Ford ends 91 years of automaking in Australia

It's the end of an era -- a very long era -- for Ford Motor, which brought 91 years of car manufacturing in Australia to a grinding end Friday.

The only other car makers with factories Down Under, Toyota and General Motors, are expected to close by year's end.

Ford Australia made its last six-cylinder, rear-wheel drive Falcon XR6 at its Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne, which employed 600, the Associated Press reports. The last car is headed to display in a museum.

The Falcon, a name once a big part of the Ford lineup in the U.S. in the 1960s, has been one of the most popular cars in Australia with 3.5 million made since 1960.

Most were for domestic use. In fact, one of them, a black 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon coupe, was the car driven by Mel Gibson in one of Australia's best-known movies,  "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior," the AP says.

GM's Holden operation, which is closing, is known for exporting cars to the U.S. The best known is the Chevrolet SS, which was also made as a police cruiser.