Asked whether he had a preference for front or rear-wheel drive, Mr Mulally said: “No thoughts yet, it will be driven by what the customer wants and values and especially the fuel economy and the performance.”

After answering a series of questions about whether future Falcons would be RWD, Mr Mulally remarked: “You guys are obsessed with this front and rear-wheel drive.”

“He went and sat in it and I sat next to him. He is a very considered guy and he sat there for 10 seconds and he said: “There is nothing like this in our company.”

Mr Worthington agreed, before Mr Mulally said: “I want one”.

When Mr Mulally was at Boeing he drove a Lexus, reportedly because he liked the look and feel of the car.

“So when he sat in that (FG Falcon) car and then drove it, he said it was as good as the Lexus he had,” Mr Worthington said.

Mr Mulally was also impressed by the performance of the 270kW boosted Falcon.

“This car had a level of performance that he had never seen before,” Mr Worthington said.

After a rapid test drive, Mr Mulally added “It must be very easy to get tickets in this car.”