I sat and watched this promotional video for Ford’s relationship with the JDRF and was blown away to realise that Ford was the biggest corporate donor to the cause globally – contributing over $55 million on research and awareness.

In Australia alone Ford have donated $500,000 to research.  That’s staggering, and it gets better.  Ford recently committed $60,000 cash to research – that was on top of $13,000 raised from employee contributions at Ford.  What a fantastic gesture, what a great company.

“Our support of Professor Jones’ team’s innovative diabetes research underpins our commitment to serve our communities as we become Australia’s largest automotive employer,” said Graeme Whickman, Ford Australia President and CEO. “The Falcon XR8 Sprint is a truly memorable vehicle, a tribute to the ongoing, innovative work by our local development team.

“This iconic car will contribute in a small way to another Australian innovation under development by JDRF to help save young lives.”

JDRF Australia CEO and Managing Director Mike Wilson said JDRF shares their vision of a world without type 1 diabetes with partners like Ford Australia.

“Type 1 diabetes strikes more children in Australia each week, hampering and damaging adult lives, causing serious illness and in some tragic cases, death,” said Mr Wilson.

“JDRF’s vision is ambitious – a world without type 1 diabetes – and our work is grounded in a realistic action plan for research. We are confident in the path to a cure, but research funding and support are critical.”

“We are able to deliver real progress in T1D research thanks to the financial support of valued partners like Ford Australia.”

To learn more about the Falcon XR8 Sprint auction, visit https://galabid.com/ford.