The Ford Falcon (XC) is a
full-size car
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
Af ...
that was produced by
Ford Australia
Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Comp ...
from 1976 to 1979. It was the third and last iteration of the third generation of the
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
and also included the Ford Fairmont (XC)—the luxury-oriented version of the Falcon.
Overview
The XC series was a facelift of the
XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the
XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972. Introduced in July 1976, the XC was the first model to comply with the new pollution regulations specified under Australian Design Rule 27A. The response to the 1 July 1976, mandatory anti-pollution laws (ADR 27A), was to redevelop the Falcon six cylinder engines with a cross-flow head for greater efficiency.
Visually, the XC Falcon was given a restyle treatment. The XC had a less aggressive nose which incorporated two round headlights on Falcon models and two rectangular headlights on Fairmont models. Ford also addressed the vision problems of the XA and XB by utilizing the rear doors from the contemporary model FAIRLANE which had the effect of removing the coke bottle look., along with installing an all-new dash and installing higher front seats. The preceding XA and XB series were the last model Falcons to use
coke bottle styling
Coke bottle styling is an automotive body design with a narrow center surrounded by flaring fenders which bears a general resemblance to a Coca-Cola classic glass contour bottle design. It was introduced by industrial designer Raymond Loewy on ...
. It was succeeded in 1979 by the
XD Falcon which utilised similar styling to Ford's European Granada models.
Total production of the XC range reached 171,082 vehicles prior to the replacement of the XC by the
XD Falcon in March 1979.
Model range
The XC Falcon range of passenger vehicles consisted of nine models:
The Fairmont models were not badged or marketed as Falcons.
The XC Falcon range of commercial vehicles consisted of five models:
[Ford Cars - All Model Catalogue May 1978, page 48]
The contemporary Fairlane and LTD models were codenamed ZH, and P6 respectively.
File:1977 Ford XC Falcon 500 (5092433775).jpg, Ford Falcon 500 Sedan (XC)
File:1976 Ford XC Fairmont (6055732330).jpg, Ford Fairmont Sedan (XC)
File:1978 Ford XC Fairmont station wagon (7708281888).jpg, Ford Fairmont Wagon (XC) (with GS Rally Pack)
File:Ford Fairmont Hardtop (XC Series) (16027826004).jpg, Ford Fairmont Hardtop (XC) (with optional vinyl roof)
File:Ford Fairmont XC GXL Sedan.jpg, Ford Fairmont GXL (XC) (with optional vinyl roof)
File:1978 Ford XC Falcon Utility (8590806201).jpg, Ford Falcon Utility (XC)
Fairmont GXL
Unique to the XC model was the GXL version of the Fairmont, Available in 4.1L
Straight 6
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
, or 4.9L
Cleveland V8. An upgraded engine package, the GT Power Pack, used the larger 5.8L
Cleveland v8. The Fairmont GXL was replaced in the following XD range with the Fairmont Ghia model.
GS Rally Pack
A GS Rally Pack was fitted as standard equipment on the Falcon GS Hardtop
[ and was available as an option on Falcon 500 Sedan and Wagon,][ Fairmont Sedan and Wagon,][ Falcon Utility and Van ][Ford Cars - All Model Catalogue May 1978, page 37] and on Falcon 500 Utility and Van.[ The pack included special paint treatment, bonnet scoops, bumper overriders, slotted steel wheels, enhanced instrumentation, a sports steering wheel and long range driving lights.][ The driving lights were not included when the pack was fitted to Fairmont models.][
]
Limited edition models
In December 1977 12 special-build XC hardtops were released, all with VINs beginning JG65TE. These were based on the GS hardtop but featured an homologation pack of additional parts that Ford persuaded CAMS was now available as standard on GS hardtops, in order to include those parts on their race cars. The pack included front and rear spoilers, twin electric radiator fans, various body and steering braces for durability and stiffness, and a reverse bonnet scoop that supplied cool air to the engine via a circular hole in the bonnet. This homologation pack would also form the basis of the 30 Option 97 "Bathurst Cobras" the following year.
Ford Falcon Cobra
In August 1978 Ford Australia introduced the limited production Falcon Cobra
The Cobra was a limited edition Muscle car of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop (Coupe).
History
In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be release ...
, a high-performance version of the XC Falcon Hardtop. Only 400 were built, including 4.9-litre and 5.8-litre street versions and 30 "Bathurst Specials".
Allan Moffat Special
In 1977 a limited number (500) of the Falcon 500 sedan were marketed as Allan Moffat Specials. These cars received XB GT-style blackouts and a sticker on the front doors consisting of Allan Moffat's signature and an Australian flag, as well as other options such as the GS Rally pack and Sports handling suspension as standard.
Sundowner Van
The Falcon Sundowner Van, based on the Falcon 500 Van, was introduced in 1977. It included options from the Falcon GS Hardtop, such as comprehensive instrumentation, bonnet scoops, slotted sports road wheels and driving lights, with side protection moulding's and rear side glass deleted. Side and rear decals were included in the package.
File:FFCobra XC.jpg, Ford Falcon Cobra (XC)
File:Ford Falcon XC Allan Moffat Special.jpg, Ford Falcon Allan Moffat Special (XC)
File:Ford_Falcon_XC_Sundowner_Panel_Van.jpg, Ford Falcon Sundowner Panel Van (XC)
Motorsport
The GS 500 Hardtop formed the basis for the Ford Falcon Cobra
The Cobra was a limited edition Muscle car of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop (Coupe).
History
In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be release ...
and a customer racing program, with a special "Evolution" (and later Evo II) package to homologate parts. At the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was a motor race for Group C Touring Cars, held on 2 October 1977 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia. It was the 18th in a sequence of "Bathurst 1000" events commenc ...
, Allan Moffat
Allan George Moffat OBE (born 10 November 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian-Australian racing driver known for his four championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship, six wins in the Sandown 500 and his four win ...
and Colin Bond
Colin John Bond (born 24 February 1942) is a retired Australian racing driver. Bond reached the highest levels in Australian motorsport in 1969 when he was recruited by Harry Firth to the newly formed Holden Dealer Team. He quickly found succ ...
drove Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
specification Hardtops to a "1, 2" formation finish. Moffat later went on to win the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing championship open to Group C Touring Cars. It was the 18th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The championship began at Symmons Plains R ...
driving both an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and XC Falcon GS 500 Hardtop.
References
External links
The Old Car Manual Project - Ford Cars All Model Catalogue May 1978
{{Ford Falcon
XC
Cars of Australia
Cars introduced in 1976
1970s cars
XC Falcon
Sedans
Station wagons
Coupé utilities
Vans
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles