Ford XA Falcon
Encyclopedia
The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia
from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon
and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's styling was influenced by that of the US market Mustang
and Torino
.
A Grand Sport Rally Pack was offered on Falcon, Falcon 500 and Fairmont models.
The addition of a two-door Hardtop to the range marked the first time that this body style had been offered on an Australian Falcon since the XP series
of 1965-1966. The Hardtop's longer doors with frameless windows were shared with the Utility and Van, with a different shape glass to suit the commercial vehicles' body apertures.
The shorter doors of the four door sedan and wagon with their framed windows were also available with optional quarter vent windows, though these were very rare. This option was discontinued in the subsequent XB and XC models.
in October 1973.
Allan Moffat
and Ian Geoghegan
won the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
at Bathurst in a factory entered
XA Falcon GT Hardtop and John Goss and Kevin Bartlett won the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
in a privately entered example.
at Bathurst. Production of the required 200 examples was abandoned in July 1972 following intense media and political pressure and only one production example was completed. This significant road car was manufactured in Calypso Green metallic with a white vinyl interior, and has recently been completely restored.
Additionally, three regular production Falcon GT sedans - especially painted in Brambles Red - had been in the process of being developed for racing to GT-HO specification by Ford Special Vehicles Division, to be raced at Bathurst in 1972 by factory drivers Allan Moffat and Fred Gibson. With the abandonment of the XA Falcon GT-HO as a production car, development was immediately halted on the three race cars and they were sold off. However, one of these cars did go on to serve a life in motorsport, specifically as a rally car campaigned by Bruce Hodgson; sadly, it was later destroyed following a road accident. Although the three cars featured standard Falcon GT compliance plates, they are considered by most Ford fans to be race-prepared versions of the XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV.
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon
Ford XY Falcon
-Introduction:The XY Falcon was released in October 1970 replacing the XW Falcon. The XY was a facelift of the XW, featuring a new divided grille and redesigned tail lights...
and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia, although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's styling was influenced by that of the US market Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
and Torino
Ford Torino
The Ford Torino is an intermediate automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. The car was named after the city of Turin , which is considered the Detroit of Italy...
.
Model range
Sedans and Wagons were introduced in March 1972, the Hardtops in August 1972 and the Utilities and Vans in October of that year.- Falcon Sedan
- Falcon 500 Sedan
- Futura Sedan
- Fairmont Sedan
- Falcon GT Sedan
- Falcon Wagon
- Falcon 500 Wagon
- Fairmont Wagon
- Falcon 500 Hardtop
- Fairmont Hardtop
- Falcon GTFord Falcon GTThe Ford Falcon GT is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from 1967 to 1976 and 2003 to the present day with intermittent limited edition anniversary models offered in between. Since 2003 the car has been marketed as the FPV GT but FPV continue to release anniversary editions based...
Hardtop - Falcon Utility
- Falcon 500 Utility
- Falcon Van
A Grand Sport Rally Pack was offered on Falcon, Falcon 500 and Fairmont models.
Changes
The XA featured an entirely new body which was larger and more roomy than that of its XY series predecessor. The XA range also had a longer list of options and a wider choice of engines with the 4.1 litre six now available with either a single or double venturi carburettor. Wagons now featured a longer wheelbase than the sedans and an optional dual-action tailgate that could be opened either downwards or sideways.The addition of a two-door Hardtop to the range marked the first time that this body style had been offered on an Australian Falcon since the XP series
Ford XP Falcon
The Ford XP Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from 1965 to 1966.-Introduction:The XP Falcon was introduced in March 1965 replacing the XM Falcon which had been in production since 1964. It was the final series of the first generation Falcon which had been introduced as...
of 1965-1966. The Hardtop's longer doors with frameless windows were shared with the Utility and Van, with a different shape glass to suit the commercial vehicles' body apertures.
The shorter doors of the four door sedan and wagon with their framed windows were also available with optional quarter vent windows, though these were very rare. This option was discontinued in the subsequent XB and XC models.
Production and replacement
A total of 129,473 XAs were built. While successful, the XA Falcon range proved to be short-lived as it gained a significant frontal appearance update to become the XB seriesFord XB Falcon
The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...
in October 1973.
Motor Sport
Allan Moffat
Allan George Moffat, OBE is an Australian racing driver known for his four wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four wins in the Bathurst 1000...
and Ian Geoghegan
Ian Geoghegan
Ian "Pete" Geoghegan, was an Australian race car driver, known for a quick wit and natural driving skills. Geoghegan was one of the iconic characters of the 1960s and 1970s Australian motor racing scene...
won the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 15th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. It was held on 30 September 1973 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside...
at Bathurst in a factory entered
Ford Works Team (Australia)
The Ford Works Team was a former Australian motor racing team that was supported by the Ford Motor Company of Australia. The team was formed in 1962 and was wound up when Ford withdrew from motor racing at the end of 1973...
XA Falcon GT Hardtop and John Goss and Kevin Bartlett won the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 16th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1974 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with four engine capacity based...
in a privately entered example.
Falcon GT-HO Phase IV
As with the previous XW and XY series Falcon GT sedans, an extra high performance limited production version of the XA Falcon GT sedan, the XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV, was developed by Ford Australia for homologation in Group E Series Production Touring Car racing, targeting in particular the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 5001972 Hardie-Ferodo 500
The 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 was an endurance motor race open to Group E Series Production Touring Cars. The race was held on 1 October 1972 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia...
at Bathurst. Production of the required 200 examples was abandoned in July 1972 following intense media and political pressure and only one production example was completed. This significant road car was manufactured in Calypso Green metallic with a white vinyl interior, and has recently been completely restored.
Additionally, three regular production Falcon GT sedans - especially painted in Brambles Red - had been in the process of being developed for racing to GT-HO specification by Ford Special Vehicles Division, to be raced at Bathurst in 1972 by factory drivers Allan Moffat and Fred Gibson. With the abandonment of the XA Falcon GT-HO as a production car, development was immediately halted on the three race cars and they were sold off. However, one of these cars did go on to serve a life in motorsport, specifically as a rally car campaigned by Bruce Hodgson; sadly, it was later destroyed following a road accident. Although the three cars featured standard Falcon GT compliance plates, they are considered by most Ford fans to be race-prepared versions of the XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV.