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Ford Falcon turns 50 today


The nameplate has been a constant in Australian life since the first car, an XK, rolled down Ford's Campbellfield production line on June 28, 1960.  To help celebrate, Ford is planning a range of activities to celebrate the models' 50th anniversary as the country's longest running nameplate, from limited edition 50th anniversary cars to one-off factory tours.

Despite being one of the country's favourite family sedans the birth of the locally built Ford was not easy.  Back in 1955 Ford had originally chosen to build a local version of the UK Zephyr, rather than build it from kits that arrived by ship from Dagenham in the UK.

However, in 1958 during a trip to the United States to view the Zephyr being redesigned for Australia, the then Ford Australia managing director Charles Smith, saw the more modern Falcon.  He quickly made up his mind that the Zephyr was not right for the local market.

The Falcon was being developed for the Canadian and American markets.  It was roomy, modern and better looking than the Zephyr, things Smith thought would make it more appealing locally. It was also cheaper to manufacture. Smith got his way.

When the XK Falcon made its showroom debut to customers in September 1960 it made front-page news across the country's newspapers.  At the time it was described as a "compact", as it was smaller than the popular family cars of the period.

In his book 75 Years of Ford in Australia, motoring journalist and author Bill Tuckey says the new Falcon had several advantages over the FB Holden.  Although the same length, it was far more modern than the Holden, which had "a wraparound windscreen with dogleg corners, vacuum operated non-parallel windscreen wipers and tail-fins that screamed 1950s".

The Ford also had a bigger engine with the option of a three-speed column-shift manual. It cost just 30 pounds more than the Holden and had 90 per cent Australian content.  But the first Falcon was plagued with durability problems. Its body wasn't strong enough to cope with our harsh roads because the car was tested in the US and not here.

The XK's successor, the XL, was tougher, had bigger engines and a new manual transmission.  It was marketed as "Trim, Taut, Terrific!"  With the launch of the XM in 1964, the Falcon had more serious claims to being a car designed and engineered by Australians for Australian conditions.

Changes were made to the front and rear suspension, the braking system, clutch, rear axle, engine mounts and exhaust.  All the improvements were the result of extensive local testing.  Ford Australia management went one step further with the launch of the XP Falcon in 1965.

In an attempt to convince local fleet buyers of the car's robustness and durability, the then deputy managing director Bill Bourke conceived the XP Durability Run.  The bold scheme involved driving five standard Falcons to the limit around Ford's demanding You Yangs proving ground driven by the country's top race and rally drivers.

The plan was to do 70,000 miles at an average speed per car of 70 miles per hour. Some of the five cars rolled, but after eight days driven at the limit, the five cars averaged a speed of 71.3 miles per hour.

The accolades followed. That same year, the Falcon was named Wheels Car of the Year.  The following year, the bigger, more powerful XR arrived with an entirely new shape.  It received more Australian design input than previous models and for the first time had a V8 engine. The XR also was the first model to carry the now legendary GT badge.

The XT brought more powerful V8s, a synchromesh gearbox, dual circuit brakes and a choice of two automatic transmissions.  It was followed by the XW and XY, which became even more remarkable for the now highly prized and collectable GTHO Phase II and III. 

In 1971, the Falcon took another styling turn with the new XA sedan, with its "coke bottle" side profile.  The XA was specifically designed for the local market and no longer a "borrowed" design from the US.  Three years earlier, local Ford designers travelled to the US and spent most of the summer of 1968 working on the Falcon clay model.  The design impressed Detroit executives and they soon gave the go-ahead for a design centre at Broadmeadows.

With the XB and XC came four-wheel disc brakes, four-barrel carburettors and an all-time classic Falcon, the Cobra.  The XC also brought a famous 1-2 victory for Allan Moffat and Colin Bond at Bathurst in 1977.  After the XA experience, the XD was to be the first Falcon designed in Australia from a clean piece of paper.

Efficiency, interior space and weight reduction were the key elements of the new design.  It also have several innovations now common today, including a plastic fuel tank and plastic bumpers.

The following model, the XE, marked the introduction of electronic fuel injection and a Watts link coil-sprung rear-end. The car took Ford to number one in the market in 1982.  The XF was notable for a new engine computer management system, which managed the spark timing and air-fuel mix more efficiently.

A new shape for Falcon came with the EA, which also gained an all-new stronger front suspension and geometry.  The EB and subsequent EB II gained better handling, the return of the V8 and anti-skid brakes.  The final facelift for the EA came with the ED, with better side-impact crash protection and under-the-bonnet changes.

In August 1994 came a new shape and an Australian Design Award for the EF Falcon for its engineering advances.  The modified engine ran smoother and had improved power and torque and a new engine management system developed through Formula One racing.

A standard airbag, better ride and handling and significant safety advances completed the upgrade. The car also had the world's first airbag-compatible bull-bar.  The $40 million EL program brought further ride and handling improvements, anti-skid brakes and better steering feel.

The $700 million AU Falcon saw the introduction of Computer Aided Design and engineering, allowing for significant advances in chassis stiffness, aerodynamics and directional stability.  The car also gained a sophisticated double wishbone independent rear suspension and variable cam timing on prestige models.

The AU II and AU III continued an innovation and value-for-money mantra. They came with a standard passenger airbag, CD player, 16-inch wheels and scheduled servicing to 60,000km included in the cost of the car.

In 2002 the all-new BA arrived with a new 4.0-litre six cylinder engine, sequential automatic and "control blade" independent rear suspension.  A potent turbocharged version and double overhead camshaft V8 version also earned the BA critical acclaim.

It spearheaded a sales revival and won many motoring awards including the Australia's Best Cars "Best Family Car" title and the highly coveted Wheels Car of The Year. It success carried over the the BF.

In 2008 the FG arrived and was the star at the Melbourne Motor Show.  It has since earned its stripes among buyers for its style, economical engines, performance and five-star crash safety.

Ford Falcon timeline

XY (1970-72) Australian troops ordered home from Vietnam. Neville Bonner becomes first Aboriginal MP. Qantas launches 747.

XA (1972-73) Gough Whitlam elected. Shane Gould wins three gold medals in Munich. Cleo magazine launched with male nude centrefold.

XB (1973-76) Women secure equal pay. Voting age drops from 21 to 18. Sydney Opera House opens.

Cyclone Tracey hits Darwin. Whitlam sacked.

XC (1976-79) Cigarette ads banned. ABBA arrives. Democrat Party launched. World Series Cricket begins. Queensland bans public protests. Melbourne's West Gate Bridge opens.

XD (1979-82) First uranium mine opened. First test-tube Australian born. Azaria Chamberlain goes missing.

XE (1982-84) Random breath-testing introduced in NSW. Chamberlains found guilty of murdering Azaria. Ash Wednesday bushfires.

XF (1984-88)  Unleaded petrol launched. BLF deregistered. Crocodile Dundee released. Stock market crashes.

EA (1988-91) Darling Harbour opens. Chamberlains acquitted. Pilots' dispute. Earthquake hits Newcastle. Australian troops to Iraq.

EB (1991-1993) Labor drops Hawke for Keating. Sydney Harbour Tunnel opens. Compass Airlines collapses.

ED (1993-1994) Sydney wins bid to host 2000 Olympic Games. Bushfires wreak havoc in Sydney. Fred Hollows dies.

EF (1994-1996) Backpacker murderer Ivan Milat on trial. Spanish Court refuses to deport Christopher Skase. Allan Border retires.

EL (1996-1998) Port Arthur Massacre. Pat Rafter wins US Open. One Nation outpolls Liberal Party in Qld.

AU (1998-2002) INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence dies. Australia votes "No" to a Republic. GST introduced. Cathy Freeman opens Sydney Olympics.

BA (2002-2005) John Howard becomes second longest serving PM. Australian troops in Iraqi War. Governor General Peter Hollingsworth resigns. Adelaide-Darwin rail link completed. Lleyton Hewitt wins Wimbledon.

BF (2005-2008)  Pope John Paul II dies. London transport terrorist attack kills 56. European Space Agency's Venus Express spaceprobe enters Venus' orbit.

FG  (2008-) Quentin Bryce sworn in as first female Governor General of Australia. Black Saturday Victorian bushfires claim 173 lives.

Long runs

Ford and Holden dominate the list of longest-running locally made cars:
Ford Falcon sedan 50 years(1960-)
Ford Fairlane sedan 40 years(1967-2007)
Ford Cortina sedan 20 years(1962-1982)
Holden Statesman sedan 39 years(1971-)
Holden Commodore sedan 32 years(1978-)
Holden Kingswood sedan 12 years(1968-1980)