Favourite Model Falcon?

[MatteeG]

Love the XY GT... looks only havent driven one.

[Ian]

I bought a book on the history of the Falcons, & the XB was the last named GT.
The XC Cobra was a GT in every part but name.

The last "real GT" was about 4 XA GTHO's made before the HO was shelved, th elast "real GT" made in any numbers was the XY, the XB was tame and only a GT by appearance

but the XA & XB Falcons were still GT's- even if only in name.
I believe there was some political correctness gone mad against the GT brand, hence the naming of the XC "GT" as the "Cobra"

Nah it was a different era than the XC, the political correctness/madness happened when Ford were about to launch the XA GTHO, reportadly heaps more the road going race care than the XY GTHO (up until then you could only race what you sold other than removing trim, adding roll cage and a few other little bits and pieces).

CAMS bowed to political pressure and changed the Race Car rules, Ford bent over and canned the HO after only 4 had been built (3 pre production (red) test models, 1 actual production (green) car, all 4 GTHO's were actually sedans, not coupes), it was the end of the "Aussie Supercar" era.

The GT remained for the XA and then the XB models but only in the "standard GT" configuration.

When Ford decided to shelve the coupe due to declining sales, they built the Cobra's to sell off the remaining bodys, they were individually numbered and came out in a 302 , standard 351, and the ultimate Cobra, the 351 bathurst version, none had close to the balls of the XY or XA GTHO's.

[Punk Rooster]

ok- i was sort of the money

[Footy Chick]

Love the XY GT... looks only havent driven one.

with fluffy dice
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate

[Sojourner]

With the Phase IV XA Falcon it is such a shame that only the four were built! Still what people are not aware of is that if you ordered an XA Falcon you could option it up early on with a lot of the performance equipment that had been availble for the Phase IV project. For Ford Collectors, XA series Falcons are starting to become the model to have at the moment, dont be surprised to see clapped out wrecks fetching a minimum of $3000 as a result!

Another interesting fact about peformance Fords at the time was the rumoured TC GS Cortina of which only a few examples were built then they sold the rest of the TC Cortinas as "Sports" models yet again with the good option pack. The GS version was then officially brought out for the TD series. The TC GS is one of the best performance cars built in Oz IMO! It ran a 250 six with a 2V head and a Four Barrell Carby set up along with several other performnace modifications in a car that weighs less than 1200kg. The problem with the 6cyl TC/D Cortinas is that if you find a 6cyl one you dont have to do alot to it with aftermarket perforamance parts to make it get up and go, subsaquently though there are not that many left any more after being bought, hotted up then smashed or stolen for parts! The Torana outsold the Cortina by 3:1 and there just are not many Cortinas left as a result except for the odd 4cyl example you might see occassionally!

[Ian]

The 6 cylinder Cortina's handled like shit, too much weight forward of the front axle.
That's one thing Holden got right with the stretched Vauxhaul Viva, they moved every thing forward including the front axle, the LC / LJ handled quite well for it's day, where as Ford modified the radiator support to get the radiator forward, nothing else was moved for the 6 cyl conversion. A V8 implanted in to a Cortina is a much better handling package, Ford should have bought it out themselves.

[Dirko]

Who the hell voted for the EB and the AU????

Ohh yeah baby !!

[smithy]

Pity this is limited to Falcons Sojourner....

My 2 favourite fords are the 1967 GT FOrd 40



And the SHelby Cobra

[Ian]

The Shelby is a Shelby, not a Ford, just powered by Ford, even the Shelby Mustangs weren't Fords although the body and the basic engine before it was Shelby modified were supplied by Ford.

[JK]

[smithy]

The Shelby is a Shelby, not a Ford, just powered by Ford, even the Shelby Mustangs weren't Fords although the body and the basic engine before it was Shelby modified were supplied by Ford.

Just had a wiki moment and you are right Ian.

Still a car I'd like to own though.

[Ian]

I've sat in a GT40, cant close the door or the roof hits my head, so I hope you are under 5'9" if you manage to find a spare $1,000,000 + to but one

Haven't sat in a genuine Cobra, but I've driven a couple or replicas, had to take my shoes of to drive the auto so I didn't hit the brake and accelerator at the same time, the manual had me stuffed, couldn't fit my size 12's on one pedal at a time

[Sojourner]

Pity this is limited to Falcons Sojourner....

True, there is always the Ford that made the Holden boys cry their eyes out at Bathurst! Its such a shame to see Bathrust today as just the shell of what it once was when it was about the best car, not contrived advertising!



"In 1988 the famous 1000km race held on the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst in Australia was run to Group A regulations and the Sierra Cosworth was the car to beat. The winning car was driven by Anthony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera who completed the 1000km race in 7 hours and 2 minutes (and 28 seconds!) ahead of another Sierra RS500 driven by Dick Johnson and John Smith. In fact, the first 4 cars home in 1988 were Sierra Cosworths".

[Dirko]

My Mum had a Chocolate colour XB. What a car !



Then she wanted something smaller so got a Chrysler Regal. Similar to this one except Cream and without the "Wifey" number plates...

[westozfalcon]

I've always liked the XD.
When nicely done up with lowered suspension and wide alloy wheels they still look superb.
They looked very tough on the racetrack in the ole Australian Touring Car Championship days too i.e Dicky Johnson's blue one for example.

[Sojourner]

I've always liked the XD.
When nicely done up with lowered suspension and wide alloy wheels they still look superb.
They looked very tough on the racetrack in the ole Australian Touring Car Championship days too i.e Dicky Johnson's blue one for example.

What many people do not know about the XD Falcon is that it is actually based on the Ford Granada of the same size in the U.K and their was much discussion about the Granada actually being used in place of the "New" Falcon. Although a slight difference in look, the front gaurds and various other parts bolt on and off the Granada and the XD!

[Wedgie]

I've always liked the XD.
When nicely done up with lowered suspension and wide alloy wheels they still look superb.
They looked very tough on the racetrack in the ole Australian Touring Car Championship days too i.e Dicky Johnson's blue one for example.

What many people do not know about the XD Falcon is that it is actually based on the Ford Granada of the same size in the U.K and their was much discussion about the Granada actually being used in place of the "New" Falcon. Although a slight difference in look, the front gaurds and various other parts bolt on and off the Granada and the XD!

I was aware of that was we had a family friend come out from the UK and I took him for a drive in my XD and he couldn't believe the power of the 4.1l 6 cylinder car, he said his car in the UK looked exactly the same but had a 2 litre 4 cylinder in it!

I loved my XD, the fats, the big black grill, so much more room than the Commodores of the time which were tiny in comparison. I was a Holden man and 20 years old and shopping for the first car I was going to pay for with my own money, the Commodores were awful, even though I loved Brocky and Holden I just couldn't bring myself to buy one as I could hardly fit in one and they weren't comfortable, as soon as I saw the yellow XD with spottys and fats (and the room and comfort) I was sold. Only downside, as mentioned before, bloody door handles, I also spent a small fortune on the suspension.

[Lunchcutter]

Had a XC Coupe canary yellow from 1989 - 1993 ... was a beauty but could sure suck the juice!

[Sojourner]

Here is a pic of a Granada wagon, looks like a cross between an XD Falcon and a TE Cortina!

[mick]

The only Falcon I ever owned was the XE GL. It was a 3.3 litre with 5 speed manual. It was a pretty good car mechanically, however it was a rust bucket as were almost all Australian manufactured cars of that era. Rust seems to be a thing of the past, since I never see the terminal tin worm in cars built in the last 10-15 years.