Firth/Gibson Falcon XR GT – 1967 Bathurst 500

The ’67 model XR GT was the rst Falcon GT, and this particular one was the rst Falcon to win a Bathurst 500/1000. In doing so it laid to rest the myth that big V8s couldn’t cope with 500 miles of Mount Panorama – although with its 289 V8, four-speed gearbox and pretty decent brake and suspension package, the ‘Mustang bred’ XR GT was a very different proposition from the Studebaker V8 failures of previous years. It also laid down the gauntlet to arch-rival Holden, which by then already had its own V8-powered Bathurst challenger in the pipeline.