(first posted 7/30/2015) Afternoons spent wandering the Melbourne streets are never wasted; I’m always sure of finding at least one curbside classic. Over the past few years I’ve managed to catch this bevy of Australian Falcon wagons – enough to bring you three end-of-generation models and a fresh beginning.
From day one, our Falcon wagons were different to the US model. I’ve heard of two reasons for this; some Australian terrain conditions didn’t allow for the longer rear overhang of the US wagon (note the comparative ramp angles in red pencil on the wagon); and the one I think was the primary reason – pure economics. The entire 1961 XK Falcon range was rationalised from the b-pillar forward, with no coupe or two-door sedan that required longer doors. All models in the original lineup shared a wheelbase of 109.5″ and the same overall length.
By the time of the end-of-gen 1965 XP, quite a bit had been changed from the XK. The front clip appears to have borrowed its sheet metal from the 1963 Comet, with different chrome application. It gave the car a squarer overall look but compared with the razor-edged US 1964/65 Falcon, the XP still has a roundness to it.
The taillights had been raised flush with the top of the fender on the 1964 XM model. Once we had finished with the T-bird roof version of the original Falcon (our XL), we based our subsequent 2 updates on a revised and toughened version of the original platform. The greenhouse on the wagon remained pretty much unchanged with its distinctive curved side-glass.
This being a Falcon Deluxe model, it was a step above the base Falcon and sat below the new-for-XP Fairmont in the ‘luxury’ stakes.
This wagon is running a Pursuit 170 engine, the middle tier option above the wheezy 144 and the topper Super Pursuit 200 – all straight sixes. The 170 gave us 111 bhp (or 83 kW).
Of all the first gen models, this one is probably your best buy. The XK Falcon was a bit of a disaster with front-end durability issues, but they had been effectively eliminated by the time this model arrived. To change the negative perceptions within the Australian market, Ford conducted a 70,000 mile endurance test at the company’s You Yangs circuit with five examples of these model.
The next generation of Australian Falcons began with the September 1966-launched XR Falcon. It was pretty much the same car as the US 66 Falcon. As with the previous generation we produced our own wagons, utes and panelvans on the same 111″ wheelbase as the sedan with the same 184.6″ length. The US, however, placed their 66 Falcon wagon on a longer wheelbase with an overall length (sources state 113″ or 115″ – commentariat?).
The XR and subesequent 1968 XT used the same body panels, but the 1969 XW used revised sheet metal over the 66 set-up. The body for the 1970 XY, as seen above, was the same as the XW with minor trim variations.
Whereas the XW and XY sedans got a revised roofline, the wagons kept an unchanged XR greenhouse over the newer chunky lower panels. The tell on the XY is its divided grille; the XW had a one-piece number ringed with trim.
This one’s a Falcon 500, one step up from base. The badge on the front quarter tells us this is motorvated by the 250 I6. While the US 66 wagon dispensed with the traditional round taillights, it wasn’t until the 1970 XW that we took the same brave step.
By the time the XY Falcon had ended its run in March 1972, Ford US had already downgraded its compact platform to Maverick status (a short-lived intermediate-sized Falcon stripper notwithstanding). The squareness coming out of the early-mid 60s on US cars had exhausted itself, and been overtaken by curves.
The XY was replaced with the XA. It was a fantastic effort from the Australian styling team. Despite it being an indigenous shape, it borrowed heavily from the design language of its US parent. Having said that, it was a much cleaner shape than the concurrent Gran Torino and Galaxie/LTD.
By the time of the 1976 XC, curves were on their way out. The front clip was given a cleaner, squarer treatment and a revised beltline on the rear doors which, downplayed the previous models’ coke-bottle.
Lovely brown metallic job; patinated and, like our XY, just right for parking outside. The rear end was pretty much untouched from the XA. Taillights differed only in framing, and all the good things about the original shape are evident here. The bulged rear gives this a purposeful demeanour, after all you need the most heft where the load is.
Finally, we got a Falcon wagon longer than the sedan. The XA-XC wagons shared the same 116″ wheelbase as the Fairlane. Using the same rears passenger doors as the sedan, you can see the gap to the rear wheel arch where the length was ‘added’.
