Ford Falcon 1979 News

Don’t you just hate it when you’re walking across a clay pan in the middle of the desert and a band of motorised villains try to snatch your iced coffee? The jolly swagman featured in this ad sure does.Stopping to refresh himself with a nice cold Ice Break iced coffee, the drink is soon snatched by an unidentified dirtbike rider. Moving up the motorised food chain, the drink is soon snared by a masked Harley Davidson rider, shortly before a Mad Max-esque XB Falcon hardtop sneaks up from behind and becomes the next in line.Sure enough, a truckie in a Western Star big rig soon lances the bottle out of Mad Max’s grip, before the thirsty swagman takes on the truck and wins, his iced coffee. Jumping the shark, a fighter jet then tries its luck for the coffee, but to no avail.The new ad – directed by Paul Middleditch and produced by Plaza Films -- is the work of agency The Monkeys, who are targeting Ice Break’s core audience of 18-29 year old males. With this line-up of vehicles, we reckon they’re on the money. Watch the desert Ice Break ad here.  This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

As Ford this week announced plans to axe 440 jobs from its two Victorian plants and throw the future of the Falcon into jeopardy, the legendary five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and three-time Bathurst winner has come out in support of the family car and the company. “Certainly from our perspective it would be a shame to see the Falcon disappear off the face of the earth,'' he said. “It's one of few rear-wheel-drive platforms in the world and Aussies have traditionally enjoyed rear-wheel-drive cars.'' Johnson says there is nothing wrong with the product. “The product is an excellent car. All Ford products are excellent,'' the long-time Ford racer said. “I don't think the styling is bad and now that they've brought out the four-cylinder model and have the EcoBoost engines, they are much more economical. “Surely there is still a market for people who enjoy the luxury of a car with a lot of room.' 'He says the problem is the lack of an export market. “Where Holden have a slight advantage over Ford is they have an overseas export market which keeps production numbers up,'' he said. “That's the problem. They need an export strategy. Ford is reducing daily production from 209 to 148 vehicles in November in response to an industry-wide slump in large car sales, despite a $103 million funding package Ford received from its US parent company, the Victorian and federal governments in January. The package is aimed at securing the manufacture of the Falcon and Territory SUV at Geelong and Broadmeadows until at least the end of 2016. Industry analysts predict the Falcon will be axed at the end of that period. “I hope they keep it. It's been very good for us,'' Johnson said. “I don't know where it's heading. Between now and 2016 we may see a resurgence in sales. “Markets change and one would hope the economy will repair itself in the meantime and we might see a few things pick up. “I'm the eternal optimist.'' Johnson, who runs a three-Falcon team in the V8 Supercar series, says he will he still race Falcons even if they are scrapped from production. “My favourite Falcon is any one that won a race,'' the laconic driver said. “Realistically the ones that most people relate to is the XD and XE. They were tough-looking cars.''  

He’s been a green superhero in The Hulk, defended an ancient Greek city in Troy, and gone to the rescue of stranded troops in Black Hawk Down. So can Eric Bana now save the Aussie large car whose woes are beyond the surgical skills of government packages, marketing campaigns and hasty engine revisions. Probably not. Don’t expect to see reports of new V8s booming as a result of Bana’s auto-focus movie, Love the Beast. But don’t be surprised if there’s a spike in sales of classic cars … and perhaps particularly higher interest in the 1974 XB GT Falcon Coupe at the centre of the film – and at the centre of Bana’s life since his teens. Watch the Love the Beast trailer here... Released nationally this week, the film follows Bana’s journey with the car through first getting it to driveable standard, then as a touchstone for his early social life, and finally to the years of dipping into racing that brought it to a crashing end in the slippery rally that is Targa Tasmania. Part home movie, part car cult film, part psychological and sociological analysis, the story is told using narrative from Bana, his family and longtime friends – and a few more recent ones like Top Gear linchpin Jeremy Clarkson, comedian Jay Leno and a teeth-grittingly tedious Dr Phil (of Oprah fame and spin-off). And it works. Through a range of mechanisms, and some great camera work – best seen on the big screen — Love the Beast manages to infect you with the near-romantic passion for classic muscle cars and racing, while not ignoring the obvious dangers. And since he’s now fairly at home in a Hollywood that is obsessive about airbrushing the personal image, it’s great to see Bana’s still proud to trot out the kind of early family photos and footage that would otherwise be cringe-worthy. There were occasional moments that seemed a little contrived, but this was mainly because they stood out against the natural charm of most of the film. It’s warm, it’s casual, and in places it’s very funny. Much like hanging out in the garage with your mates. Is Bana’s Ford XB Coupe the best muscle car? Or is it something from Holden or Chrysler, or perhaps even one of the Europeans?      

Previous Bathurst 1000 Winners 1963 Harry Firth/Bob Jane Ford Cortina GT 1964 Bob Jane/George Reynolds Ford Cortina GT 1965 Bo Seton/Midge Bosworth Ford Cortina GT500 1966 Rauno Aaltonen/Bob Holden Morris Mini Cooper S 1967 Harry Firth/Fred Gibson Ford Falcon XRGT 1968 Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland Holden Monaro GTS