The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia

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...

 between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA

Ford XA Falcon

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...

, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance. First time equipment offerings included standard front disc brake

Disc brake

The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...

s on all models and an available carpeted interior.

Model range

The XB Falcon range included the following models:

• Falcon Sedan
• Falcon Wagon
• Falcon Utility
• Falcon Van
• Falcon 500 Sedan
• Falcon 500 Hardtop
• Falcon 500 Wagon
• Falcon 500 Utility
• Falcon 500 Van
• Futura Sedan
• Fairmont Sedan
• Fairmont Hardtop
• Fairmont Wagon
• Falcon GT
  Ford Falcon GT
  The 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...
  
   Sedan
• Falcon GT Hardtop

A Grand Sport Rally Pack option, which included bonnet scoops, striping, GS insignia and "GT" instrumentation, was available on Falcon 500, Futura and Fairmont models. Among the limited edition variants of the XB was the John Goss Special

John Goss Special

The John Goss Special was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in August 1975 to commemorate John Goss' win in the prestigious Bathurst 1000 endurance race the previous year....

, released in 1975 and named for the race driver

John Goss (race driver)

John Goss is the only Australian racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000 , and the Australian Grand Prix .-Early career:...

 who took a Falcon to victory in 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...

 Touring Car race at Bathurst

Bathurst, New South Wales

-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...

.

Production of the XB series totalled 211,971 vehicles.

Motor sport

Allan Moffat

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...

 won the 1974 Sandown 250

1974 Sandown 250

The 1974 Sandown 250 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars. Entries were divided into four classes:*Class A : Up to 1300 cc*Class B : 1301 - 2000 cc*Class C : 2001 - 3000 cc*Class D : Over 3000 cc...

 driving an XB Falcon GT Hardtop. He also won the 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship

1976 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was a series of motor races for Touring cars conforming to the Australia Group C touring car regulations. It was the 17th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 29 February and ended at Phillip Island...

 driving an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and drove both an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and an XC Falcon GS Hardtop to win the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship

1977 Australian Touring Car Championship

The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship and it began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 7 March and ended at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 20...

.

Movies

In the movie Mad Max

Mad Max

Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...

, Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...

's black Pursuit Special

Pursuit Special

The Pursuit Special is the fictional model of car driven by the officers of the fictional MFP in the Mad Max franchise of films.-Mad Max:...

 was a limited GT351 version of a 1973 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop. Two 1974 XB sedans were also used as Main Force Patrol pursuit vehicles.

A 1974 Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop is the main subject of the movie Love The Beast

Love The Beast

Love The Beast is a 2009 documentary film directed by Eric Bana, and featuring Bana, Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson and Phil McGraw.- Content :...

starring Eric Bana

Eric Bana

Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...

. The film documents the 25 year history of Eric Bana's XB Falcon, which he purchased at the age of 15.

External links

• Falcon Facts
• Ford XB Falcon Sedan brochure Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 21 February 2009
• XB Falcon Technical Specifications Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 21 February 2009