FORD FALCON XR-XT GT
ALL OUR CHRISTMASES HAD COME AT ONCE WHEN THE XR GT ARRIVED – A V8 UNDER THE BONNET, FOUR ON THE FLOOR, IN GLORIOUS GT GOLD
In April 1967 the world as it existed for performance car buyers in Australia changed and would remain that way for 50 years.
No longer did they need to look to the USA for their fix of V8 exhaust rumble, or to Europe and Britain for a woodrim steering wheel, disc brakes or radial-ply tyres.
The XR Falcon GT certainly wasn’t perfect, and with fewer than 600 sold, it was never likely to wipe out the market for imported performance models. It did show the world though that the wide brown land of Australia could build cars attuned to our travelling needs.
Apart from a couple of race cars and a few promo models the XR GT came in just one colour. When the XT upgrade arrived the choice of colours expanded but having spent massively on developing the XR model, Ford could not be blamed for keeping the lid on model-change expenses.
Big news from an otherwise subdued launch was Ford’s announcement that an enlarged V8 would be available to every model in the XT range and the ZB Fairlane as well. Basic versions of the ‘302’ (4.9-litre) engine came with 157kW but the ‘High Output’ GT version was good for 172kW.
Nothing was done to alter the Falcon’s very simplistic chassis design but the GT did come with disc front brakes as standard, wider wheels and radial-ply tyres. The chromed full wheel covers that characterised the XR GT carried over to the XT and then became a feature of XW-XY GS Pack cars.
The GT interior was finished to Fairmont standard with separate front seats and a console, special door trims and extra instruments. GTs used a Mustang-style steering wheel and the XR went completely over the top with a massive, chromed gear-shift lever. That reverted to a miserable looking Borg-Warner item in the XT.
Handling was good for a big sedan and even with a hefty V8 over their front wheels and stiff springs, GTs would absorb bumps with remarkable resilience. On corrugations the leaf-sprung rear would wobble around but experienced owners were adept at keeping their cars straight with delicate servings of throttle and steering input.
Ford’s GT won the Bathurst 500 at its first attempt but couldn’t repeat the dose in 1968 with the XT. That model’s greatest competition triumph came not on a circuit but over 12,000 kilometres of inter-continental torture during the inaugural London-Sydney Marathon. Three GTs started and all finished within the Top Ten, with the best-placed car finishing third. Others filled fifth and eighth places to give Ford the Teams Prize.
Finding an XR GT in the open market today can prove very difficult. Five years ago when values were less than half of the amounts currently being asked, the market would turn up at least one car per month. Today we are lucky to see five XRs on offer each year.
The XT is more common and less expensive. Rarely will an XT GT make six figures and that has been especially the case recently when almost all in the market were automatic and priced at $80-95,000. Colour can have an influence on XT values too, with silver, yellow and green worth a little more than other shades.