Ford Australia: The Falcon of the 1960s

Express · 26-09-2016, 03:33 PM

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Ford Australia: The Falcon of the 1960s

As Ford prepares to cease building the Falcon next week, we look back at the birth of an icon

David Morley
26 September, 2016

Ford Falcon XK Photo: supplied

The first Falcon was rolled out of the Broadmeadows production line on June 28, 1960 Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XK Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XL Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XL Squire Wagon Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XL Photo: supplied

1962 XL Falcon Station Wagon Photo: sottley@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Ford Falcon XL Convertible Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XP Coupe Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XP station wagon Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XP sedan Photo: supplied

1965 Ford Falcon XP 70,000 mile durability run Photo: supplied

Ford tested the durability of its XP Falcon with a rigourous 70,000-mile durability test at its You Yangs proving ground Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon 70,000-mile run Photo: supplied

Ford completed a 70,000 durability run with its XP Falcon Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XP Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XR Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon History Photo: supplied

HARRY FIRTH, motor engineer and racing driver. Firth's XR GT Falcon, which won the 500 mile Bathurst race in 1967. PICTURE: Fairfax Photographic File (Melb): FIRTH, Harry Date filed: 1... Read more

Ford Falcon XR Photo: supplied

Ford introduced the first GT model with the Falcon XR Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XT Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XT GT Photo: supplied

The legendary Falcon GT-HO was introduced with the XW model

Ford Falcon XW GT Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XW Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XW station wagon Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XW ute Photo: supplied

Ford Falcon XW Surferoo Photo: supplied

The Ford Falcon has been the cornerstone of the blue oval's local line-up since it was first introduced in 1960 - making it one of the longest-running continous models in motoring history.

As production of the iconic Falcon comes to an end next week, we take a look back at every model Falcon and what was great - and not-so great - about each of them.

1960 XK Falcon At Test Track Color Photo Ford Falcon History

The Ford Falcon was introduced with the XK model in June 1960 Photo: supplied

Falcon XK

Years of production: 1960 to 1962

Number produced: 68,413

Biggest achievement: The start of something big.

The XK Falcon was the first Ford to be stamped out of steel right here in Australia, rather than assembled from a kit of parts (as Fords had been since 1925 with the Model T). To do so, Ford invested heavily with the Geelong Engine Plant and the Broadmeadows assembly facility (then the biggest automotive plant in the southern hemisphere). Although the Falcon looked space-age next to the frumpy Holden it sold against, early reliability woes including collapsing front suspension almost put paid to the venture before it got going. There was no shortage of choice with a sedan, station wagon, utility and two-door panel-van. It was also available with an automatic transmission, something Holden was still a year away from.

Falcon XL

Years of production: 1962 to 1964

Number produced: 75,765

Biggest achievement: The first facelift

Giving a car a mid-life facelift is nothing new, but the XL Falcon was the first Australian-made Ford to have the nip and tuck treatment. As well as a convex grille to replace the XK's concave unit, the XL also got a more squared-off, formal roofline. Mechanical refinements included a new manual transmission (still a three-speed) and clutch, a better starter motor and the running changes to the front sheet metal to shore up the suspension mounting points. The XL also raised the bar for questionable taste with the Squire wagon model with its fake woodgrain inserts.

Falcon XM

Years of production: 1964 to 1965

Number produced: 47,132

Biggest achievement: Bigger engine, rustproofed at last.

The XM toughened up the look of the Falcon although it's arguable it lost a little of its visual delicacy in the process. But as well as looking tougher, it was actually a stronger car and Ford had finally got around to rustproofing the bodies. Some suspension tweaks were also carried out and the dreaded vacuum-operated windscreen wipers (which tended to stop if you accelerated or drove uphill) were banished in favour of electrically operated ones. A bigger, 200 cubic-inch (3.3-litre) engine joined the line-up, taking the engine choices to three. But the biggest news was the addition of the swoopy, sexy two-door coupe version which remains a collectible car.

Falcon XP

Years of production: 1965-1966

Number produced: 70,998

Biggest achievement: Turned the tide of public opinion

The last of the first generation of Aussie Falcon, the XP was far and away the best. The beetle-brow styling was a bit hard to take after the smooth front of the XM, but the XP was a tangibly superior thing. Model-wise, the previous model Futura was dumped (to be reintroduced many years later) and replaced by the Fairmont tag. And as a first taste of a little more luxury for a little more money, the Fairmont was a good start with power-assisted front disc brakes and reclining bucket front seats. A three-speed automatic finally replaced the old two-speed unit and the XP was the car that generated mountains of favourable publicity for Ford with a team of five cars running 70,000 miles (112,000km) non-stop over almost nine days, averaging 70mph on the brand-new You Yangs proving ground.

Falcon XR

Years of production: 1966 to 1968

Number produced: 90,810

Biggest achievement: The V8 arrives.

The first of the second-generation Falcons, the XR was still identifiably an American design and styling exercise. In fact, the marketing for the XR included the phrase `Mustang bred' linking the new Falcon to the ultra-successful Mustang franchise that was sweeping the USA at the time. The 144 cubic-inch engine option was dropped for the heavier XR model and Ford finally offered a three-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on first gear. It was still an extra-cost option, though. But the biggest news was the availability of a V8 engine option. And, unlike the Chrysler Valiant which restricted the V8 to its luxury versions, even the humble Falcon 500 could be had with the V8 under the bonnet. The XR is also remembered as the model that gave us the Falcon GT; the granddaddy of all Aussie performance sedans since.

Falcon XT

Years of production: 1968 to 1969

Number produced: 79,290

Biggest achievement: Steady as she goes.

The XT update was all about engineering rather than styling. In fact, you need to really know your early Falcons to pick the newer XT, and it's a great example of a car-maker spending its development budget on tangible mechanical upgrades rather than flash and glitter. Out went the old engine capacities, and in came a pair of new engines (still based on the original Falcon six architecture) measuring 3.1 and 3.6 litres. The V8 now became a five-litre unit (302 cubic-inches) in both the GT and the cooking models, although the former was tuned to a higher state, cranking out an alleged 230 horsepower (172kW). Safety was also beginning to be taken seriously and the XT gained a split braking system and bigger tyres, although the then-new but vastly superior radials were still an extra-cost option.

Falcon XW

Years of production: 1969 to 1970

Number produced: 105,785

Biggest achievement: Here come the big bangers.

A more butch look was part of the XW's design brief, and it did that by ditching every external panel other than the previous XT's rear doors. But the bigger news was that the mighty 351 cubic-inch (5.8 litre) V8 was made available and, immediately, Ford had a potential race-winner on its hands. To maximise that, the company added a few judicious tweaks to the GT package and arrived at the GT-HO. HO officially stood for Handling Option to keep the insurance companies happy, but the engine was comprehensively upgraded with a bigger carburettor, camshaft and other tricks to help it breath better and last 500 miles (Bathurst was a huge deal for manufacturers back then). And it got better: The 351 Windsor V8 in the GT-HO was replaced by the Cleveland version for the 1970 model year, leading to the GT-HO Phase 2 badge.

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