Only 650 examples of the limited edition XR will be built and are due on sale from mid-October, offering nearly $6,000 of additional equipment and features for just $1,000 above the recommended retail price of a standard Ford Falcon XR Ute.

Ford will give the V8 Supercar champion the first XR by Craig Lowndes produced to use as his personal road car and once he has 'driven it in' the unit will be sold.

"Ford is synonymous with motor sport and performance is just as much part of its road car business as it is with its race-car programme" said Craig Lowndes.

"The technology from what we do on the track feeds back into the vehicles Ford customers buy and vice versa, so it makes perfect sense to highlight the connection between a V8 Supercar driver such as myself and the XR Ute."

"I am proud to have my signature on the limited edition XR Ute as it is not only a quality vehicle with fantastic performance, but offers great value to Ford customers - I am looking forward to having one myself!"

The exclusive XR by Craig Lowndes boasts a special vehicle pack, available on XR6, XR6 Turbo and XR8 Styleside Box models, including XR6 with the optional E-Gas dedicated LPG engine.

Features include a set of four 18-inch sports alloy wheels, a one-piece hard tonneau cover with integrated power bulge and rear spoiler, Momo steering wheel, prestige audio system with six-disc in-dash CD player, an iPod®/MP3 audio player input connection and unique "by Craig Lowndes" decals.

"Recently voted one of the ten greatest Australian racing drivers in history by a panel of drivers, journalists and senior motor sport figures (Auto Action's Hottest 100) Craig's achievements within the world of V8 Supercar racing resonate with a huge percentage of our Falcon XR Ute customers," Ford Australia Vice President Marketing and Sales Mark Winslow said.

"And as the reigning Bathurst and Sandown champion, it's fitting for the Craig Lowndes name to sit alongside the performance XR brand in celebration of his achievements at the highest level of Australian motor sport."

Highlighting the exclusivity of the XR by Craig Lowndes Ute, a limited selection of exterior paint colours are available - Lightning Strike, Octane, Vixen, Conquer and Silhouette.

The Momo steering wheel is available in Blue, Grey or Red - dependant on exterior paint and interior seat trim colours.