Ford Falcon XA - The Death of the Phase 4
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ม.ค. 2024
- Here is my latest video in the Falcon series. The third generation XA. I hope you like it. Please remember to give the video a Thumbs Up 👍 and please Subscribe and hit the Bell notification so you don’t miss an episode. Thanks for watching.
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My second car to work on was an LTD from the XA range, I had to diagnose the slipping 2nd gear in the FMX auto. Auto out and cooked bands and clutches. 4 hour rebuild and road test, I love the 351.
My favourite Aussie car 👍👍
While working at a Panel-Shop, we loved seeing this series of Ford coupes rolling in for some TLC but also dreaded them. Their rear quarter panels were enormous and took great effort in prep work to get them looking perfect. Any defect during long hours of work would stand out for all to see, but done right they were breathtaking pieces of Aussie art !!
Thanks. I can imagine that would be the case, given the size and shape of the rear quarters 👍.
Sadly panel beaters are an extict species these days, according to an old panel man.
These days they’re panel replacers instead.
They wouldn’t know the roll/return of an HQ guard if it came up and bit them on the arse apparently lol
@@jamesmcgowen1769 yes it’s hard to find a good one. My mate Brian is a good one. 👍
Great show about the XA Falcon. i started my club racing in an XA when i was a young bloke. I am now building another XA Falcon the way it should have been built in the first place. i know better now.
Thanks very much. Good luck withyour car 👍
When I was a kid, good friends of my parents bought a Superbird. Lime Glaze. I was only about 4 or 5 years old but can still remember it vividly. I believe one of the sons still own it.
How impressive for a young kid hey? Like my story in the episode 👍👍
My uncle had a purple XA Fairmont with white interior with a 250. We thought it was so cool.
Nice one Anthony. I bet it has fond memories for you. One of the best colour combinations. 👍
Owned both the XA and XB always installed the Pedder's suspension, sway bars front and rear, and all Noalthane components, put air foils back and front during winter the strong winds would glue the car to the road instead of lifting it up, I use to drive Melbourne to Adelaide every weekend for 2 years (the roads were crap then) went like a rocket 180 k's all the way handled really well, loved those cars
Cool memories hey Michael? Couldn’t do that these days! 😀
Hi Marc I am Steve Delaney just to mention a neighbor of mine was the head mechanic at Ford during the development period for the GT's cheers mate
Very cool Steve. I am sure he has plenty of good stories in these? 👍
The XA is my favourite Falcon too. Its a clean design that catches my eye more than the XB or C.
Weirdly though, my favourite XA is the Fairmont sedan because it isn’t cluttered up with driving lights.
Thanks Jason. It’s definitely one of my favourites too. I’d like a Wild Violet GT hardtop or the Wild Violet GS Fairmont sedan like the one in the episode. Glad you liked it 👍
Here is my latest video in the Ford Falcon series - the third generation XA. Including the legendary Phase 4 GT. I hope you enjoy it 👍. Please Like and Subscribe to support the channel for more content. Thanks for watching.
While I've always been a Chrysler fan, those XA Coupes sure had great, muscular styling, especially in racing trim lowered with those fat tyres, and the GT sedans looked really good too. Thanks for reminding me of the Superbirds, seeing them on your vid brought back long forgotten memories of seeing them when I was a kid too. Great memories of all those muscle cars back in the day.
Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. I still remember those coupes storming up the mountain at Bathurst, passing everything on the climb. Man they looked good. 👍
I miss my Landau coupe, ground up rebuild, geez loved that car.
Wow. I bet you do. What colour?
thanks for a great video. as an xa gt owner i am always looking for more information on the history and development of this model. having viewed a few of your videos now i am so upset that we as a country have simply abandoned automobile manufacturing.
Thanks George. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Yes, a terrible shame we do not make cars here any more. 👍😢
Thank Mark, the best video about the XA I've seen.
Wow. Thanks David. That is a great endorsement. I appreciate the use of some of your images too from Retroautos.
If I was involved with the design of Taurus I want it to be kept a secret 😂😂😂
Yes, I know what you mean but Jack Telnack was responsible for the first generation of the Taurus (we never got it) and it was America’s top selling car. I saw a wagon version in 1988 and thought it looked like it came from outer space. He also did the 1983 Thunderbird (I have one pf those) - the aero bird, a good looking car and the Fox body Mustang. He argued sloping the front for the 1979 model to aid in aero for fuel efficiency.
I purchased an XA Falcon 500 sedan in Auckland NZ back in 1988, the chap before me shoehorned a 351 cleveland and it was running on LPG....ran like a sack of potatoes. Ended up rebuilding entire engine and removing the propane. Was the best car I ever owned but sold it for phuckall to travel on a Contiki:(
Man I hope you had some Contiki experiences to make it all worthwhile 😉
Pleasant design, and very pleasant money now.
Well said. 👍
I owned an XB GS coupe. Red with black stripes. 12 slots. 5.8L with front and rear spoiler and a black vinyl roof. Interior was all black except the roof lining which was white. The motor and exhaust system were done up and it went hard while sounding tough. The only thing I didn't like was the T bar auto. I'll always regret not keeping it. Mum bought it for me in 1986 heavily discounted from $2,500 to $1,800 as the guy who sold it to her was hot for her. I only had it a few weeks before Mum had had enough of the crazy amount of petrol I was using, along with me destroying the 9 inch diff. After I put a standard diff in it to get it going again, she sold it back to the same guy and for the same price. The poor car had been flogged by my 17 year old self for weeks, and wasn't nearly as nice as when I picked it up. Knowing what I do today, I would still have that car today. It could easily be worth $100+K. I would have done whatever it took to keep it if I knew this back then.
Yes, if we only knew then what we know now. Nice Mum buying you the car though! I hope you gave her a mice Mother’s day gift? 😀
@@markbehr88 we're not close these days. I try.
@@davidcarr2649 That’s a shame
@markbehr88 we still talk. Just rarely and it's awkward. Kinda like Sheldon Cooper's relationship with his mother. Mostly, it is a quick call at Xmas and again on our birthdays.
