Ford Australia XT Falcon GT 1968Coordinates -37.7917153,145.3887156
Picture dated July 2014
The Ford Falcon is a full-sized car made by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 1960. From the XA series of 1972 onward, each Falcon and range of derivates have been designed, developed, and built in Australia, following the phasing out of the American-influenced Falcon of 1960 to 1971.
A new generation of Ford Falcons, the XR series, was introduced in September 1966. Styling was based on the third-generation 1966 US Ford Falcon and it was promoted as the "Mustang bred Falcon". It was the first Australian Falcon to be offered with a V8 engine, the 289in³ Windsor unit and was the first time a V8 engine could be optioned in all trim levels of an Australian car. The other engine options were the 170in³ and 200in³ inline six.
The marketing focus on the Falcon's relationship with the Mustang led to Ford introducing a Falcon GT variant of the XR in 1967, featuring a 225hp version of the 289in³ V8 engine sourced from the Ford Mustang. The GT heralded the dawn of the Aussie muscle car. Also specified on the first GT Falcon was a Hurst shifter for the four-speed gearbox, deep-dish sports steering wheel, sports instrumentation, chrome full-cover wheel trims, and thick 'GT stripes' along the lower panels between front and rear wheels.
The 1968 XT model featured a mild facelift, with a divided grille, and inset driving lights for the GT. All engines sizes were increased: to 188 cu in and 221 cu in for the six-cylinder engines, and 302 cu in for the V8. The model name "Ford Falcon 500" was introduced, referencing the 5 litre 302 V8 and a new luxury version of the Falcon was introduced, the Fairmont.
The 1969 XW Falcon introduced bolder styling which featured raised ridges down each front guard and a 'buttressed' c-pillar which made the cars appear larger than the XR/XT models. The GT variant gained a bigger V8, the 351in³ Canadian-made Windsor engine and in August 1969 the legendary GT-HO specification was introduced. The GT-HO was a homologation specially built for racing. Externally, it was almost indistinguishable from a standard GT, but offered a higher-performance engine and improved suspension. Later in the year the GT-HO Phase II was released, with the 351in³ Cleveland V8, producing 300 horsepower.
The XY was released in October 1970, with variations to grille and tail lights but otherwise unchanged bodywork from the XW. The six-cylinder motors were bigger - 200 in³ and 250in³. A two-barrel (2V) carbureted) version of the 351 Cleveland V8 was an option on all sedans.
The upgraded Cleveland V8 in the 1971 XY GTHO Phase III produced an estimated 385 brake horsepower. The Phase III was Australia's fastest four-door production car and possibly the fastest four-door sedan in the world at the time, with a top speed of 141.5 mph (227.7 km/h).
For more information see here.
Other streetview classic cars in this location
