Here is an old TV ad for the Falcon XL, as recommended by Harry Firth. Please Like and Subscribe. Plus, check out the old car TV ads on the playlist. 👍
Ford is the going thing! (If you disagree, try buying a new “Australia’s Own” Holden from your local Holden dealer). After 100 years, Ford is still selling cars in Australia, unlike the traitorous and treacherous GMH., which abandoned Australia. (Bitter and twisted Aussie who can’t believe that Australians were hoodwinked into believing Holden is more Australian than Ford). Thanks and well done Mark!
My father was a comercial traveller at the time & had a FC Holden as a company car. He was down in Gippsland working when the old FC's engine detonated. The company organised a new car for him at a Gippsland Dealer which was a white XL Falcon which he drove home to Melbourne in. From memory it had the 170 pursuit motor with auto. I remember the incident well as l wanted to stay up late & see the new car but mum said bed time - bugga. That car served us well. My brother ended up buying it when dad got a new XP back in the day. He never bought a Holden after that experience.
Harry rolled an XK at Bathurst. With smoke pouring off one front brake he went off between Skyline and Dipper and rolled multiple times down the hill into a tree. He was OK.
Thanks for uploading Mark. When I think about the power of the pursuit motor and braking of the 4 wheel drums in the XL falcon, I’m not considering going rallying. Mind you the roads in Melbourne are starting to look like they did in the 60s 😅😅
The 170 was the largest Falcon 6 in the USA so that is where it originated from. Ford only had the 144 cu.in so had to offer the Pursuit 170 because the EH had 149 and 179 cu.in motors and could do a genuine 100mph. With the Geelong engine plant functioning, Ford enlarged it progressively to 220 cu.in and on up to the Barra 4.0L. Ford (US) started the Falcon Sprint V8s off with the 269 cu.in. This is the one Jay Leno said he admired so much as a kid working as a hub-cap helper at a Ford dealership. He would take them off at night and put them back on in the morning so they couldn't be stolen. He has a Sprint in his collection.
Thanks Mark the early Falcon styling was miles ahead of the Holden counterpart. I know because we had one an FJ in Cuckatoo Cream. It was my perception that the Holden was more rugged and could stand up to harsh local conditions better than the early Ford's. Harry Firth was certainly a legend in Australian Motor Sport.
@ Yes the early Falcons seemed a bit fragile but Ford fixed that as the models evolved. I always recall the TV show Homicide the detectives drove a Ford Falcon.
In 1974 my first car was a XL auto. Paid $7 for it with 3 months rego and a heap of rust . Drove Sydney to Brisbane twice in it and never missed a beat.
As a kid in 1970, I had a jigsaw of the same picture used in the thumbnail. (I also went on to compete in several BP Rallies, but not in a Falcon! 😁😁😁)
Worked at 2 Ford Dealers and drove there work Ute in that model . Funny thing I drove my AP5 to work 👌. When my wife worked at Ford she drove our V8 VC valiant to work . When 🇦🇺was 🇦🇺.
Remember Dad had a powder pink xk with white roof deluxe with the 144cu and 2 speed fordomatic. Remember as a little kid how it struggled to get up the grade on Heathcote road. Then suspension problems every second time it seen some dirt road up to my grandparents place on the midnorth coast.
@markbehr88 chrome falcon on the Bonnet with full chrome hubcaps and the aluminium spats behind the back wheels. Red/white interior and big white steering wheel.
Does anyone else wonder like about the nomenclature of Australian Falcons and Commodores? XL Falcons before XA Falcons....VN, VL Commodores long before VF Commodores...
They often restart the series for new body styles. So, XK-XP for early series Falcon. When they did XA they probably thought we will be doing a lot more of these so restarted the series to XF (XG and XH incl utes). Then EA for the new series. Others are just opportunistic gaps where they just need a letter. I remember us doing that for Commodore. Also avoiding models like VW. You get used to it. 👍
I read that the yanks didn't have those problems with the first compact Falcon. And they have some tough roads over there. It was something to do with the localization process. Mark knows.