@@davidcarr2649 Oh well, at least you have that nice memory of the coupe she bought you. If the fuel was cheaper you may have still kept it? 🤔
Owned an XA GT sedan back in the day, t-bar auto, 351C, power windows, yellow with all black interior. Awesome car apart from the power steering (too light) & that rubber insert for the horn which was sensitive when touched. The XA-XB-XC was, style-wise, Ford Australia's best design period.
That would have been a very nice car. Agree re XA-C. I never liked that horn button on the stalk. Leave it in the wheel where it belongs I say! 👍
Do you mean the horn on the steering wheel inner rim????? I had a 73 LTD, which was (of course) XA based, and it had that rim horn actuation. Grab the wheel anywhere, set the horn off. Only because it was unique I suppose, we weren't used to it. Mine had a broken part on the rim switch, and horn used to go off without touching it, was a hassle. I fitted a SAAS leather wheel that was two brown colours, sounds horrible but matched interior woodgrain and brown leather. Most expensive SAAS wheel back then, but got it cheap in classified ads.
The first (XA equiv) had the horn rim "button", (and hi beam dimmer on floor) wheras next LTD (XB equiv and onward) had stalks for horn/headlight dip/flash. Headlight flash useless on LTD, as headlight covers couldn't open that quick.
I liked Fairlanes, as (while we all liked Ford V8's) any sportish model (GT/GS) was too expensive for us. While a Fairlane was seen as a car your Uncle or bank manager had, they came with V8's and were a reasonable price.
I went to look at a Fairlane at a yard, and there was an LTD there (1980, so was 7 years old). Back then, the ONLY Ford V8 that had a 4 barrel carb other than the GT was the Landau/LTD, as ZF (XA equiv) had a 2 BBL, even on 351.
The LTD was never going to be a GT, with the longest wheelbase (cars shortest, wagons and fairlanes longer, LTD longer again), but it had a few GT parts on it. 4BBL carb same base spec as GT (Motocraft 4300), and it had the heavy drive train. LTD's came standard with the 9 inch rear end, diff radius rods and ventilated rear discs. LTD's also had the separate rear brake proportioning valve, similar to the GT. When I got it the brakes didn't work/rears locked too easily. All the "Ford guru's" told me that "yeah, rear discs on LTD a failure/don't work." I stripped and cleaned the prop valve (full of sludge) and then they were perfect. The foot operated parking brake was a bad design though.
I used to use it to tow a very heavy 25ft bondwood cabin cruiser, and it handled it: I was thankful for the brakes, as I towed the same boat with my Dad's ZD Fairlane, and you could feel the rear drums going off on a long downhill grade compared to the LTD's ventilated discs.
I had that car for 8 years and mechanically it was very good and served me well. In the end the body fell apart/lots of rust. Early on I fitted a manual box and 11 inch clutch and I loved it like that. Again, "Ford gurus" said "manual won't fit LTD/never had them" but was XA body apart from stretched in rear footwell, so why wouldn't it??? It went straight in. Of course tailshaft was longer, so I used orig tailshaft with an adaptor uni.
The top loader box was from an XYGT, and came with the 11 inch clutch (F100 V8's had the 11 inch). I sold the FMX I removed for what I paid for the manual, so all it cost me was for adaptor uni for tailshaft, and I got manual pedals from a V8 wrecked at the tip. 80 to 87 the local tip was better than any wreckers, cars everywhere. Then the council started crushing them to "stop people hurting themselves climbing on the cars."
A bit of power, and a bit of comfort with the leather seats etc. I really wanted a Landau, but they were rare/expensive. But then I had kids and got the boat, so LTD worked out better.
Only other thing I changed were the wheels. All Fords had 14 inch wheels (like all medium/large cars) but LTD had 15's, and those HORRIBLE huge 68 Tbird wheel trims shown in the Landau pic in the vid. Back then 15's weren't common, so very expensive. For the price of 4 x 15 inch tyres, I got 4 x 14 inch chrome wheels and new tyres, and as far more choice in 14's, easy to get wider 14's that were same OD/rolling radius as orig 15's.
Like I said, no GT, but once I bolted a Holley on (4 BBL went straight on existing manif, fitted XAGT bonnet scoops) and the ultra heavy duty drivetrain, I got my V8 fix with a little bit of comfort for a price I could almost afford.................................... it did me.
@@KJs581 No, not the rim blow. I was talking about later, when they put the horn on the end of a stalk. I did not like that. Great memories re the LTD. I will do separate episodes on those down the track so please subscribe and stay tuned. My favourite Australian car is the P5 LTD. Such a cool looking machine and a great interior.
Never did much for me my mates dad bought a 500 wagon I remembered how long it was and the two way tail gate .In the 90 they were dirt cheap second hand our neighbors young son bought a gs 302 all i can remember early in the morning is the bloody squeaking front end going psst 😆😮
Yes they were very cheap once but now worth big $$. That squeaking is familiar with those front ends if not maintained properly. Probably not in the budget for the young bloke back then?
Mark, Jack is my fav, go to meet him in 1990, in Northville,mi at his new home!
Lucky you! I would love to have interviewed Jack (as I did with the wonderful John Schinella 😀 - check that episode out if you haven’t watched it). There would be so much to talk about. It’s important we preserve our amazing design heritage and the stories behind the people that made it happen. 👍
XA door best ever looking Aussie car
My favourite was the XC GXL VINAL TOP. IT WAS A 302 Cleveland. However this was the early 1990s so these cars were affordable for novice drivers ( P plates lol) but I put in a 351 clevo from a smashed xy GT only had 3 gears FMX WITH A SLIPPERY 9 Inch Diff. it was absolutely one of the best cars I’ve driven. Also the P6 LTD 4 door. 500 hp 351 she was extremely nice to drive. But for a huge land yacht went very well. Miss those days. I’ve just completed a full restoration on a G8 Fairlane. Completed original new paint job. Looks like the day it rolled out the assembly line. Only 153 were made so I’m hopeful in the future they start to come in value. Especially being the last Fairlanes ever made. Absolute pleasure to drive and being in the country it’s the best ride doing 400 kms + Beautiful charcoal leather seats. Amazing car. Cheers Ford you have given me plenty of good times.👍🇦🇺❤️
Very cool Patrick. Those were some nice cars. I will be doing an episode down the track of the XC plus a seperate series on the LTDs so please make sure you subscribe to check those out. Your G8 Fairlane sounds really good. Definitely a future collectible. 👍
@@markbehr88 Thanks mate I’d obviously prefer to have restored another P6 but there is plenty of parts around but they are still way cheaper than doing any of the ED to XT but as you would know one has to be very lucky to come across an old shed stored car. But they cost a pretty penny to restore the correctly. And rightly so they were the cars that made Ford Australia the pedigree it is today. It’s an absolute tragedy that Holden and Ford closed shop in Australia. Really brakes my heart. As we truly had an amazing system in its day. And absolutely definitely looking forward to more content on your show. Fantastic i appreciate the feedback mate. All the best.🇦🇺👍 And I subscribed to your channel buddy have a good start to the year.