Another step-above-base model, the Falcon 500 gave us the simplest of faces. Sporty variants copped another set of slightly smaller roundies, and the Fairmont scored enormous rectangular headlights.
Music-loving stickers on the rear window makes me suspect this might be used for weekend-long gigs. You could carry a couch on that roof rack. And sleep in the rear.
In 1979, Ford introduced the XD range. Whereas in the past Falcon styling was derived from or heavily dependent upon the US models, the XD was based on the Ford Granada out of the UK.
The clean rectilinear lines were starting to make their way around the world when the first XD clays appeared in 1975. With the launch of the much smaller Holden Commodore competitor in 1978, there was a hasty resizing of certain Falcon dimensions although the shape appears almost the same as the clay.
My favourite shot from this selection. The profile of the XD wagon is mesmerising; minimal front overhang, full volumes at the rear and great proportioning makes this longroof look as if its moving forward even when standing still.
I’d take an XA wagon in a heartbeat, but of the examples presented today I’d take this one first. The boxy shape is very well accentuated by that almost acidic yellow. All I’d do is lose the pinstripe.
When I see the US Falcon wagons, I think they look too long at the rear. Americans would see these and think they’re too short. Mama’s Pasta Effect.
Further Reading:
The History of the US Falcon Platform
An Australian XC Falcon Ute in the US
I notice by the 4th gen, the Falcon look a lot less American, seeing since we only got the 3 previous generations.
The 4th yellow one looks like the Euro Ford Granada, and almost like a Cortina.
I agree about the yellow one – looks like a Euro Granada from the front, but from the rear three-quarter view, it looks a little like the US Fairmont wagon, though ours was never produced in a color that lively.
(Great write-up and collection, Don.)
Yes. The hatch appears to be shared with the US Ford Fairmont wagon. The shape of the rear window, the license plate pocket, etc. all appear identical.
They did adapt the US Fairmont tailgate!
Oh my word, it is too – that’s brilliant! I’m ashamed to call myself a Ford fan, as I’ve never noticed that before.
The XD Falcon wagon tailgate and taillamps look the same as the Ford Fairmont here in the USA in the late 70s to early 80s.
The XD was a rebodied XC platform retaining the leaf sprung rear end and keeping the alloy head crossflow 4.1 engine the next model the XE got coil watts linkage rear suspension which improved ride and handling except for wagons Vans and Utes which kept leaf springs, Rust was these cars greatest enemy they were appalling in the wrong climatic conditions, firewalls and And A door posts rust out which put many off the road quite young where there are annual inspections and made uninspected cars wet and mouldy to ride in.
Agree on rust. My brother-in-law in Brisbane had an XD, and by ’85 the tail panel was almost wall-to-wall rust. I’ve never seen one rust like that down here in the south, though. Must have been the climate, as you say.
The old Aussie cars’ use of amber rear signals wired to also function as reversing lights always struck me as an improvement over the US market dedicated backup lights and combined stop-tail-(red) turn signal which is still legal on new cars. You use brakes and turn signals at the same time all the time, when was the last time you signaled a turn while backing up?
Speak for yourself, bub! (c:
It’s been that way here since about ’58. FE Holden Specials used to flash their brake light to signal a turn in the US manner, but by the time the FC came out they changed the reversing light to amber and hooked the flasher up to that.
Aussie mandated amber turn signal somewhere in the late 50s Batwing chevs had little orange lights hung under the fins as indicators 59 Fords had orange indicator lights in the ends of the fins, I noticed all these alterations coz NZ cars from the US remain as Detroit built them.
“The US, however, placed their 66 Falcon wagon on a longer wheelbase with an overall length (sources state 113″ or 115″ – commentariat?).”
