The Ford Falcon (XB) is a full-size car 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 1973 to 1976. It was the second 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 (XB), the luxury-oriented version.

Overview

The XB series bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance. First time equipment offerings included standard front

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s on all models and an available carpeted interior.

Model range

The XB Falcon range included the following models: * A Grand Sport Rally Pack option, which included bonnet scoops, striping, GS insignia and "GT" instrumentation, was available on Falcon 500, Futura and Fairmont models. File:1975 Ford Falcon 500 (XB) (11432388035).jpg, Falcon 500 (XB) sedan File:Ford Falcon 500 GS 351 Ute (XB Series) (16648736411).jpg, Falcon 500 (XB) Utility with GS Rally Pack File:1973-76 XB Van Falcon GS

.JPG, Falcon 500 (XB) Van with GS Rally Pack File:1975 Ford Fairmont XB GS Sedan.jpg, Fairmont (XB) sedan with GS Rally Pack File:1973-76 XB Hardtop Fmont GS Yell Blaze

.JPG, Fairmont (XB) Hardtop with GS Rally Pack File:1975 Ford XB Fairmont GS station wagon (6055806126).jpg, Fairmont (XB) wagon with GS Rally Pack File:1973-1976 Ford Falcon (XB) GT sedan (2015-01-01) 03.jpg, GT Sedan interior File:10 Tango Code K Sed 68S 21H

.JPG, Ford Falcon GT (XB) sedan File:Ford XB Falcon GT Hardtop (Red).jpg, Falcon GT (XB) Hardtop

Sovereign Edition

In July 1974, a special Falcon Sovereign Edition was released to celebrate Ford Australia's 50th anniversary. It was based on a Falcon 500 fitted, as standard, with a vinyl roof, Fairmont wheel covers, carpet, transistor radio and three thin body stripes. No records were kept on these cars so exact specifications and build quantities are unknown. Production of the Sovereign is believed to have ended in July 1975.

John Goss Special

Among the limited edition variants of the XB was the

John Goss Special The John Goss Special was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in August 1975 to commemorate John Goss' win in the prestigious Bathurst 1000 endurance race the previous year. The car was based on the XB Falcon 500 Ha ...

, released in 1975 and named for the race driver who took a Falcon to victory in the

1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 The 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars, held at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 6 October 1974. The race was Round 3 of the 1974 Australian Manufacturers' Cha ...

Touring Car race at Bathurst. These specials were based on the Falcon 500 Hardtop, with decals and other bolt on options, such as the GT Bonnet. They were available in White with a choice of two accent colors: Emerald Fire and Apollo Blue.

McLeod Ford "horn" cars

Max McLeod owned a Ford dealership in Rockdale, New South Wales, a suburb of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and sponsored John Goss entered Falcons in the

South Pacific Touring Series The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian Touring car racing series held annually from 1970 to 1975 during the month of February in conjunction with the Tasman Series for open-wheelers. Races counting towards the series were staged at ...

, ATCC and multiple Bathurst 1000 races. In addition to further modifications to Fords own John Goss Special, McLeod offered the "horn" pack to various Falcon models. These cars are known for their stand-out "strobe" stripes that were applied to the cars, these stripes were the same as used in the McLeod sponsored John Goss racing cars. File:1974 XB Sovereign Edition.jpeg, Falcon Sovereign Edition (XB) sedan File:Ford XB Falcon Hardtop John Goss Special.jpg, Falcon (XB) Hardtop "John Goss Special" File:1975_XB_GT_351.jpg, Falcon GT (XB) Hardtop McLeod Ford "Horn car"

Production

Production of the XB series totalled 211,971 vehicles.

Motorsport

1975 Moffats XB GT Hardtop Bathurst Car (8999568205)

Allan Moffat won the

1974 Sandown 250 The 1974 Sandown 250 was an endurance race for Group C Touring Cars. The event was held at the Sandown Park circuit in Victoria, Australia on 8 September 1974 over a race distance of 130 laps (251 miles, 404 km). The race, which was Round 2 of ...

driving an XB Falcon GT Hardtop. He also won the

1976 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for Group C Touring Cars.''Australian Title Conditions'', 1976 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, pages 81 to 85 It was the 17th running of the Australian ...

driving an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and drove both an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and an XC Falcon GS Hardtop 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 ...

In film

In the 1979 film '' Mad Max'', the title character's black "

Pursuit Special The Pursuit Special, also referred to as the Last of the V8 Interceptors, is the iconic black GT Falcon muscle car featuring a distinctive supercharger driven by the title character Mad Max during much of the ''Mad Max'' franchise, where it app ...

" was a version of a 1973 Ford XB GT Falcon Hardtop. Two 1974 XB sedans were also used as Main Force Patrol Interceptor vehicles. More Falcons were used to depict the Pursuit Special in sequels ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...

'' (1981) and '' Mad Max: Fury Road'' (2015). A Falcon GT (XB) Hardtop is the subject of

Eric Bana Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...

's 2009 documentary film '' Love the Beast''. The film documents the 25-year history of Bana's Falcon, which he purchased at the age of 15.1974 Ford Falcon [XB
/nowiki> in Love The Beast, Documentary, 2009">B">1974 Ford Falcon [XB
/nowiki> in Love The Beast, Documentary, 2009at the Internet Movie Car Database. File:Pursuit Special Replica.jpg, Replica of the Mad Max "Pursuit Special" File:Ford Falcon Mad Max.jpg, Ford Falcon Mad Max File:1973 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop Mad Max Tribute (16862243577).jpg, 1973 Ford XB Falcon Mad Max Tribute File:1973 Ford XB Falcon GT hardtop - Mad Max Interceptor replica (7708196828).jpg, 1973 Ford XB Falcon Mad Max rear view File:Pursuit Special.jpg, Pursuit Special File:1973-76 XB Falcon Sedan Mad Max-.JPG, Mad Max Main Force Patrol "Interceptor" File:Ford Falcon 'Mad Max Interceptor' (40323880251).jpg, Main Force Patrol "Interceptor" File:Ford Falcon 'Mad Max Interceptor' (25452573767).jpg, "Interceptor" rear view

References

External links

Ford XB Falcon Sedan brochure
Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 21 February 2009

Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 21 February 2009 {{Ford Falcon Cars of Australia Cars introduced in 1973 1970s cars Ford Falcon, XB Ford Australia vehicles, XB Falcon Sedans Station wagons Coupé utilities Vans Rear-wheel-drive vehicles