Thanks very much 👍@@patrickaussieMilartry
I really thought I'd seen all there was in regards to xa pictures and information but your video's are refreshing and informative. Thanks mate
Thanks very much 👍.
@@markbehr88 your welcome keep up the great content Mark, subscribed. Thanks Dave
@@fozz351 Much appreciated 👍
First car was the 73 XA Fairmont Ghia 302. Sadly I knew almost nothing about cars and letting that go for an XD is one regret I still have all these years later. To this day I am chasing the burble of that 302 with a split system. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Andrew. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
The XD was the first fairmont ghia
@@warwickrun542 That’s right.
Yes XA is my favourite Falcon and always will be. Across the ditch, I bought one in in 1980. I was one of a batch of early Aussie assembled ones imported by FOMOCO NZ. It was a bare bones Falcon 500, 302, bench seat with parchment interior, column auto, no P/S in copper bronze with a tan vinyl roof. Wish I still had it. Now you never see them on the road. Thanks for the run down.
Thanks Graeme. Glad you liked it. I worked for Holden as National Sales Manager in NZ in the late 1990’s out of Wellington (Trentham). Great days.
Remember writing to Ford asking for some material for a school project, putting the GT brochure on my bedroom wall.😅
I used to do a lot of that and also wrote to all the US companies even Delorean. I still have all the brochures! 👍
Back in 1972, working at the Truck Plant and driving an XP with the Super Pursuit engine, I really liked the look of the XA Hardtop. My XA 500, bought later, was in Sahara Sand, while my XC 500 was a very early model, subject to the PBR pressure valve recall, it being fitted in reverse and causing wheel lock-ups. A later XF GS-Pack was pretty good, as was my AUIII and my SY Territory Today, it's an SZ Terri, so it's safe to say I'm a Ford man!
By the way, it was nice to see the photo of the late Howard Marsden; he and I were close colleagues at Nissan-Datsun.
Thanks Chris. Very interesting. You’ve had a few local Fords for sure. I only met Howard once (when I was introduced to him by Gordon Barfield). He seemed like a very nice person. Very sad he died so soon after retirement. Very sad.
@@markbehr88 Howard was a real gentleman; he and I got on very well, helped perhaps by the fact that I'd previously worked for both Triumph and Rover in the UK, so we shared a similar background and a love of motorsport. Sadly, cancer is no respecter of persons.
@@chrisweeks6973 sadly that is very true.
308 John Goss special, XA or XB? I thought it was XA, but I might be wrong. I had forgotten the Super Birds, thanks for reminding me. Looking forward to your Landau special, as featured in the series "Last Man Standing" from about 05. I remember looking at an XA LTD in the mid 70's and noting the lights. The levers on the central console, were they for the air conditioning? My first love of the time, was what I owned, a 4 speed 4.4 litre Australian designed and built 4 door saloon in 'Super' configuration with optional reclining seats. Question... Why didn't we (I) appreciate the amazing cars we had access to, Alfa's, Saab's, Fiat's etc, etc. Cars had character and soul back then.
Hi Nick. Glad you enjoyed the episode. The John Goss specials were XB, so I will cover those in the next episode. I’ve met John Goss a few times and we almost did a John Goss special FPV GT. He told me about the time Ford were doing his XB special, so I will be sure to add that in the next episode. I will also eventually get to doing the P4 Landau and P5 LTD (along with the others). The levers in the centre console were for the air conditioning, temperature etc. They were inspired by aircraft controls. A 4.3 4 speed Super would be a Leyland P76. If you check out the channel there is an episode on the cancelled coupe version - the Leyland Force 7V (which I have been lucky enough to drive years ago). I think we loved our cars back then but did not appreciate that one day they wouldn’t make them anymore and we let a lot of good cars go to the wreckers that could have been saved - so yes, we did not appreciate them. Agee, the older cars had a lot more character than today. 👍
Even as a Holden fan I found the XA Hardtop. I guy down the road ha a couple of XA GT (I think) Hardtops, the one I most remember was a white one with the big black stripes up the side and curling around the top at the rear side windows - I think they were a dealer package. Was it MaCleod Ford?
Whatever it was, it was a hot looking car!
Yes, McCleod Ford did those “Horn” car dress up packages. John Goss used to help promote them. 👍
Back in 1983, i bought a very low mileage XA wagon. It was a brown Falcon 500 auto with dealer fitted air con, which came in very handy on a trip from Perth to Melbourne and back in the summer of 84.Oh, and it also had the GT driving lights fitted and a passenger side door mirror and tow bar. I only sold it to buy an XC 1/2, Fairmont wagon with a duel actoin electric tailgate.
Both sound like nice cars Bill 👍
the HQ falcon was a peach.....good vid bro 👍
XA? HQ was a Holden or do you mean HO? Assume you meant HO.👍
I love the advertisements for the Ford Falcon. *"Going Ford is the Going Thing!"*
Yes that was a great campaign they used for a while. Very memorable. Wait until you see the XB ad! 👍
@markbehr88 I look forward checking that out. I also like the XB Falcon. 🙂
@@jasoncarpp7742 Yes, me too. Thanks for your support of the channel 👍
Great cars.
Tuff cars.
Good looking cars.
Love'em.
Was driven around in them as a kid in the day at very fast speeds
Thanks for the video.
Thanks. Yes we were lucky weren’t we. I would not have it any other way and I feel so lucky to have worked in the industry and part pf product development for Holden, HSV and FPV. Great times.
I'm a Holden man myself but I really enjoed the history lesson, it's a shame that the journalists put a scare through the community and forced the hand of the vote grabbing politicians to put a stop to the Phase IV. It would have been great to see our Holdens answer to the Phase IV.
Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. I will do more Holden episodes and there are plenty of others on the channel . 🥹
i like all of them
"Bunkie Knudsen" ☺ - Now that's a name!!
Semon Bunkie Knudsen! 👍
The XA, XB and XC were Ford Australias best looking cars 👌
They were definitely up there 👍
I think the XA was the turning point for Falcon and Ford Australia in general. It was one of the most significant stepping stone where the Falcon would eventually become the best selling car in the country during the XD-XF era.
Yes. That is correct. It was a landmark car for sure that set Ford up for success.
That wasn't due to build quality however... it had EVERYTHING to do with tariff barriers and lack of competition. Consider this... 70 percent of all Porsches ever built are still on the road today. That's more than 700,000 911s alone. I would wager less than 1% of all 1970's Australian made cars (of any brand) are still on the road. They were shit heaps.
@@ivanjulian2532 sounds like somebody has an axe to grind? Don’t think anyone claimed world class build quality. I own Mercedes Benz amongst other things, however, I still appreciate the Australian cars and their attributes. Not sure where you plucked the 1% figure from? Also your survival rate for 911 (if it is accurate) is not based on build quality but on the value of the cars today. The same could be said for Falcon GTs and their build quality was no better than the standard car. That’s also why the Porsche 924 would have nothing like the same survival rate but the quality would be similar to other VW/Audi products.
@@ivanjulian2532 bit rich saying Australian cars are shit heap from the 70’s , I could say all Porsches are shit heaps from past to current day, I can definitely say anyone who drives a Porsche is a pretentious dickhead.
Great vid Mark, enjoyable to watch👍
Thanks Chris. Glad you liked it 👍
One of the dumbest things I ever did was to take the advice of my parents and not take a small loan to buy a really clean yellow GT sedan for $13k in the early '90s. They aren't car people.
Gee! I hope you’ve forgiven them. 😀
Ouch! I’m feeling your pain.
Obviously Motor Cycle people you should have brought a Kwaka 900😆
@@fredfungalspore Got an 04 ZX10R in the garage.
Should have been round in late 70s, when 5 grand would get your pick after insurance costs and fuel prices near made them unrealistic.. I cry now on cars I could have bought, family and house payments came first then. Should have just bought a shed and stored cars...
I owned a 73 XA with a 351 Cleveland C4 auto 4 barrel holley it went like a rocket 🚀
Nice one. I bet you wish you still had it? 👍
@@markbehr88 Absolutely 👍
There were a lot more different parts in the RP083 option than you listed. I had an XA GT 351C 4V RP083 coupe and I'm very familiar with the differences between it and a normal GT or GS models (My brother had an XA GS 351C 2V Fairmont sedan at the time). It really was just the Phase 4 without the name plate with speeds that would leave you white knuckled.
The most notable differences are the brakes (Girling 4 wheel discs with a proportioning valve instead of Girlock or PBR disc/drum), The suspension and additional anti-tramp leaf, the differential (huge case 9 inch with traction lock) and the driveshaft. All of the differences are listed in the Ford service manuals (the genuine ones, not Gregory's or Haynes). I still have the dealer service manual for the XA range (local dealer tossed them to the tip when they went electronic in the 90's and I snapped them up quick before they became landfill).
I wish I'd never sold it (when kiddies come along you get different priorities). They guy I sold it to put it into a pole at 200km/h and put the engine between the seats. The guy is blessed as he walked away with only a burn on the leg from the exhaust and a bit of a sore head.
Yes, I didn’t list everything as mindful of the duration of the episode and was covering the whole model range. Thanks for the other elements. The winged sump was on some too I believe?
1968 XT falcon saved my life built like a tank
You can’t get better than that 👍
I might be biased as my first ever car was an XA but I think they're gorgeous especially with driving lights and decent wheels.
I agree. They are a good looking machine. 👍
Another great video Mark. XB is my fave, followed by the XA.
Thanks Nick. Appreciated. 👍
The first GT i ever rode in was a XAGT sedan. Yellow in colour.
XB GS Hardtop was the one that i bought in '86. 'Ford Mulberry'... The purple people eater lol.
Long story short, was on deployment in 1988, came home and my 'father' had sold it to some bloke for $500 bucks! Lucky mongrel whomever ended up with it.
Man, you must have been gutted! That Mulberry was an interesting colour for sure.
@@markbehr88 indeed i was. I had only paid $5,000.00 for it 18 months earlier :(
Yes the XA was my fave👌🖖
Yes definitely one of mine too. 👍
Another great episode. Is it funny how the Americans loved the Australian designed fFalcon but Dearborn never allowed them to be exported state side.
Thanks very much. Re the Aussie cars being exported. The United Auto Workers Union would have something to say about that if Ford even had the idea to do it. 👍
I remember being with a mate who bought an XA falcon hardtop for his first car. $800 cash for a rough running 302 with manual steering. The guy selling was illiterate and signed the sale form with an X. Nothing sus 😂. Anyway, we went on to have a lot of fun in that car.
Hilarious. You made me laugh. At least it wasn’t a paw print 😀👍
@@markbehr88or a POOR print !
Wonderful video Mark. I had a calypso green XA 351 GS UTE. Interestingly it had a phase 4 winged sump. Did a lot of hard and fast miles in that Ute. Thanks for the great videos, keep them coming.
Thanks very much Gary. Your GS ute would have been nice. Glad you’re enjoying the episodes 👍
Wowsers, 351 utes were rare when they were new.
@@StevenMilne-sm4fk For sure, but it was always cool looking for that badge on the front guard to see “V8” (302) or “351”. Even as a kid it was a “wow” moment.
How cool but, 9 inch all the trimmings..