It was 113″. The 1966-70 Falcon wagons and 1966-71 Fairlane/Torino wagons have the same basic body from the cowl back. When the ’66 Falcon and Fairlane were under development, it was in an environment where compacts were losing sales to intermediates and ponycars, and Ford apparently decided that it didn’t make sense to make up tooling for a wagon body for the Falcon, with all the exterior and interior components that are unique to wagons. Chrysler and GM would soon reach similar conclusions; each would drop their compact wagons the next time their compact lines came up for restyling. Rather than simply dropping the Falcon wagon, Ford developed a wagon body that could be used by both the Falcon and the Fairlane. They put it on its own unique wheelbase length that split the difference between the wheelbases used by other Falcons and Fairlanes. So the Falcon wagons were longer than other Falcons, and the Fairlane wagons were shorter than other Fairlanes.
Thanks for the knowledge. I always wondered why Torino wagons had shorter WBs than the sedans.
Thanks MCT.
If I’m recalling correctly, that wheelbase was also used for the ’66 Ranchero, which subsequently switched to the Fairlane/Torino platform the for the rest of its life.
The rear end of the yellow XD wagon looks like it was cobbled together. The angled rear hatch looks like the one used on an early 1980’s US Ford Fairmont wagon…the proportions of the rear lights look out of place and what is with the wide gap between the rear door and the rear wheel well? Visibility out of the car must be pretty good with the expansive glass area, though.
In the U.S., the last Falcons would share their complete bodies with the Torino. As part of that sharing, the last (U.S.) Falcons had quad headlights. With the exception of the yellow Falcon here, all the Australian Falcons look like they could have used quad headlights. I’m guessing Ford AU “restricted” the Falcon to dual headlights so that a higher trim level Ford could use quads?
Not crazy about the Comet “lookalike”, but any of the other models would be welcome in my driveway.
Quads were never really part of the Ford thing. The XA, XB and XC had smaller inset lights on the sportier variants. The Holdens used quads on the lux-spec Premiers from the 68 HK onwards and Valiant used them on the 69-71 VF/ VG VIP models.
Ford limited quads to the Fairlane. Guess mere Fairmonts weren’t deemed worthy.
I like the XA, We should have built that in the US, Very smooth wagon!
Worst Falcon of the 3 70s models, The XA rode on the XY platform which had been beefed up in the suspension over the XW model it wasnt only trim differences but XAs had appaling build quality a rust prevention they rotted quite amazingly and I had a rotten XA it looked fine from the outside, My favourite is the XB better styling and of course they rusted but not as fast, XDs did the same,
when buying Falcons its best to avoid the first model of any series XK was junk, XRs cracked underneath above the rear axle XAs rotted as did XDs EAs were horrible and AUs were too hard on the eyes
The rear overhang does look short compared to my internal ‘Falcon template’, but if I owned a house with a steep driveway I’d appreciate it.
Plenty of American houses had bumper-bashing driveways in 1960. I doubt that Aussie driveways were steeper on average. The difference is sensitivity to customer needs. US carmakers simply didn’t care.
My reading of “Australian terrain” was more along the lines that 1960s Aussies would use an ordinary car on unpaved roads and in conditions where most Americans would have used a truck or 4×4, not so much US suburbia vs Oz suburbia.
The original Falcons fell apart on suburban streets, you didnt need to take them into the bush for the suspension to disintegrate, constant tramline crossings wreck BMWs designed to cope with 10 kms of Belgian pave every 1000 travelled, the original Falcon was just under designed it wasnt a patch on the UK Zephyr it was meant to replace, luckily in NZ the UK car wasnt replaced and early Falcons were always quite a rarity especially in rural areas,
So true. Dad’s ’62 XL had the front end rebuilt when it was three years old. I remember him pointing out the new grease nipples they’d mounted low on the front shock towers, and him saying Ford should have built them like that in the first place.
Or he should have taken it to a shop that actually did the L part of the LOF. From the factory there were plugs that needed to be removed and zerk fittings installed so that the can be lubricated. That was very common on US built cars of that era. Toyota kept doing it that way until the late 70’s which by that time the US makers started putting them in from the factory.
The short rear was all about approach angles on bush roads- a significant number of wagons and panel vans were used by government fleets in the bush as well as private buyers.
Going through creek crossings often meant dragging the tail on longer vehicle and losing exhaust pipes if they were not angled correctly.
Our Dodge Phoenix was a rebadged Plymouth Fury for similar reasons- the U.S Dodges had longer overhangs at the rear, and as these cars were favoured by graziers, it was an issue with the buyers.
