Falcon GT's chequered past

Justin Sheppard, owner of the XR GT Falcon pictured here acknowledged the point: Australia has moved on a long way since the 1960s. His 289 Windsor-powered car, which originally belonged to his great uncle, was a stand-out in its day.

But in 2012, and parked alongside FPV's latest model, the GT R-Spec, the XR looks subtle and understated.

For all the modern car's kick-boxer style however, it has the stuff to back up the looks. Yet the R-Spec is also a much easier car to drive than the XR. Not for nothing was the XR GT termed a 'muscle' car in Australia. The steering of the first Falcon GT is a sure-fire way of building up those biceps.

Ford's Bill Bourke masterminded stuffing the 289 CID (4.7-litre) Windsor V8 into the new XR model Falcon. The engine was matched to a four-speed manual transmission from the F100 truck. The GT won Bathurst in 1967 and the XT follow-up won the team prize in the London to Sydney Marathon the year after.

Most argue the Falcon GT brand reached its zenith with the Phase III GT HO (XY) in 1971. After that the wowsers drove the performance sedan movement underground, with Ford's stillborn XA-based Phase IV model already in pre-production at the time.

In the decade following the happy-go-lucky 1960s, the cultural mood turned sombre. Road safety was at the forefront of public opinion, and while the oil shock of the early 1970s didn't influence car buying habits that much in Australia, motorists and enthusiasts noted what was happening overseas.

Many saw anti-emissions legislation in the latter half of the decade as the final nail in the coffin for performance cars. The Falcon GT became a shadow of itself in the XA and XB models, finally expunged as if by some Jedi mind trick, with the introduction of the 'softer' GXL model in the XC series.

But if performance was on a treadmill to nowhere, the Falcon was improving in other ways as time passed. Four-wheel discs in the 1970s were followed by a coil-sprung rear end in the 1980s (at last!).

Performance remained a dirty word at Ford during the 1980s, however. The XD range introduced the European Sports Pack option, which sounded more sophisticated than the GT badge – already associated with lumpy, brutish cars for the track. With the XE Falcon, Ford killed off the V8 option altogether, only to revive it with the EB model the following decade.

Ford also revived the GT name in 1992, with the assistance of Tickford Vehicle Engineering. As the market had changed in the interim, the EB GT sold in limited numbers only, at a premium price.

The EB GT established the guide by which all subsequent Falcon GTs have been marketed. Falcon XR8 had taken the place of the affordable sporting V8 in the range. An EL GT followed in 1997, but the GT badge lapsed once more with the introduction of the AU Falcon in 1998.

Ford and Prodrive founded FPV (Ford Performance Vehicles) and introduced the BA Falcon GT in 2003. The GT name has been applied to the highest echelon of performance Falcons since.

Mr Hammerli bought the car from Woodford Motors in Geelong in 1967. It was specified without wing mirrors or a radio – both were options at the time.

He drove the classic car daily until he was “well into his 80s”, and left the vehicle to his nephew Lindsay Sheppard in his will.

Mr Sheppard, himself the former manufacturing manager at Ford in Geelong, passed the car along to his son Justin, the present owner, upon his retirement.

With over 231,000 miles on the clock the car is in original condition, bearing all the bruises and scrapes that come with age. The heads have never been off the engine. The panels for the car were stamped in Geelong and the vehicle assembled in Broadmeadows.

Justin plans to keep the car as original as possible, though says he will need to have the rust looked at, and may need to look at the engine’s numerous oil leaks.

The decision was made with one interest in mind: winning Bathurst. And in 1967 Falcon GT did just that, cementing its place in the history books with a 1-2 win at Mount Panorama.

With a top speed down Conrod Straight of 125.69mph (202.27km/h) the Falcon GT set what was then the fastest time ever recorded by a series production car on the Bathurst circuit.

Minor suspension and brake alterations, wider wheels and an optional limited slip differential made the Falcon GT tauter and more comfortable, but not necessarily more competitive.

The revised Falcon GT became a surprising success in the field of rallying; finishing the London to Sydney Marathon in second place. But Bathurst was to elude it. Holden’s new Monaro GTS 327 taking first, second and third place in 1968.