@@markbehr88 I plucked a few in wreckers back then, when ya just walked in..
I love my old XA Fairmont. She's a bit rough round the edges. But what's not to love about a Copper Bronze GS BSS edition Sedan. Sports road wheels including the spare, matching numbers 302 auto with black interior and a Golde Sunroof. I might get it out for a drive if the weather holds this weekend!
(I have pics of it at Lot 6, and a brick from the building!)
Hi Shaun. You are lucky to have that car. There are not many XA Fairmonts left of any description these days. Copper Bronze - nice. My parent’s 1972 Ford Galaxie LTD is that colour (episode on the channel). Yours sounds terrific. I’d love that 351 Fairmont GS in Wild Violet.
I got very lucky to find it!
I have a very very rusted wild violet 250-2V XA ute as well, the wild violet does not age well outdoors! 😂
Can't wait for you to interview your mate on the Turbo 6 evolution!
Shame they do rust so bad isn’t it. Yes, I will have to get onto Gordon one of these days to do that. @@onedayiwillmakesomecontent
XB looks more sophisticated especially front
Definitely a softer, more integrated design. I do like the XA though.
@@markbehr88 cheers from australia its sad all this gone global agenda said no to aust car industry yes to record big 👽 migration
I luv em all m8! Thnx for the awesome history!
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
I didn't know any of this stuff. Thanks so much, Mark!
Pleasure Tony. HNY to you. 👍
I used to work in the brake and clutch manufacturing industry (when we used to design and make thing ) the XA was the first Falcon to have rear disc brakes option on the GT.You could still buy a XA falcon with front drum brakes .2 manufacturers supplied Ford, Girlock with the rail slider also known a Kelsey Hayes calipers and the PBR DB5000 series. The rear disc brake caliper was a modified DB5000 series caliper which incorporated what was know then as a lever type handbrake
Excellent. You could buy an XA (not a V8) with front drums but you could also buy a V8 HQ Premier with four wheel drums too, whereas Ford had front discs standard on V8s from back in XR days (1967). Interesting re the rear discs. Another Ford first.
The dealer service manuals list the 4 wheel disc brakes as being made by Girling and not Girlock or PBR. The ones fitted to the RP083 XA Coupe I used to own had Girling imprinted into the caliper. Much larger pad surface area than the Girlock pads.
Great stuff , Subbed . Love the Superbird , i'd pretty much forgotten about those , I remember years ago a Lime one up around the Dandynong's when i was a kid , Very Cool looking Machine 🍻
Thanks so much and really appreciate the subscription too 👍
@@markbehr88 Great Research deserves a Sub , keep up the great work Cheers 🍻
Another great video Mark, thanks.
I still think the 1973 Factory Bathurst winning XA's were some
of the nicest looking race cars to grace the track.
Moffatt, was very lucky to win after that hell spin he had
and handled nicely mind you, at the end of mountain straight,
earlier in the race.
Thanks very much. Totally agree re the livery. Years later I congratulated Allan on how well he recovered that spin in the XA. 👍
@@markbehr88
I know it's all part of growing up,
but it will be a sad day when Allan passes.
Never met the man, only watched him on TV.
An Icon of Australian motor racing, the best years, IMO.
@@imanenigma3348 Yes. Amen to that.
Hi there, great video. I owned a falcon 4 door sedan . 250 2v manual 170 hp . very fast car. Very rusty , typical XA.
Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. Yes, the dreaded rust. 👍
Mark , when you eventually have a spare minute, I’ve never seen it on TH-cam, but an evolution History of the Falcon 6 from XK to the 325 sprint would be a fascinating
Now that is a good future topic 👍. I used to work with Gordon Barfield. The father of the turbo.
There's one on the Barra and briefly touches on the past of the Falcon "Thiftmaster" 6.
th-cam.com/video/DPR-e3Vy-Vw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2MRsySCmxwXGG9ca
As a younger person I did own an xa sedan in white and I painted the blue stripes on it but I never liked the xa
But now being much older I like the xa and do appreciate it more for its stand out design
And would be very happy to have one now 👍👍
Love all the old adds
Thanks David. In the 1980’s the XA was an unloved car but now we appreciate it for the cool car it is. 👍
My fave. Learnt to drive in a XA GT
What a great learner car! 👍
Did you learn how to drive FAST ?
XA was always my favourite
One of mine too 👍
Out of the Coke bottle shape, my fave is the XC with it's tough no nonsense front clip. XA is second as I hardly remember seeing any as a kid in the early 80s whilst seeing XBs and XCs everywhere. I found the XA thy most intriguing as a result, especially those three cell taillamps.
The XB seems to win the consensus as most popular, but I thought they looked the daggiest of the three front and rear (sedan).
Funny how they went back to a boxy shape with a vengeance with the German inspired XD body.
Hi James. They all have their good points. I am probably XC, XA, XB in the sedans. Hardtops XA, XC Fairmont, XB.
@@markbehr88 appreciate your response.
Chuffed you see it my way regards sedans.
Hi spec XB hardtops are nice. Saw a stunning black one recently in a Central Coast shopping car park.
I’d love a red XC Fairmont coupe. Saw one the other day near Wagga. @@jamesfrench7299
@@markbehr88 I Googled one on image search and found one in England for sale but it's from 2020.
I see what you mean.
My personal ultimate would be a yellow wagon V8 (4.9 or 5.8) in a sports spec equiv to a Falcon S with black trim and inboard driving lights.
@@jamesfrench7299 yes, that would be an XC GS Rally Pack Fairmont or Falcon with a 351. Ford always did very nice wagons.
The wagon looks proper cool with that long roof and rear belt line up sweep.
Yes, I think Ford did the best wagons then, followed by Chrysler.
Great Video, Thanks mate!
Thanks very much Anthony 👍
All these years later I would love a retromod XB or XC 351 with an 10-speed auto and modern suspension.
Personally, I like em stock, although a friend of mine has some resto mod Chryslers (look stock on the outside) and he loves the drivability. 👍
A resto mod 70's Dodge Challenger (modern auto and suspension) would be my dream car.
Did you cover the cobra?i use to walk past one on the way back from Hadfield primary.white with blue striping. Great Chanel.!
