Thread: Ford Falcon XA GT Hardtop And Four Door.

The only GT Falcon I have ever owned was a 73 Cosmic Blue JG33.

I don't know why there is such an emphasis on the serial prefix to identify the model of a Falcon. The actual model identifier is as below.

On the ID plate there is a model number which AFAIR goes
18 =Falcon
1to 0=year model
1 =2 door 3=sedan 6 =wagon

3=500 5=Futura 7 =Fairmont 8=GT 9 =GTHO ( but only Phase 11AFAIR)

So a 1971 GT Falcon would be 18138 ( I think T=3514v) L =manual

I recall going to an Escort RS2000 display at Warringah Rats park some years ago . About 5 of 6 ID identifiers were not RS2000s at all .

The first 2 letters of the serial prefix before the body style refer to the plant of manufature JG =Australia Broadmeadows. AFAIR Brisbane Was JH. On the Falcon GT sites this seems to be mystery.

All GTs of any description were built in Broadmeadows.

Geez it has been along time since I was Ford Australia National Distribution Manager but I am pretty sure of the accuracy of the above numbers.. It's funny how myths grow.

Also a few inaccuracies in the articles

1 GT was not discontinued in XB( obvious)
2 Colours- You could get any fleet colour you liked if you paid AFAIR $200. The were called SVO( special vehicle Option) while the stock colours were RPO( Regular Production Option)

So Some GTs were painted Readymix orange , Mary Kaye Pink(Ugh). One Sydney dealer used to order these colours all the time.

Just as an aside 10% of all Falcon GTs were lease cars to Ford execs. They were some of the few who could afford the insurance. And I bet that about another 30% became dealer demos to be driven by dealer principals. They were not very succesful as a model because of the insurance and that is why they were discontinued into XC.

Regards Philip A
BTW the first airconditioned car I ever drove was a Yellow Glo XA GT Hardtop which I was given for the weekend when I was the lowly desk Jockey in Ford Brisbane Office. As it was about 38C , we drove around all weekend. I remember the spotlight relay jammed on, and I had to pull the wires.LOL. XA always had a problem with poorly designed headlight wiring which was too thin.

A few more bits of info on this classic ford,why focus on the XA GT you ask? I think more than enough has been said about the XW and XY GTs.

Improved Driveability.
The XA GT was as easier beast to drive and more refined than the XY version.It also handled better than the older model,aided by a wider track(1.5in wider at the rear) and a lower center of gravity.The XA was almost two inches shorter in height.The XA GT was fitted with new rear radius rods to stop axle tramp.Revised spring rates gave a softer ride yet maintained a high standard of road holding.Of course,there is a down side to these improvements for some,as the XA was not known for the tyre-smoking burnouts out of corners seen with the XY. And Ford's improvement of NVH levels through the dropping of the conspicuous shaker was a matter of personal taste."On the road it has lost some of the harshness of the old GTs,"was journalist Peter Wherrett's appraisal of the XA GT sedan after his first drive."Certainly it is no slower.If anything it is surer,more positive to handle.It's more pleasant to drive."The wider track flattens the cornering roll somewhat,allowing for slightly softer spring rates.But whatever they have done it's still a GT Falcon.

Last GT With Real Badges.
Similarly,the XB model GTs which hit the road from late 1973 used GT decals rather than badges.It's a pity that the XA GTs didn't come with the Superoo decalson the front three-quarter panels,which Ford's stylists considered kitsch and not in keeping with the car's more up-market focus.

Factory Options As Long As Your Arm.
In line with the changing buyer profile,Ford offered the 1972 and 1973 Falcon GTs with the biggest list of factory options to that point.For example the XA was the first GT model with power windows as a factory option.Other options such as wind-back sunroof,intergrated 'SelectAire' air-conditioning and power-steering were available on earlier model GTs however the take-up rate on the XA was higher.

A Safety First Approach.
High-backed bucket seats were standard in GTs.These provided a greater level of comfort for long drives,but also boosted safety for any rear-impact collision.Ford's press release listed them as,"High-backed seats with intergral head restraints."

Nothing Foggy About It.
Rear in-glass demister was standard in the XA GT.It gave drivers a good view of cars getting increasingly smaller in the mirrors......

Test Bed For The XB.
As the first of the new generations of Falcon's.the XA was effectively the test bed for the XB model.A styling fiddle is but one example.

More User Friendly Center Console.
The XA's center console was far more user friendly than earlier models,with greater storage capacity.Big deal you say?Maybe.Yet it was vital for holding 8-track cassettes in cars fitted with the optional radio/tape player.