Some states notably NSW in rural areas have reverse in angle parking and foot high curbs one reason lots of Aussie wagons had right side tail pipes but a shorter overhand at the back can save a lot of panel repairs,
When the first XR wagons hit the streets around xmas of ’66 the tailpipes fitted emitted an odd high-pitched ‘whistle’ as they cruised along at 60kmsph or thereabouts . .soon they were changed for ‘silent’ ones.. 🙂
Many rural towns especially in NSW have very high curbs and reverse in angle parking thats the reason for shorter rear overhang and right hand exit exhausts
I love the sketch, to me it clearly details that the goal was to limit the number of parts that were specific to one model.
Fordor: roof, c pillar, trunk lid, tail light panel, rear door glass and window frame
Wagon: rear side window, rear door glass and window frame.
Van: upper side panel
Ute: roof, b pillar, rear window and certainly some modification to the tail gate used on the wagon and van.
Of course that list is just of the finish panels there are certainly differences in the inner structure too.
The Fordor getting so many unique parts makes sense since it would have been expected to have the highest volume.
Must have been an elderly designer who’d been with the company from way back. I never heard anyone refer to the Falcon sedan as a Fordor, and to my knowledge Ford never used that term publicly here since maybe ’49. When there’s no two-door model, why would you?
Likewise the Coupe Utility. That’s pure thirties. When there’s no roadster utility to distinguish it from, it just became utility, then colloquially shorted to ute.
And the ute’s rear pillar certainly never looked like that sketch!
Two names appear at bottom right of the XK sketch. Lew Bandt, the local who brought the first coupe utility into the world, and John Najjar, an import who gave us the Mustang 1 and Lincoln Futura concept cars.
That’d be Lew, then. An Australian icon.
It was also an internal document too, so perhaps a bit different terminology from public consumption, and perhaps aimed at communicating back to the US on what was being done.
The compliance plate on my ‘73 HQ Holden utility was stamped as a “Coupe Utility”.
The tail shot of the XC really showcases the Ford “family resemblance” with some of the American market models. Those tall, slim vertical tails, plus the generous rear “hips”, recall the 70’s LTD and Torino/LTD II wagons.
Great write up Don on cars that are rapidly disappearing here some models of Falcon were great cars some not so much Aussie cars dispensed with the weak 4 bolt undercarriage and went with the 5 stud V8 suspension the small Fairlane and Mustang used very early on, The XY model had the ball joints and tierod ends upsized yet again over the previous models they were a good tough car that same set up was used right thru the cars Don has featured, a popular upgrade on earlier cars is to retrofit 86/87 XF brakes and suspension one hole needs to be enlarged for a bolt in swap all the way back to the XP, A friend is currently rebuilding a XT wagon from 68 with 221 l6 and auto.
For a few years I have been quietly re-building an ’86 XF ute ..it has had at some stage a power plant transplant from an earlier XE or prior 302 Cleveland vehicle.. so it has the really heavy cast iron FMX auto sitting in there and the physically large short stroke 302 with just enough clearance to install Tri-Y headers.. the rear end is a 2.92 still from the original 250 six factory set-up and running 16″ wheels so the gearing is pretty tall …have been thinking of putting in an AOD (non-electric) but the pan size is different from the FMX and will need widening of the two pipes placement to do this ..probably not much point unless fitting a nice 351 Cleveland.. the old boys at 26 Norton Road Frankton are building me one of these up by this xmas ..using old school gear to keep it sounding and going like an original from the early ’70’s.. ie: ported and polished cast iron closed chamber heads for good ‘quish’ (Rex Danby of Thames does beautiful but pricey work on these for speedway etc) ..TRW forged slugs ..Sig Erson camshaft (unused from ’69/’70?) with a tad off the base circle radius for .517″ lift on both (Adrian Franklin Cams) ..and roller rocker gear for heat minimising ..Airgap manifold for more heat minimising ..and just a 670cfm Edelbrock 4 bbl powerjet on top ..should sound authentic ..but won’t be a blast machine exactly even so .. all in white/black tinwork with an XH glass canopy
it will probably wind up on Trade Me cos wife will not let me keep it . .