Thanks. I will be covering the Cobra when I get to the XC episode. Stay tuned! 👍
Hi Mark, That is a cool looking car the Falcon XA I do have a Hot Wheels model of the XA coupe ( hardtop ) a very seventies design coke bottle shape very much Ford at the time like the MK3 Cortina 1970-76. I do like the look of the Pick up or ute and the panel van the one I like is the Super bird very sleek and muscular to go with the power. Very interesting and as always a great video, Take care
Thanks Shaun. Glad you enjoyed the episode. There are plenty of XA variants to like. The ute was much more sporty than previous models. As I said in the episode, I vividly remember seeing a white and blue Superbird back in the day 👍.
Interesting backstory/origin❤😊
Thank you👍
Great viewing as usual Mark, my fave of the XA range was the ute. While in High School I saw a gold XA GS ute at the shops. Where are the window frames I remember thinking😆. I love the look of the XA sedan, wagon, ute and van particularly with the GS pack. Now entering dangerous waters here....I know looks are a very personal thing but the HQ Holden sedans dolphin like lines where much more attractive I reckon. The HQ two door Monaro, the VH Valiant Charger and VH Hardtops also looked much better than the XA Hardtop....in my view. As I said, looks are a personal thing and I am not trying to take anything away from the XA Falcon. I would have one at the drop of a hat. Regarding Evan Green's article, he went on to say that the Charger E49 was making it's debut at Oran Park that very Sunday the article was made public. According to magazine articles from the day Leo Geoghan's factory backed E49 blitzed the field to get to second behind Goss's XY GTHO. Geoghan was only seconds behind at the flag. Just imagine the XA GTHO up against a V8 XU-1 and two factory backed E49 Chargers in 1972. One can only speculate. As far as race cars war paint goes? No contest. The factory XA GT Hardtops from 1973. Thanks for brightening up my dull life Mark, very enjoyable to watch. Cheers.
Thanks very much. So glad you enjoyed it. Your life can’t be that dull with all of those cool memories that younger people can only imagine 😀. Yes, styling is very subjective. I do like the HQs too. They are quite soft whereas the Falcons are more aggressive. The Chargers and hardtops were good looking too, especially the Chrysler by Chrysler version (make mine triple black). 👍
@@steelearmstrong9616 For sure. I do like my Fords, however, I appreciate all cars and am not one eyed like some people. It’s better to be objective and appreciate the good and not so good of designs. Having worked at Mitsubishi, Holden, HSV, Ford, FPV and owned multiple makes has given me that perspective I believe.
Never seen an XA with the quarter windows, seen them in XBs only until now.
You are marvellous at the Aussie Ford Falcon history Mark, many thanks.
Thanks Mal. I noticed there were a couple with vent windows in the images I included too but don’t recall seeing them in person. Glad you like the episodes 👍.
Think they were mainly for QLD ? or more country locations if the old farmer did not want A/C .
great content informative
Thank you 👍
I remember the Falcons with the quarter windows were predominately police cars and were easily spotted as unmarked police cars!
I think you mean front quarter windows?
Beautiful cars. I always reckoned that the Falcon interiors were more sophisticated than their rivals. Owned a few amongst a brace of Holdens & Valiants.
I think Chrysler did a pretty good interior in their 770 models and Regals etc but the Ford was more sporty with that cockpit dash. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yeah. In my day, the Valiants had the nick name of; 'Marrickville Mercedes'. Good body build, excellent duco,and chrome, with quiet smooth driving. The Big Three all drove differently. The P76 drove well too!
Yes the Valiants had a few names, esp the VH onwards series. Good cars and very cheap. A lot were bought by young guys because they were so cheap. Subsequently they were wrecked too. @@peregrinemccauley5010
To My Eye, The Two Most Beautiful Cars Ever Made In Australia, Or Anywhere For That Matter, Were The XB Falcon, Sedan And Coupe; And The HQ Holden!! Nothing Came Close To The Beautiful Lines Of These; The XC Perhaps, But The XB Really Looked The Goods, And I Drove Taxis In All The Fords And Holdens From The Seventies To The Nineties!! Probably The Best Handling Ford Was The XF!! I Really Liked The Cockpit Dash Too, Sorely Missed On The XC!!
@@lucienleech-larkin7544 Thanks. Great recollections 👍
Great video mark I wish I still had my xagt
At least you can say you had one! But I get it. 👍
Thank god the Australian design won. The xb gt four door is one of the best looking car ever made. Especially in Australia.
Red with Black stripes, yes please.
It sucks on the coupes they changed the boot shape, I think that spoilt it. 🙂
Agreed. Yes, Red Pepper was the name of the colour and the GT sedan looked absolutely terrific in that scheme with the black outs 👍.
Fantastic video, very informative, well done. Like many people I love the old Fords, I've owned a couple of XPs and an XB, the one I'd really love is an XT but that's getting pretty unlikely now, they're all either out of my price range or need too much work to be practical. I should have bought one back in the 90s when they were cheap, but as Captain Picard famously said, regret is futile.
I'm lucky enough to have the series of Street Fords magazines that featured the full restoration of the one and only XA GTHO Phase 4 owned by the (at the time) anonymous dentist, back in 2010. Of course a lot more is known about the car and its owner today, but back in 2010 it was pretty secret. Absolutely amazing story, and if there's a more detailed and accurate restoration of a unique car anywhere else I've yet to see it. I've also seen the car in the flesh and it looks even better in real life than it does in the photos (as most cars do). It's a truly marvelous machine with an extremely reverential history.
Thanks for these videos, they are fantastic.
Thanks very much. I’m glad you are enjoying the series (so far XK to XA). They are an important part of our motoring history, so I think it is worth capturing. I’ll do other makes and models down the track. The Phase IV was a pretty special car. What a shame it did not go into full production as originally planned, along with the responses from Holden and Chrysler.
@@markbehr88 Indeed, it would be great to travel to a parallel universe where the Supercar scare didn't happen and the cars got built and developed.
