Ford XA Falcon 500 Sedan with GS Rally Pack |
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| Manufacturer | Ford Australia |
|---|---|
| Also called | Ford XA Futura Ford XA Fairmont |
| Production | March 1972-September 1973 |
| Predecessor | Ford XY Falcon |
| Successor | Ford XB Falcon |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon 2-door hardtop 2-door coupe utility 2-door van |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | 3.3L (200ci) 6-cyl (130 bhp) 4.1L (250ci) 6-cyl (155 bhp) 4.1L (250ci) 6-cyl (170 bhp) 4.9L (302ci) V8 (240 bhp) 5.8L (351ci) V8 (260 bhp) 5.8L (351ci) V8 (300 bhp) (GT only) |
| Transmission | 3spd manual 4spd manual 3spd auto |
| Wheelbase | 2819mm |
| Length | 4737mm |
| Width | 1900mm |
| Height | 1369mm |
| Curb weight | 1369kg |
| Related | Ford ZF Fairlane |
The Ford XA Falcon is an automobile which was produced by Ford Australia from March 1972 to September 1973. It replaced the XY series Falcon and was the first Falcon to be completely designed and manufactured in Australia,[1] although it is generally accepted that the two-door Hardtop version's styling was influenced by that of the US market Mustang and Torino.
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Sedans and Wagons were introduced in March 1972, the Hardtops in August 1972 [1] and the Utilities and Vans in October of that year.[2]
A Grand Sport Rally Pack was offered on Falcon, Falcon 500 and Fairmont models.[3]
The XA featured an entirely new body which was larger and more roomy than that of its XY series predecessor.[1] The XA range also had a longer list of options and a wider choice of engines with the 4.1 litre six now available with either a single or double venturi carburettor.[4] Wagons now featured a longer wheelbase than the sedans and an optional dual-action tailgate that could be opened either downwards or sideways.[4]
The addition of a two-door Hardtop to the range marked the first time that this body style had been offered on an Australian Falcon since the XP series of 1965-1966.[5] The Hardtop's longer doors with frameless windows were shared with the Utility and Van, with a different shape glass to suit the commercial vehicles' body apertures.[5]
The shorter doors of the four door sedan and wagon with their framed windows were also available with optional quarter vent windows, though these were very rare. This option was discontinued in the subsequent XB and XC models.
A total of 129,473 XAs were built.[1] While successful, the XA Falcon range proved to be short-lived as it gained a significant frontal appearance update to become the XB series in October 1973.
Allan Moffat and Ian Geoghegan won the 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst in a factory entered XA Falcon GT Hardtop and John Goss and Kevin Bartlett won the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 in a privately entered example.
As with the previous XW and XY series Falcon GT sedans, an extra high performance limited production version of the XA Falcon GT sedan, the XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV, was developed by Ford Australia for homologation in Group E Series Production Touring Car racing, targeting in particular the 1972 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst. Production of the required 200 examples was abandoned in July 1972 following intense media and political pressure and only one production example was completed.[6][7] This significant road car was manufactured in Calypso Green metallic with a white vinyl interior, and has recently been completely restored.
Additionally, three regular production Falcon GT sedans - especially painted in Brambles Red - had been in the process of being developed for racing to GT-HO specification by Ford Special Vehicles Division, to be raced at Bathurst in 1972 by factory drivers Allan Moffat and Fred Gibson. With the abandonment of the XA Falcon GT-HO as a production car, development was immediately halted on the three race cars and they were sold off. However, one of these cars did go on to serve a life in motorsport, specifically as a rally car campaigned by Bruce Hodgson; sadly, it was later destroyed following a road accident. Although the three cars featured standard Falcon GT compliance plates, they are considered by most Ford fans to be race-prepared versions of the XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV.