The Ford Falcon was a full-size car built by Ford Australia from 1960 to 2016. What began as a right-hand-drive version of the American Falcon became, from the XA series of 1972, a car designed, developed and built in Australia, and more than three million Falcons and their derivatives were made over seven generations.
Ford Falcon at a glance
| Maker | Ford Australia, Broadmeadows, Campbellfield (Melbourne) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1960–2016 |
| Generations | seven |
| First model | XK, September 1960 |
| First bodies | four-door sedan, station wagon from November 1960 |
| Local design | from the XA series of 1972 |
| Luxury derivatives | Fairmont from 1965, Fairlane from 1967, LTD from 1973 |
| Bodies over the years | sedan, utility, hardtop to 1978, panel van to 1999, wagon to 2010 |
| Total built | over 3 million Falcons and derivatives |
| Last car | blue XR6, 7 October 2016 |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only.
History of the Ford Falcon
Why Ford Australia built a Falcon
In the 1950s Ford’s Australian sales suffered because it could not match Holden on price: it assembled the British Zephyr, Consul and Zodiac and imported Canadian V8 models, all of them expensive because of import tariffs. Ford Australia had planned to build the Zephyr family locally, but on a 1958 visit to Detroit its executives were shown the new American Falcon and chose it instead: it was about the size of a Holden but lower, longer, wider and more modern. Ford built the Broadmeadows plant at Campbellfield outside Melbourne, designed in Canada with a roof made for Canadian snow loads, which also served in Melbourne’s hail storms.
The XK and its rivals
The first Australian Falcon, the XK, arrived in September 1960 as a four-door sedan in Falcon and Falcon Deluxe trim. Rural dealers often added heavy-duty rear suspension and larger tyres, and the wagon that followed in November 1960 had a shorter rear overhang than the American car so the tail would not scrape on rough roads and spoon drains. The XK used a 3.56 to 1 rear axle instead of the American 3.10 to 1, and buyers could choose between two compression ratios and manual or automatic transmission. Billed as “Australian — with a world of difference”, it was the first serious alternative to the Holden and sold well at once, although early cars suffered from collapsing front ball joints on outback roads.
An Australian car
From the XA series of 1972 every Falcon and its derivatives were designed and built in Australia. The range grew to include the luxury Fairmont from 1965, the long-wheelbase Fairlane from 1967 and the LTD from 1973, and over the years it offered sedans, utilities, a hardtop coupe until 1978, a panel van until 1999 and a wagon until 2010. Falcons and their Holden rivals dominated taxi and police fleets in Australia and New Zealand. In May 2013 Ford Australia announced the end of local production, and the last Falcon, a blue XR6, was built on 7 October 2016; the Mondeo and Mustang were named as its indirect replacements.
Design and features
- Local engineering: Australian-designed from the XA of 1972 onwards.
- Many body styles: sedan, utility, hardtop, panel van and wagon over the years.
- Fleet favourite: a mainstay of Australian taxi and police fleets.
- Luxury offshoots: Fairmont, Fairlane and LTD models on the same platform.
Ford Falcon versions
- XK (1960–1962): the first Australian Falcon.
- XA (1972): the first fully Australian-designed generation.
- Fairmont: the luxury version from 1965.
- Fairlane and LTD: long-wheelbase luxury derivatives.
- G6 and G6E: the final luxury variants of the FG X.
- XR6: the sporting model, including the last car built.
The Falcon was the basis of the Territory crossover and shared its role with the Fairlane name in Australia. More Ford vehicles are in the Ford collection.
Sources
- Ford Falcon (Australia), English Wikipedia: origins, XK, generations, end of production
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