In retrospect it was probably the right decision though. From a safety viewpoint, and how easy it was to get a license, I can fully understand why the Government was nervous. We may well have ended up with a similar situation to what happened in Group B rallying, and no one wants that. As wild as the cars were, they were death on wheels for anyone brave (foolhardy?) enough to drive them hard. It's quite arguable that we dodged a bullet there. The XB I owned was a real handful at speed, and it wasn't anything special, just a almost stock 302 Auto sedan with a few suspension improvements and some decent wheels but it scared me a few times. I definitely don't miss that car when its raining. Cheers, thanks for reading.
G'day Mark. Another ripper video. I've heard of the Ford XA Falcon, but because I'm not from 'Straya, I've never seen one.
Thanks Jason. It’s one of my favourite Falcons. A modern design for the time. Glad you enjoyed the episode 👍.
XB looked more refined front especially
@@Eric-kn4yn I love the XB Falcon grille.
XA Falcon GT RPO83 Sedan. Purple. Alexandra, New Zealand. 155 mph at the Pool burn Flying Mile. RIP Ronald. We detail painted it together in 1987. He also had an L34 SL/R 5000. The depth of love for the XA was based solely on an illusion of seeing a probable Ford 1,2,3 with the XA GTHO at Bathurst, while being able to do exactly 160 mph stuttering on 6250 rpm on the 6150 rpm rev limiter while breaking low 14 second quarter miles at the drags. Exactly like a De Tomaso Pantera.
We can but dream.
Wow. That would have been something to see for sure. If only Evan hadn’t written his sensational story……….
@@markbehr88 It wasn't Evan, that media sensationalism was accidental, a consequence , not a curse. I mean, I did fatality surveys for the Police and Opus, it's always trucks and motorcycles, not the unrecorded " less than 10 pound per HP cars" that the "XU2" GTR 308 and XA "GOAT" would have represented . Ford's One Phone call reaction to that States' Transport Minister's outrage totally inflamed the situation. If I was the FSV manager, I'd have organised a meeting, not trial by media. Ford Executives (Internationally under Jac Nasser , locally under Polites and others earlier), sure spent years being responsible and de-escalating the safety versus performance hysteria. As was said in 82, "how could suicide be significantly easier than, say, a drum braked 390 Galaxie". Love your work, MB. Keep it up.
@@deanstevenson6527 Thanks very much. Interesting insights too. Once it was in the papers though, the genie was out of the bottle and public opinion and panic would over rule any sensible argument or facts. It was a real shame. When I looked after Product Planning for Holden it was still a consideration when we released the Gen III V8. We had to detune it for release. I said to Kevin Wale getting the engineering dept to do that was like going to a doctor to make you sick. Maybe that will be a future video? 🤔
@@markbehr88 I'm up for any of your insights and have a great day! 🥝✔️
Thanks Dean. You too. 👍@@deanstevenson6527
My dad had a 1967 XR 289 Fairmont , then an XA 302 Fairmont - copper bronze, parchment vinyl roof, checked cloth upholstery; the XR was classier!
Cool. Both nice cars. 👍
When I was a little kid ,a school friends father had a new ish XA v8 sedan, mettalic blue with a beige vinyl roof , I thought it looked great at the time ,and I remember that boy telling me ,that If his father and my father had a race ,his father would win, no mistake , my father had a 225 Ap6 Valiant, and no desire to race anyone ,so he was probably right ,but who cares.🙂 I agree that the XA coupe's taillights looked really good ,and I always wondered why they didnt have them on the XB and XC coupe's. The XA's had probably the nicest looking hubcaps ever designed. My favourite of the range by far is the coupe ( not alone there) also the ute looks good ,and the panel van . These day's ,my thoughts on the XA sedan ,is that they mostly look good ,but I dont think the long bonnet, short boot design worked too well on them aesthetically, the VH Valiant looks far better in my opinion.😲 Its quite amazing how many car designers suddenly got the inspiration to sketch a new design when they were at the pub ,and the only paper they have is a napkin, I cant think of paper less suitable. That Evan Green thing was unfortunate for the car industry, Iv'e heard that Allan Moffatt was a bit icy towards Green after that .
Thanks Barry. Great memories hey? I love hearing that stuff. Reminds me of when I was at school discussing whose Dad had the best car or which model was better. It’s easy to nominate a few favourites in this model range, which is a sign pf how cool they were. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yeah, I had another school friend who was adamant that his father could easily beat my father in a fight , and also would be a much better shot with a rifle. It wasn't an era of sissies back then ,that's for sure.😅
@@barrycuda3769Yes, we were fixated on combat then. Who or what could beat what etc 😀.
Never mind mate. The daisys got his 6 in the end
...
Very good car. Ford Falcons were popular in Jamaica. They were used as Police Cars alongside the Zepyhr Zodiac with the box looking body .
Very interesting. I did not know that. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yes . There was also Kingswood & Holden .
Love the video mark.do you remember the mc'cleod ford"HORN CARS".
Thanks. Absolutely. John Goss often promoted them. They were pretty wild.
Love the phase 4. Would have drove classic car prices to oblivion if it hatched. My fav is the xc. In NZ as a 14 yo car fan, every morning around 8:30 In his Xc, this middle aged dude would turn into my street and nail the kickdown to ist and wind this clevo out to the max. I was just at my letterbox ready for school and by the time he got to my house it would catch 2nd and he would look my way and give me the wink. That was 1982, cool alright. Been a Ford fan ever since. Last 8 was a factory Eb Windsor wagon. Current is Fg Xr6t and Fgx Sprint. Never sell em. Live in Australia now.
Love that story. Thanks for sharing. It is those experiences as a kid that lock you in for life. Love it 👍👍👍👍👍
Coupe impracticle looks sexy im told i would not have coupe
I would and just avoid carrying anyone in the back. They were really more for singles or couples. If you had kids you would buy the sedan.
When it comes to the back seat, the floor pan and wheelbase is identical between the coupe and sedan, so the amount of leg room is identical. The larger doors and the tilt/slide front seats made it not so bad to get in and out from the rear seats as an adult. The only real drawback of having the coupe over the sedan is the amount of head room in the back seat with the roof height being several inches lower than the sedan. If you were 6ft tall (or taller), then your head would touch the roof lining in the back seat.
Get into a tight parking spot and it was actually harder to get out of the front seats than the rear seats in the coupe with the longer doors.
@@K10wNs-Shed The experience of the man that owned one 👍
I grew up with an XB Fairmont. And various Angilas. I did enjoy the XD. I think that was Ford at it's best.
The XD was definitely a good one. Especially the V8s. Survival rates are not great though. It was a good looking car. So was the XB, which will be the next episode in the series. 👍
@@markbehr88 Most of the XD's rusted away. Even the taxi fleet didn't survive Pick n Payless.
@@royferntorp yes rust was a big issue.
@@markbehr88 to paraphrase John Cleese , just don't mention the door handles !
@@robertmorris6529 😂
And for the first time...an all Aussie six cylinder engine...bigger and longer than the XY 250...
Yes, and surprisingly similar dimensions to the Holden and Valiant. All cars were growing larger but funnily enough, put them next to a Corolla sedan these days and they are not as big and heavy as we thought.
My dad worked for ford back in the day and the rpo83 options of 4 bolt main blocks and winged sumps plus the other bits were found in everything from f150 trucks to falcon wagons with the 351 clevo motor but dad found the fmo carby would flow 1150cfm compared to the 780 holley
Thanks. Very interesting. I heard those parts turned up everywhere.
@@markbehr88not supposed to have been in any Multi component combination , to avoid ' someone with info ' getting a good deal ! Eg RPO 83 , a bit like Frankies Monster or (appropriately , Milton the Minister 's Monster )
AAHH the memorys. I currently have an xc fairmont gxl 5.8. As much as i love it, i wish it was an xa or xb, as the xc seems to be the ugly duckling stuck in between the xb & xd. Great video mate.
Hi Greg. I actually really like the XC. The big chrome bumpers. My first car was a XC Fairmont 4.9 litre V8 sedan. It was only 5 years old at the time so a pretty cool first car. My brother had a 5.8 interceptor sedan too. Very cool. The GXLs look terrific I reckon. Great interior, nice headlights from the UK Granada. I would love one! 👍What colour is yours?
@@markbehr88 It's winter white. It's going on the market soon if anyone is interested. I just don't get to drive it much anymore. Pass it on to someone who will love it as much i have.
@@Dave.C937 How many kms and what is the condition like - mechanical, paint, trim and rust etc? What do you want for it? I’ll let my brother know. You can reach me at mjbehr@yahoo.com.au
👍
TISM 🔥👍
XA was the last Falcon I generally had in interest in or liking for up until the AU was released. I guess I have weird tastes but I found most of the other Falcon models after those mentioned models bland and boring. XA was the best looking of the ABC years imo. What I remember most about the XA though was rust problems and dash switch failures.
No doubt that rust was a killer of many Falcons of this era, which is why survivors are worth $$. I like the XB and XC too. There isn’t really a Falcon I don’t like. The AU was strange looking when it was released and no doubt Ford lost sales but now (per my channel) you can see I have three of them! They improved with age styling wise I reckon. 👍
I owned an XA Fairmont that had the quarter vent
Window option and the 250-2V engine option I traded in my yellow ochre XY GS that also had the 2V engine but also was a 4 speed manual, the XA with the 2V was only available with an auto trans they never had a manual option and was the last year of the 2 V, I wish I had of kept both of them!
Yes, they would both be worth a pretty penny now. I wish I had of bought the 351 XY Fairmont I test drove in Canowindra. $3,800 or so.
Good video mate
So what did HO - stand for in australian context -
Handling Option or High Output…….
Thanks very much. HO was Handling Option but I am sure Ford enjoyed the connotations of High Output.
17:10 the Hard top commercial. Voiceover is Michael Pate?
Yes, it is. One of the best Australian voice over people in the business ever. And more famously known for his role on Matlock.
Known amongst us in motorsport as The Barge. Ford looked at what it was up against with the new Torana and added to the public supercar furore, it cancelled the program. Ford also had its supply of quality 351 4V engines blocked by Detroit and emissions killed the local 2V version.
That’s a different spin on the story and doesn’t really account for the cancellation of the V8 XU2 and Charger programs. That was all Gov’t inspired. 👍
Great presentation Mark. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on driver seat visibility on the XA hardtops. At 5’9” I found parking a bit of a challenge at times, otherwise awesome memories.
Thanks James. Yes, you did sit quite low in these cars for sure. You got used to it, however, I am sure you could also have the seat raised a little to afford a better view. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yes I recall considering exactly that strategy just as a Red low k RT E38 landed in my lap. Now that truly was a beast.
Nice one 👍 I will be doing the Chargers eventually too. @@jamesrebbechi5247
XA is my favourite Falcon of all the classic models,prefer the slimmer nose shape and the rear panel and lights.That silver Super Bird is just superb with the front splitter and great side decal. Does anyone know if it still exists?
They do look great don’t they? I am not sure if the original show car still exists or not? Anyone know?
I drove the XA falcon when they were new .
A metallic red one a metallic green one and a white panel van .
Their brakes were a death trap.
In summer the 6 cylinders would pre detonate.
The panel van, which I ran in carefully when new, boiled on the Blackbutt range, had a terrible whine in the diff.
They were almost as bad as the Holdens.
The workers used to prefer driving the mini van.
Was that the disc drum set up? I drove a ZF Fairlane about 5-6 years ago. 302 disc/drum and no issues. So, I assume you are talking drums?
@@markbehr88
Yes they were the disc drum combination.
They fixed it with the next model.
xa would be the best looking ford made.
Yes, definitely one of my favourites.
@markbehr88 My old boys got an xc gs coupe it looks cool but isn't no xa gt front haha
@@benni727 mind you, I would love an XC GS coupe. 👍
I had a mint XA ute in the 90s with Cleveland 302 could do 120mph bright red got stolen unfortunately did get it back minus wheels distributer was never the same 😢
That is rotten. I know what you mean. It’s like after a big accident, the cars are never the same. Would have been a nice ute 👍
My sister had a white and blue super bird factory toploader 4 speed
Wow. That was a pretty cool car back then. She was rocking it. 👍