The XW series Falcon GT upped the ante again with an even larger V8 engine, bigger brakes and better suspension. A HO (Handling Option) variant followed months later with greater performance and stiffer suspension; and also debuted the Super Roo emblem.

Bonnet pins, body stripes and chrome ‘351 High Performance’ badges adorned the body, while quarter-mile times fell by 1.6 seconds.

The Falcon GT finished Bathurst in second place in 1969, this time behind a Holden Monaro GTS 350. Victory came a year later when Alan Moffat and Bruce McPhee finished the Hardie-Ferodo 500 in first and second place.

The XY series Falcon GT was colloquially dubbed ‘Shaker’ for its stand-out bonnet intake. The last of the series it offered options like a sunroof, tape deck, power aerial and air conditioning.

The Falcon GT-HO Phase III was the ultimate iteration of the XY range and took the first three places at Bathurst in 1971. In practice, the HO achieved a lap time of 2’38:09” – almost 25 seconds fast than the original XW Falcon GT.

Sadly, the XY Falcon GT (and its rivals from Holden and Chrysler) was to be the last of its kind. The Supercar Scare all but outlawing an increase in performance.

A wave of public and political pressure (ironically most of it arising from ill-informed motoring press) meant there was no GT-HO Phase IV variant per se, though four examples were produced: three prototypes built for racing and one Calypso Green four-door production model.

The XA Falcon GT won Bathurst in 1973.

Tighter emissions standards meant the performance-oriented models were less popular than they had been in the past. Indeed Ford’s main rival, the Holden Monaro GTS, had now cut the capacity of its flagship model to 5.0-litres, outputting just 179kW/427Nm against Falcon GT’s 224kW/513Nm.

The XB series was the last production model to wear the much coveted GT badge for almost 20 years, and sadly never managed a Bathurst win.

Just in time for the GT’s 25th anniversary arrived the EB Series II Falcon GT. Built in conjunction with Tickford Vehicle Engineering the ‘GT for the 90s’ introduced an elaborate body kit, fuel-injected V8 engine and high specification list.

As welcomed as the return of the GT was, the car was no match for its namesake. Power figures were down and performance was outstripped by models 30 years its senior. In fact, the new GT was almost one full second slower from 0-100km/h than the XW Falcon GT from 1969.

Despite this, the Ford-Tickford EBII Falcon GT is considered a modern classic, and is moderately collectable.

A refined Grand Tourer with plenty of luxury features the model was as comfortable as it was quick. Built in smaller numbers than the superseded model, it’s also, arguably, more collectable.

The EBII and EL Falcon GT models marked a small but significant return of the GT moniker, but the glory was short lived. Ford didn’t revive the nameplate again for another six years.

Introduced at the Sydney Motor Show in 2002 the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) Falcon GT again revived the famous moniker.

Powered by a newly developed BOSS engine, the new GT combined the cast iron Triton block with Mustang-sourced cylinder-heads, and was rumoured to offer a 254km/h top speed. FPV named this engine the BOSS 290 due to its output of 290kW.

The BA Falcon GT was updated in 2004 with new stripe and bonnet decals, a six-speed Tremec manual transmission (the four-speed auto remained), and 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.

Force 6 and Force 8 models joined the GT range as a luxury alternative. The models were more conservative in appearance, and offered a more subdued paint palette to boot.

In the final months of the BF era, limited edition 302kW Cobra models revived the XC series nameplate. It was joined by a 40th anniversary edition Falcon GT and Typhoon R-Spec. All three limited edition models received stiffer dampers with R-Spec models gaining Brembo four-piston front disc brakes.

 
The FG series Falcon GT saw the arrival of an all-aluminium supercharged Australian developed 'Miami' V8. Tightening emission laws spelt the end for the long-serving Boss V8.

It was the first time a GT had featured forced induction, and depending on grade, two output levels were offered. The Falcon GT finally had the power it deserved. Output figures eclipsed anything that had come before it, and with driveline and electronic assistance to match, the new car was a force to be reckoned with.

A ‘power bulge’ on the bonnet and striking details meant there was no mistaking the GT’s intent.