Unfortunately, I’m not from Australia, nor have I ever visited. So I have no way of knowing what Aussie Ford Falcons are like, either to drive, or to ride in as a passenger. That being said, my favourite Falcons are the XT, the XY, the XB, and the XD Falcons, all Fairmont station wagons. I’d buy one of each, and have them imported to the USA. 🙂
My younger brother just completed to driving a 351 swapped XE Fairmont then was killed in his FPV XR8 one of his mates did burnouts and smokey circles in the cemetery in it while they lowered his coffin and led the hearse to the burial plot nice loud twin system and painted best Bogan matt Blak
Was anything shared between the 1977 Euroi Granada and the XD Falcon?
And the XA looks like an object lesson on great styling being diminshed by facelft after facelift.
Somev of the lights are the same apparently, Don missed the best looking Falcon of the 70s the XB which took many Mach1 Mustang cues down to family sedan driving its my favourite anyway Ive owned many XBs.
Yes, the front triangular indicator adjacent to the headlight is shared but nothing else is. The XA’s first facelift, the XB was the pinnacle of the XA-C variants IMHO.
The XR is fascinating; I don’t think I’ve looked it one before. It’s what a real US Falcon wagon might have looked like, had there been one. Thanks for this look at these.
XR was the first Falcon V8 and first GT to win at MT Panorama they tended to crack across the rear axle hump under hard/rura/taxi use but that was fixed for the next model the XT there was no way Ford wanted a repeat of the XL debacle and they kept improving the breed as they went.
Can confirm. Dad’s XR was only a six, the Super Pursuit 200 of course, but it had a large patch welded in there. I remember the rubber boot mat never fitted properly after the repair.
Yep you didnt need the V8 racking the frame for them to break but it sure speeded the proccess.
What’s interesting is in the 70’s, the Aus Falcon kept sporty lines. While the US took the 1966-69 Falcon and squared it up even more, and called it Granada.
When I first saw pics of the ‘1979’ XD AUS Falcon, I assumed it was based on the Fox Fairmont, but then read more about it and saw it was Euro Granada-ish.
We never went for the full-on formal Brougham look down here. Aussie roads had a greater proportion of British, European and Japanese cars, so that kind of styling was the norm. That was when American car styling really differed from the rest-of-the-world look.
I remember when the HJ Holden came out with the squared-up Monte Carlo-ish front and heavier bumpers, we all thought it looked just plain weird. Ford had the Mach 1-like XB on sale then, and Falcon sales got very close to Holden sales for the first time.
I see a lot of Ford Maverick in the 3rd generation Oz Falcon. Windows look very similar to the 3rd pillar. Would have been cool if the U.S. had a Maverick wagon during the 70s, which would fill the gap between the Torino and Pinto. It wasn’t until the Fairmont of the late 70s when Ford had a compact wagon again.
The XA-XC Fairmont wagons also had the two-way tailgate, and it was optional on lower trim levels. Approx 30 years ago neighbours had an XC Fairmont wagon to transport their large family.
Yes I drove a XB Fairmont GS with a door gate great idea
Although, the 4th gen Falcon wagon’s tailgate looks similar in design as the US Fox wagon’s(Fairmont, Zephyr, LTD, Marquis, Granada and Cougar) tailgate… In some ways they also seem different. The back glass seems taller on the Falcon vs. the US Fairmont’s.
IMO, I doubt they would interchange. These two models are both on different platforms. They also don’t share any engine or chassis components, let alone any main body panels(hood, fenders, quarter panels), etc.
So, that Falcon AUS 4th gen wagon’s tailgate would also fit this?
Okay, the more I look at the two tailgates, at some angles they look different, then the same.
It’s just perplexing, that two cars that are so different… Are able to share a component that would actually fit both cars.
In conclusion, it seems like it’s the same tailgate.
When in doubt, consult the Hollander Interchange catalog. 😉
Excellent as usual.
I know where the white one sits. I’ve seen it plenty of times. The Hilux behind it seems to be “not for sale too”.And boy is that one battered.
Not a fan of the XA+ square cars. They’re fugly! Things stated to get better when they launched the EA and nice with the EL, and then we all know what happened.
I’m sorry to say that I’m not from Australia, nor have I ever visited, so I have no way of knowing what the Aussie Ford Falcons are like, either to drive, or to ride in as a passenger. That being said, my favourite Falcons are the HT, the HY, the HB, and the HD Falcon, all station wagons. I’d buy one of each and have them imported to the USA to drive. 🙂
Late here, but excellent Don, excellent 🙂
Very cool to see all this—lots for me to learn, starting right with the 1958 drawings (interesting that the Ute specifies reinforcement below).
Always fascinating to see how Oz or Euro Fords do/don’t pick up on North American design language…..thanks for posting!
I’m charmed by the brochure, with the “upside-down” constellation:
Hehe! Why sir, that “upside-down constellation” we call the Southern Cross, and it’s on our flag. It’s what you see when you look up on a clear night in the Southern Hemisphere.
^^^^^^^^^From that same “debut” brochure, interesting writeup about the new Falcon’s development, etc:
^^^^^Uh, oh, wrong image:
I owned an XE wagon very similar to the yellow XD here, and a very handsome car I thought it was. Exceedingly useful too, as the load area is big. With the alloy-head, crossflow Australian version of the old 250ci Falcon six and the factory Weber carb, it could hoof along at a very decent rate. Not bad handling either, if it wasn’t too bumpy (the leaf rear end could get a bit wayward at speed), and good for long 80mph hauls over country roads. Very effective, and I quite liked the big barge.
But it was all pretty crude. It’s just the ’66 Falcon platform (itself a widened ’60) with featherlight power steering and a lot more power, after all. Compared to the Euro GM-based Holden Commodore, it felt quite unsophisticated. Worst, though, they rusted, badly and inexcusably. Once the rot was fully established hidden in the firewall/plenum chamber, the leaked like a colander and were ultimately dangerous.
Since these photos were taken in 2015, every one of these cars has leapt hugely in value, and it’s likely none are now daily drivers. It feels nostalgic even at just this distance in time to see them still out and not cherished as an investment opportunity.
Incidentally, by “huge” leaps, I mean just that. The blue XW wagon would have been, aw, $7-8K in 2015: now, easily an absurd $35K. And even the yellow XD, $15K+, at which it’s all a firm “no” from me. I recall the driving of all these cars too well, and nostalgia ain’t worth that much!
My grandparents’ XE was a sedan rather than a wagon, but similarly good looking and with the Snowflakes and chunky Goodyear ER70H tyres was quite imposing when they bought it (mid ’84). The interior also looked imposing to 10-year-old me, but looking back, ‘pretty crude’ about covers it. The hvac knobs are so big and chunky that I imagine you’d be able to operate them whilst wearing welding gloves, perhaps two pairs thereof.
That terrible plenum design was an almost unbelievable slip-up; the first sign of the colander effect was the passenger’s feet receiving a gentle spray of delightful cooling water on right turns. My boss in the ’90s had an ’86 XF Ghia which had been shed stored its whole life. The plenum had rotted through requiring expensive rebuilding by 1998…
The leaps in value have hit this side of the ditch too; the two below are currently on Trade Me. The ’72 XA (250ci+manual) is NZ$39,500; the ’80 XD (250ci+manual) is $20,000. Doesn’t deter some folks from using them regularly though – a bloke up the road from us has a tidy XA wagon as a daily driver. Mind you he does work at the local panel beater.
Oh what a wonderful Falcon`s wagons parade , these Aussie engineers seems they had a good taste for re designing `em in the evolution line ( althought lattest wagon looks impressively a design`s loan from German Ford Granada caravan ) .
Honestly after appreciating these Australian wagon Falcons , i realized the Falcon wagon made in Argentina was the most awkward wagon of all FoMoCo`s history .
I’m a station wagon fan (though only three of my fourteen cars have been wagons). I guess I inherited that bias from my father—though only two of his cars were wagons. Anyway, that Falcon XD is astounding to me. First suggestion for a comparison car: Peugeot 504 wagon. But how much racier is the Ford ! That tall greenhouse, the matched cants of the A, C and D pillars ? Yum.