Ford Falcon 1964 Review

Ford XM Falcon Deluxe 170 Pursuit sedan

Refresher drive
Port Lincoln, South Australia

Few Falcons are more important than the 1964 XM. It was the first to benefit from Australian engineering input, after the original American-designed Falcon proved too fragile. Marking the beginning of an engineering tradition that will continue beyond the end of Ford Australia manufacturing today (October 7, 2016), when production of Ford's oldest surviving passenger car nameplate also ceases, the XM was developed in unforgiving conditions at the southern end of South Australia's remote Eyre Peninsula. What better way to retrace the first Australianised Falcon's footsteps than in a well maintained XM Deluxe 170 Pursuit -- the XR6 of its day – at Cape Catastrophe, Ford Australia's very first proving ground.

A long line of Volkswagen Beetles and Kombis may have been the cars I grew up in, but long before I owned a series of Ford Escorts, Holden Toranas, HJ panel vans and my beloved VL Calais Turbo, one of my earliest motoring memories came courtesy of my best mate Peter's original XK Falcon.

Bought new in 1961 by his dad Tony, this particular 144 Deluxe wagon spent decades in Sydney traffic, travelling up the old Pacific Highway to Brisbane and trundling to church every week, before it was handed it down to his son.

After that, as teenagers did back in the day, it was paddock-bashed most weekends, flogged to within an inch of its life on the backroad to work every day, and subjected to many fully-loaded long-distance road trips.

The XK’s handling was woeful, even compared to the other 1960s and '70s Australian cars, thanks to skinny tyres, half a turn of steering wheel freeplay and a chassis half as rigid as a wood-framed classic Morgan. Indeed, it took Pete's certified mechanical skills to keep it on the road for a decade or so, but it eventually succumbed to rust and a lack of spare parts to replace the fragile clutch and ball-joints that kept on breaking.

But not before one NSW policeman, who had the pleasure of driving it home to Pete's place one night after he fell fowl of the law, described it as an accident waiting to happen and a deathtrap that shouldn't be on the road...

Yes, the first Falcon was ordinary. It was, after all, designed for downtown Detroit and the boulevards of Boston. But it provided a valuable lesson for Ford in Australia, which on the back of a PR disaster and sliding sales was able to convince its parent company to invest a million pounds on an unprecedented local development program.

There were wholesale changes between XK and XM, like a redesigned front-end with heavy-duty suspension, more robust rear leaf sprints and mounts, upgraded shock absorbers, beefier rear axles, extra body and engine noise insulation, "lubed for life" steering linkages and self-adjusting hydraulic brakes.

Engines were made more powerful with bigger carburettors. A smoother and more durable three-speed manual transmission was developed, stronger clutches were fitted and a new oil-filter sourced, allowing Ford to extend service intervals to 6000 miles or six months, chassis lubrication to 36,000 miles and offer a 12,000-mile or 12-month warranty.

But the XM changes ran much deeper, extending to a "zone-strengthened" windscreen, electric two-speed wipers, more powerful headlights, counter-balanced bonnet, deeper and heavier bumpers, an electric remote-controlled rear window for the wagon, extended anti-rust treatment for the inner doors and rocker panels, and a new multi-step plating process to improve chrome corrosion resistance.

Inside, there was a smaller-diameter steering wheel, which was also moved forward to give the driver more space, a redesigned instrument cluster, reinforced bench seat springs, new two-tone ribbed seat trim, and more rear leg-room after the back seat was moved rearwards.

Although exterior design changes were minimal, the XM was distinguished by a new chromed 'semi-floating' grille with five textured horizontal and vertical bars, square headlight assemblies and a larger front bumper – all reminiscent of the day's Lincoln Continental. Designed to make the car look longer and more upmarket, the XM also got a new boot, rear panels, tail-light assemblies and chunkier rear bumpers, plus chromed side mouldings, bonnet surrounds and new engine-size badges.

With Ford's You Yangs proving ground yet to be completed – that wouldn't happen until 1965 – the upgraded 1964 XM Falcon was tested and then launched to media with great fanfare on the rough gravel roads of Cape Catastrophe in late 1963.

Although it's now a national park, most of those isolated roads are still there and many of them remain gravel, and that's where we drove the XM Falcon Deluxe 170 Pursuit sedan from its home in nearby Port Lincoln.

"Designed and developed to meet the toughest operating conditions in Australia" and now bristling with "certified golden quality", Ford billed the XM as Australia's lowest-priced six-cylinder, six-passenger car.

Priced from £1051 (about $30,000 today), the XM was available in sedan, wagon and ute form, with standard and Deluxe trim levels and the choice of three inline six-cylinder engines.

Opening the range was the 'economy' 144 (denoting cubic inches, or 2.4-litre), which for the '64 XM was upgraded from 90 to 96hp (72kW), while at the top of the range was a new 'Super Pursuit' 200ci (3.3-litre) six delivering 121hp (90kW) – enough for a claimed 96mph (155km/h approx) top speed.

In between was the car we've driven here, fitted with a 170 (2.8-litre) Pursuit six, which for 1964 was upgraded to output 83kW at 4400rpm (111hp – up from 101) and 212Nm.

Standard in Futura sedan and Squire wagon variants of the Falcon, the 170 Pursuit engine came with a "high" 8.7:1 compression ratio and could accelerate the XM to 60mph (102km/h) in a brisk-for-the-day 16.3 seconds.

For about £300 pounds more than the 144, it was also an option for base and Deluxe Falcon buyers, while the 200 Super Pursuit engine cost more again at around £1400.

Apart from a two-speed Fordomatic transmission, which cost £113 more than the three-speed manual, XM Falcon customers had the option of a radio and a heater.

Despite the modest specifications – at least by today's standards -- a base kerb weight of just 2590 pounds (1175kg) made the 170 Pursuit reasonably spritely to drive.

Combined with a surprisingly slick-shifting two-speed auto, the 170's wide spread of usable torque and low 3.5:1 final drive ratio (the 200 Super Pursuit's taller 3.2:1 diff was opional in the 170) made it effortless to drive off the line and at a decent clip.

The Falcon's trademark engine flexibility is accompanied at all times by the straight Ford six's familiar engine note and, on 13-inch steel wheels with 6.5-inch wide four-ply white-wall tyres, there's no mistaking this 1960s icon for anything but a front-engined, rear-wheel drive device.

Yes, there's plenty of body roll in corners, understeer galore if you go in too quick, oversteer on tap on any loose surface, drum brakes that need a solid shove (especially if they're already hot) and a massive 38-foot (12.7m) turning circle to keep the Woolies carpark interesting.

But these are things that make the XM so characterful and so interesting to drive. It transports you to another, more sedate, time and place where everything was more relaxed. Try to fight it and you and the XM will get flustered; go with the flow and a parallel universe awaits.

The change of pace starts the second you step inside, where the XM is bright, airy and completely old-school, thanks to a massive glass area separated by super-thin pillars. Dazzling red and white two-tone trim on the front and rear bench seats are absolutely in keeping with the period, as is plenty of chrome on the broad, classic dashboard.

Safety is feeble by modern standards, extending only to seatbelts. Ergonomics are flawed thanks to a too-tight seat/wheel relationship, and standard equipment extends only to a 120mph speedo and fuel, engine temp, engine oil and generator gauges.

The Deluxe, however, added luxuries like a cigarette lighter, carpeted floor, dashboard padding, dual horn and rear armrests. All the while, the view out is expansive, the front bench seat intimate and the distinctive old-car smell a constant reminder of more laid-back times.

The XM's revised recirculating-ball steering was a vast improvement over the XK (and the minor XL facelift) but still fairly sloppy by 2016 standards. And although the beefier suspension (comprising upper and lower arms up front and a solid leaf-sprung axle out back) proved more durable, it was brittle enough to rattle the windows as it jarred over bumps, drowning out the excessive wind, tyre and engine noise.

But judged against the XK and most other cars available Down Under at the time, the first Australianised Falcon set new standards for performance, value and durability, and was testament to the homework done by Ford's dedicated pioneering engineers.

Our drive of the XM back to its birthplace not only brought back fond memories of a bygone era and reminded us of a time when motoring was less sterile and more of an occasion, but proved old Falcons can still be reliably and comfortably driven every day in all manner of conditions.

That's something not many 50-year-old cars can do, including the original XK. Farewell Falcon and long live Ford's Aussie engineering tradition.

1964 Ford Falcon Deluxe 170 Pursuit sedan pricing and specifications:
Price: From £1051
Engine: 170ci (2.8-litre) inline six-cylinder petrol
Output: 111hp (83kW) and 156 ft-lbs (212Nm)
Transmission: Three-speed manual or two-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: N/A
Safety rating: N/A

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