The Ford Falcon (XL) is a

mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

which 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 1962 to 1964. It was the second iteration of the first 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 ...

Overview

The Falcon XL was introduced in August 1962,AC Bushby, The Australian Ford Falcon Collection, 1989, page 32 replacing the Falcon XK which had been in production since 1960. Visual changes from the XK included a new convex

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants ...

, bumper mounted park/turn lights, new taillights, and a revised, squared off

roofline Roofline is used to describe the fascia, soffits, bargeboards, antefixes and cladding that forms the frontage immediately below the roof and the eaves of many homes and buildings. These are traditionally made from wood, but can be made of a ...

(on the sedans) which was promoted as the “ Thunderbird roofline”.Tony Davis, Aussie Cars, 1987, page 86 Other changes included a new manual gearbox (although it was still a three-speed unit), new clutch, new starter motor, new air cleaner, new suspension system and a new carburettor. Both of the engines from the XK were retained; a '' Falcon Six''

inline-six 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 ...

, which produced and an optional version of the ''Falcon Six'', which produced . Pricing started at £1,070 ($2,140 AUD) for a base model Falcon.

Model range

The Falcon XL range included four-door sedan and five-door

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

s. The luxury Futura Sedan and Squire Wagon models were new for the XL series, the latter featuring simulated woodgrain side and rear panels.AC Bushby, The Australian Ford Falcon Collection, 1989, page 40 Commercial vehicle derivatives were available in two-door

coupe utility A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

and two-door panel van body styles with the latter marketed as the ''Falcon Sedan Delivery''. Models were marketed as follows: * Falcon SedanFord Falcon sedan and station wagon brochure (DM26-7/62), Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Ltd * Falcon Deluxe Sedan * Falcon Futura Sedan * Falcon Station Wagon * Falcon Deluxe Wagon * Falcon Squire Wagon * Falcon Utility''1962 Ford Falcon XL utility brochure'', www.oldcarbrochures.org
Retrieved 23 April 2015 * Falcon Deluxe Utility * Falcon Sedan Delivery''1962 Ford Falcon XL sedan delivery Brochure'', www.oldcarbrochures.org
Retrieved 23 April 2015 File:Ford Falcon XL (15684794126).jpg, Ford XL Falcon Deluxe sedan File:1962 Ford XL Falcon Deluxe sedan (36539909581).jpg, Ford XL Falcon Deluxe sedan File:1962 Ford XL Falcon Futura Sedan.jpg, Ford XL Falcon Futura sedan File:Ford Falcon (35299899536).jpg, Ford XL Falcon Futura sedan File:1962 Ford XL Falcon station wagon (35868867493).jpg, Ford XL Falcon station wagon File:1962 Ford XL Falcon station wagon (36508961622).jpg, Ford XL Falcon station wagon File:Ford XL Falcon Deluxe Station Wagon.JPG, Ford XL Falcon Deluxe station wagon File:1962-64 Ford XL Falcon Squire Wagon.JPG, Ford XL Falcon Squire station wagon File:1962-64 Ford XL Falcon Utility.JPG, Ford XL Falcon utility File:1962 Ford XL Falcon Deluxe utility (23948158290).jpg, Ford XL Falcon Deluxe utility File:1962 Ford XL Falcon Deluxe utility (24135662002).jpg, Ford XL Falcon Deluxe utility File:Ford Falcon XL Panel Van (15817946357).jpg, Ford XL Falcon sedan delivery (with additional side windows)

Production

The Falcon XL was replaced by the

Ford Falcon (XM) The Ford Falcon (XM) is a mid-size car that was produced by Ford Australia between February 1964 and February 1965. It was the third iteration of the first generation of the Ford Falcon. Overview The XM series Falcon range was introduced in Fe ...

in February 1964, production having totalled 75,765 units.

Motorsport

1962 Falcon XL Armstrong 500 winner (9031568830)

A Falcon XL driven by Bob Jane and Harry Firth was “first across the line” in the

1962 Armstrong 500 The 1962 Armstrong 500 was an endurance race for Australian built production cars. The race was held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia on 21 October 1962 over 167 laps of the 3.0 mile circuit, a total of 501 miles. Cars compe ...

, with the first four places in Class B filled by Falcon XLs.

References

{{Ford Falcon XL Cars of Australia Cars introduced in 1962 XL Falcon Sedans Station wagons Vans Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 1960s cars