I think the Falcon in the US was very often a second car for families and often driven by women. Whereas here, it did have to contend with rough local roads and potholes. It needed the compact Fairlane balljoints from Day 1. 👍
Here is an old TV ad for the Falcon XL, as recommended by Harry Firth. Please Like and Subscribe. Plus, check out the old car TV ads on the playlist. 👍
Those roads would now require a $100k fourwheel drive to go along.
Looks like a Victorian regional road these days with all the pot holes. 😀
@ 😂
Oh yeah.
How times have changed. 😀 👍
@ 🤔👍
I saw an XL Wagon parked in front of small country town fish n chip shop last week. How fitting I thought. Made me smile.
@@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt Very cool. 👍
Shaved trimmed or waxed ?
Ford is the going thing! (If you disagree, try buying a new “Australia’s Own” Holden from your local Holden dealer). After 100 years, Ford is still selling cars in Australia, unlike the traitorous and treacherous GMH., which abandoned Australia. (Bitter and twisted Aussie who can’t believe that Australians were hoodwinked into believing Holden is more Australian than Ford). Thanks and well done Mark!
yeah but who wants what Ford builds these days. But yes Falcon was the more Australian car. Such a shame it's gone
No worries. I wish all the Big 3 were still making cars here. 👍
@@timobrien9123Shame they are all gone. 🤔
I love watching the Fords beat those Americans in V8 Supercars.
@@markbehr88including AMC
My father was a comercial traveller at the time & had a FC Holden as a company car. He was down in Gippsland working when the old FC's engine detonated. The company organised a new car for him at a Gippsland Dealer which was a white XL Falcon which he drove home to Melbourne in. From memory it had the 170 pursuit motor with auto. I remember the incident well as l wanted to stay up late & see the new car but mum said bed time - bugga. That car served us well. My brother ended up buying it when dad got a new XP back in the day. He never bought a Holden after that experience.
@@farnthboy That would have been exciting as a kid. 👍
I bet Harry was glad he didn't use the XK, the front ball joints would been knackered.
IIRC the XL's onward got the USA Fairlane balljoints.
Actually I am pretty sure he was part of the African Safari in the XK Falcons? 🤔
Harry rolled an XK at Bathurst. With smoke pouring off one front brake he went off between Skyline and Dipper and rolled multiple times down the hill into a tree. He was OK.
@ Lucky man. 👍
Thanks for uploading Mark. When I think about the power of the pursuit motor and braking of the 4 wheel drums in the XL falcon, I’m not considering going rallying. Mind you the roads in Melbourne are starting to look like they did in the 60s 😅😅
Yes, they are terrible. 🫣
Be brave metropolitan speed zones, road condition and ' Active Enforcement ' mean those drums won't fade !
The 170 was the largest Falcon 6 in the USA so that is where it originated from. Ford only had the 144 cu.in so had to offer the Pursuit 170 because the EH had 149 and 179 cu.in motors and could do a genuine 100mph. With the Geelong engine plant functioning, Ford enlarged it progressively to 220 cu.in and on up to the Barra 4.0L. Ford (US) started the Falcon Sprint V8s off with the 269 cu.in. This is the one Jay Leno said he admired so much as a kid working as a hub-cap helper at a Ford dealership. He would take them off at night and put them back on in the morning so they couldn't be stolen. He has a Sprint in his collection.
@ Yes. 👍👍
Thanks Mark the early Falcon styling was miles ahead of the Holden counterpart. I know because we had one an FJ in Cuckatoo Cream. It was my perception that the Holden was more rugged and could stand up to harsh local conditions better than the early Ford's. Harry Firth was certainly a legend in Australian Motor Sport.
@@arunta5 Thanks. I think that is a fair assessment re Holden and Falcon. 👍
@ Yes the early Falcons seemed a bit fragile but Ford fixed that as the models evolved. I always recall the TV show Homicide the detectives drove a Ford Falcon.
@ That’s right. 👍
In 1974 my first car was a XL auto.
Paid $7 for it with 3 months rego and a heap of rust .
Drove Sydney to Brisbane twice in it and never missed a beat.
Amazing hey. 👍😀
As a kid in 1970, I had a jigsaw of the same picture used in the thumbnail. (I also went on to compete in several BP Rallies, but not in a Falcon! 😁😁😁)
@@couttsy222 Very cool. 👍
Worked at 2 Ford Dealers and drove there work Ute in that model . Funny thing I drove my AP5 to work 👌. When my wife worked at Ford she drove our V8 VC valiant to work . When 🇦🇺was 🇦🇺.
Yes, we didn’t know how good we had it! 🤔👍
G'day Mark,
Back when life was more simple & driving a manual car was the norm.
Cheers
Louis Kats 👍
Yes, certainly a lifetime ago. 👍
@@markbehr88 👍👍👍
@ 👍
Remember Dad had a powder pink xk with white roof deluxe with the 144cu and 2 speed fordomatic. Remember as a little kid how it struggled to get up the grade on Heathcote road. Then suspension problems every second time it seen some dirt road up to my grandparents place on the midnorth coast.
Nice colour. We used to do a lot of dirt roads in our green XL wagon. No dramas. 👍
@markbehr88 chrome falcon on the Bonnet with full chrome hubcaps and the aluminium spats behind the back wheels. Red/white interior and big white steering wheel.
@ Cool stuff hey! 😎👍
@markbehr88 At one stage he had a black xl futura.Think it had a red interior.
Got waved through to the VIP parking at the opening of Roselands back in the day.I was in awe of the raindrop fountain as a little kid.
Hi Mark A lot of car for very little money and still priced in ££££'s, Great ad
@@shaun30-3-mg9zs Yes Shaun. We changed from pounds to dollars Feb 14, 1966. 👍
0:38 would you entrust your horse to those Kiwi tin drums?
@@twentyrothmans7308 It’s horses for courses and of course, that horse shouldn’t be on the course. 😀👍
Cool
@@GerardDaly-y1n Thanks Gerard. 👍
Geez, how old was Harry Firth even back then?
He fought in WW2 in Africa and Egypt. I heard him speak at a function one night over dinner. Very interesting and glad I met him. 👍
Born in 18,so in 62 he would have been 44.
@ He lived a pretty full life old Harry. 👍
@@markbehr88One can only imagine what he'd been through.
He used to service my 65 Cortina GT. Not like he didn't know anything about them?
That's a great old ad Mark!! Glad he did not drive an XK on those roads. It would have fallen to bits.
@@TigerRogers0660 He did drive those too 👍
Cool ad, ironically enough not showing a single road! To be fair, the 70s Pacific Hwy was not much better. Thanks gentlemen.
I reckon it was around the Great Ocean Road or possibly Portsea? 🤔
" it's gotta have brakes, handling and go" 😵💫😉
@@noelgibson5956 I suppose the 170 did back then? 🤔
It got a little bit of all three, for the day.
@ 😄
Wouldn't have said the same in the XK. Aussie engineers did a good job, bringing the fragile US car up to Aussie conditions.
@@TAVOAu Yes. I cover it in my XK episode. 👍
Took a while due to limited $US input , IIRC Menzies ' credit squeeze ' .
22.5% sales tax 😧😧😧
@@dfiglide Yes. I thought the same. 🫣
Now we pay 10% GST
And a lot of other taxes too. 🤔
From $1065 pounds. Bring it back today!
@@MitchTube Yes and a block of land for 2,000. 👍
Does anyone else wonder like about the nomenclature of Australian Falcons and Commodores? XL Falcons before XA Falcons....VN, VL Commodores long before VF Commodores...
They often restart the series for new body styles. So, XK-XP for early series Falcon. When they did XA they probably thought we will be doing a lot more of these so restarted the series to XF (XG and XH incl utes). Then EA for the new series. Others are just opportunistic gaps where they just need a letter. I remember us doing that for Commodore. Also avoiding models like VW. You get used to it. 👍
Vacum windscreen wipers
@@robertfoster7807 I think so? 🤔
The XK had terrible suspension and a fragile chassis. Big stuff up.
The XM began to sort it out.
Yes, it’s covered in my XK Falcon Plucked episode. 👍
I read that the yanks didn't have those problems with the first compact Falcon. And they have some tough roads over there. It was something to do with the localization process. Mark knows.
I think the Falcon in the US was very often a second car for families and often driven by women. Whereas here, it did have to contend with rough local roads and potholes. It needed the compact Fairlane balljoints from Day 1. 👍