Iconic Aussie blue oval has been responsible for huge slice of domestic motor racing history

THE days of Falcon's presence on the V8 Supercars grid appear to be numbered.

THE days of Falcon's presence on the V8 Supercars grid appear to be numbered following the carmaker's decision to end local manufacturing from 2016.

The company stunned the sport yesterday when it confirmed it would close down its Broadmeadows assembly plant in Melbourne - opened by then prime minister Sir Robert Menzies in 1960 - and become an imports-only operation.

Under current V8 Supercars technical rules, the end of production will render the Falcon ineligible to race.

There are currently just six Falcons in the 28-car championship, with their numbers having been in steady decline in recent seasons. Of the six, four race under the Ford Performance Racing factory banner, while the other two are campaigned by the iconic Dick Johnson.

Holden dominates the grid with 15 cars, while Nissan and Mercedes-Benz joined the circuit this year, campaigning the Altima and the E63 AMG respectively.

FPR is contracted to be the official Ford factory team only until the season-ending Sydney 500 street race at Homebush Bay on December 8.

Although the company is planning to phase out all domestic production, FPR team owner Rod Nash remains upbeat the company will remain involved in the sport in this country.

"While we are of course sorry to hear that Ford will be ending local production from October 2016, this by no means signals an end to Ford in Australia, nor to the close relationship we have with the company," Nash said in a statement.

The iconic Aussie blue oval has been responsible for a huge slice of domestic motor racing history since the 1960s. The first of 12 wins for the Falcon at Bathurst was the XR GT driven by Harry Firth and Fred Gibson in 1967.

Of the 23 championships won by Ford since the first Australian Touring Car Championship in 1960, Falcons have collected 15 of those titles.

Elsewhere, Ford's current sponsorship of AFL powerhouse Geelong is slated to run out at the end of 2016. The Cats' partnership with the company dates back to 1925.

"Today is obviously a difficult day for Ford Australia, its employees, suppliers and the car industry," a club spokesman said.