The Mystique Of The RPO 83 Lucky Dip.
Everyone loves a lucky dip and the XA GT road cars proved to be just that.Many a buyer of a two door or a four door XA GT model in 1972 and 1973 was not aware that their pride and joy was fitted with parts originally produced for the stillborn Phase IV program.Most notable were the RPO 83 code-Regular Production Option number 83-cars built in mid 1973.The RPO 83's were 250 cars Ford quietly slipped into their production system over a period of a few months with three variances to the regular XA GTs;Holley 780cfm four-barrel carb;2.25 inch exhaust headers;and clutch slave cylinder hydraulic pipe heat shield.Then there were other competition parts produced for the Phase IV that were quietly filtered into Ford parts network or fitted to 'regular'(ie non RPO 83)GTs and other more mundane cars.Why was this done?Firstly to get rid of parts produced for the Phase IVs and enable competition chief Howard Marsden to homologate a fast and reliable group C XA hardtop ahead of it's competition debut in the 1973 manufactures championship starting August,and the centrepiece the Bathurst 1000.RPO 83 was as far as the company could realistically go in manufacturing a race homologation road car that would not stir up another media-driven controversy over hot road cars.It appears that the late Marsden successfully convinced CAMS that the parts he wanted approved for the racing XA hardtop were produced in sufficient quantities and incorporated in either the RPO 83 or 'regular' GTs,sprinkled through the later machines haphazard.Thus the development that went into the Phase IV ultimately bore fruit-with a little help from the RPO 83 and many XA GTs.Next time you're at a car show and you spot a line-up of XA GTs,ponder if any might just have some of these mysterious Bathurst bits of the stillborn Phase IV program aboard.

Just a side issue on Falcons.

Was a 2 door XT Falcon Futura sold in Australia. I know that the equivalent was sold in the US but not sure about Australia.

The reason I ask is that I was a paper boy in the late 60s (probably 1969) in Wollongong selling papers in the morning before the shop opened to workers on their way to work.

I distinctly remember selling papers to guys driving new 2 door Falcon Futuras - these were RHD, had the same external and internal trim as the Aussie 4 doors. I also remember reading something about them in a car magazine around that time. These cars were basically new at the time so unlikely to be private imports and converted to rhd. I am sure they were sold as Futuras and not the 500 or Fairmont or GT.

Does anyone else have a similar recollection or am I dreaming?

Garry

Not as far as I know not the XT. If they were it would have been in small batches and not manufactured here, maybe from Mexico?? Ford possibly may have brought some out for their management staff or promo, but there are no official records of them being sold here from new. There were only about 7000 of this style coupe built world wide, so quite a rare car even in the US. I know a few were brought in and converted to RHD and a few bodies changed out. I have seen a couple over the years.

Found this and this is maybe what I was thinking of, I thought it was an XY, but built for Bill Bourke. It disappeared for many years but did turn up a while back. I have it in Street Machine Magazine from either the 80s or 90s somewhere. I also believe Bills was the only one with the 427, body and panels imported and put on Aussie running gear and have heard rumours a couple more prototypes were built minus the 427 but never sold.

1968 Ford XT Falcon GT Coupe Concept Car
This was a idea by the Late Bill Bourke that was marketing manager of Ford Australia, and this showed what was to come from Ford for there Falcon GT's in models to come, like the XW ( Striping ), XY ( Rear Spoiler, Shaker Scoop & 5 Slot Wheels ) but all future models missed out on the mighty 427 Big Block V8. This car disappeared after the Australian Motor Shows of 1968,

I know many XP Futuras in 2 doors were made available here, my Uncle has had quite a few including the only factory convertible. Used to drive it around. Sad thing was a guy in WA bought it and brought it back over to Coolgardie. I was driving through Coolgardie from Kambalda one day and saw it in someones yard and had to stop. Chatting with the guy he could not get it registered in WA as they wanted to do a chassis strength test which would have likely destroyed it as the RTA here would not recognise it as a factory car as it was not mass produced and being factory had no conversion details. I think it sat there for years and rusted away. Such a shame.
Craig

Originally Posted by garrycol

Just a side issue on Falcons.

Was a 2 door XT Falcon Futura sold in Australia. I know that the equivalent was sold in the US but not sure about Australia.

The reason I ask is that I was a paper boy in the late 60s (probably 1969) in Wollongong selling papers in the morning before the shop opened to workers on their way to work.

I distinctly remember selling papers to guys driving new 2 door Falcon Futuras - these were RHD, had the same external and internal trim as the Aussie 4 doors. I also remember reading something about them in a car magazine around that time. These cars were basically new at the time so unlikely to be private imports and converted to rhd. I am sure they were sold as Futuras and not the 500 or Fairmont or GT.

Does anyone else have a similar recollection or am I dreaming?

Garry

Perhaps you saw the XR model like this one:

1967 FORD FALCON XR 2 DOOR SPORTS COUPE for sale | Trade Unique Cars, Australia

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Perhaps you saw the XR model like this one:

1967 FORD FALCON XR 2 DOOR SPORTS COUPE for sale | Trade Unique Cars, Australia

Same thing, would have been an import.

Just done a bit of research
The Facts: Built on the 30th November, 1967 in the Kansas City Ford Plant, a total of 7,053 built that year.

Thanks Craig - great information. I agree a few have since been brought in and converted but would not have been done at the time by private individuals.

I suspect as you have indicated a few basic body shells and specifc bits were brought in by Ford Australia and builld as a marketing, test the water exercise. Certainly did not have any external American trim etc like Chucaro's pic had fluted guards and the American grill and tail lights.

While I thought the versions I saw were XTs - a friend's family had a four door so knew them well - it could have been any of that body shape - XP, XR, XT.

Cheers

Garry