Ford Falcon XP - Ford Fights Back
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Here is a summary of the much improved Falcon XP series. This model won Wheels Car of the Year for 1965, reflecting the many improvements Ford Australia had made. Sadly, the Squire would be retired for this model, with less than 100 built. Please Like 👍, Share and Subscribe. Was this the best Falcon made up to this point?
Great story. Also worth mentioning that the XP Fairmont was the first to offer front disc brakes. And the Fairmont wagon was the first to be fitted with the electric tailgate window
Thanks very much. I do cover the disc brakes. The electric rear window is a good point too. 👍
Another great video . Family friends had a dark blue xp Fairmont it looked fantastic and upmarket . Thanks mark
Thanks Gerard. That would have been a nice looking car.
Had a '66 XP 200 Super Pursuit sedan in bronze, bench seat, column-shift BW-35 'box, when I was working at Ford's Truck Plant; bought it in '72 from Brad Boyden Datsun in Airport West. No carpets, and no heater either, so it had that large air-box on either side of the lower dash, which let in a blast of ambient air. Steering was quite low-geared, but it was a reliable car, other than after a couple of years of ownership having to get the bands replaced in the 'box; heaven knows what the previous owner(s) had done to the car!
Cool memories hey 👍
Another great post mate, very enjoyable. Back then everything was Holden, Holden and then Holden. If you drove anything else the you would be branded a complete lunatic. Homicide showed the Falcon around the same time as the car of the year awards. I have been in the Ford camp ever since watching those episodes. Funnily enough, Division 4 had me buying Valiants, to the point that I favoured them over Falcons
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. We were generally a Ford family, however, I worked for Mitsubishi (nee Chrysler before my time), Holden and Ford - so I appreciate all the survivors of our great car industry these days.
Loved the taxi pic. They looked great.
Definitely kept getting better.
Yes and the XPs drove really well too. 👍
Another great story. If only our American cars were tested like this. Although our freeways are generally smooth riding, there were some rough roads here and there. And we should've tested our cars for nearly every road condition people drive.
Definitely. We tortured our cars. Please check out the other Falcon episodes on the channel.
@@markbehr88 The XK Falcon? I watched.
That’s the one. @@jasoncarpp7742
Catching up still. My memory of this car was completely running out of brakes down the Adelaide hills. Lessons were learned.
The Fairmont had front disc brakes so that may have been the go. 👍
I remember seeing a Squire wagon once when I was a kid in the late sixties.
My favorite of this shape was the XM 2 door, I thought those were the bee's knees with the squared up back and the drop nosed front.
I owned an XK which came with the back floor level with the seat in takeaway leftovers and a flat battery. Cost me $200. Wish I still had that now too. It did feel a little flimsy.
I also had an XP for a short while, a car that I thought was quite good for its time. It was completely outclassed by the XR though.
@@bossdog1480 Great old cars hey? 👍
Cheers. Another good video.
Thanks Michael. Glad you liked it.
Yes keep them going 🇦🇺👍
@@jamieteal2107 Thank Jamie 👍
My 2nd car was a '65 Falcon XP sedan in a sort of turquoise blue colour. It had one of those visors over the windscreen in the same paint. Was a good car, really reliable and nice to drive. Suspension was nice and bouncy so going over bumps felt smooth. The heater was a bit primitive, just two boxes near the floor on either side with a door you could open which brought-in hot air from the engine. Was driving along the Yarra Blvd one day and went to change down to 2nd and the column gear stick snapped off in my hand about a half inch from the base. I had to improvise for the rest of the trip and shove my arm through the steering wheel and force it into position with the jagged stump and cut my hand up a bit. I found a new one from Pick-a-Part but it didn't match the old one exactly but worked fine. Ended-up selling it really cheap to an enthusiast in central Vic.
@@lees_box The XP was a really good car. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yea it was. It's funny, I was thinking about it after I wrote this comment, back in the 80's when I had this car, I was 25 in 1988 and the car was 23 years old, right? It looked like a vintage car. People used to get in it and say "wow what a cool old car". Without fail. It was so vintage to look at compared to cars of the 80's. It stood out like a sore thumb. Fast forward to today, my EL is older now than that XP was but when you get in it it still feels contemporary. No-one looks at an EL and goes "what a cool old vintage car from a bygone age", it just blends in with all the surrounding cars in the parking lot. Oh well, interesting to ponder. So I subbed, look forward to seeing more videos. I love the old cars. Cheers. 👍
@@lees_box Thanks for the Subscription 👍. I know what you mean. If you had a 23 year old car now it would be a 2001 model. Not old at all. 🤔
I definitely learned a few things with this one, Mark. The XP is my favourite of the early Falcon models, particularly the more chiselled front end. I've seen really detailed videos on the 70,000 mile event - it was a hell of a risk and one that had no firm guarantee of success. I doubt the team in Richmond would be so bold today. Keep them coming, enjoying every new episode.
Thanks Rob. Glad you liked it. Now, is your Fairlane the ZA or ZB (I was thinking ZB?) as I will do a series on the Fairlane once I have done the Falcon series. Be great to feature your car when I do. I’m thinking around December?
It's a 1969 ZB 500. December is good by me, let me know when and where you want it and it'll be there.@@markbehr88
It was dire straits Rob, they had to do something as not enough brave souls stumped up the cash to buy an XM, and Ford Aust ' had spent a fortune on the reengineering of the XM with scant sales. Then with their budget blown, with no bulk spare cash, they had to go back in time and raid the Edsel Comet parts bins, as before it became the Mercury Comet, it was going to be an Edsel. What we were served up as the XP would have been the base level Edsel with single headlights. All we did was basically fit the RHD firewall and graft on the XM rear mudguards instead of the unusual Comet ones. Ford USA even had an unused stockpile of clear glass and plastic blinker/parking light lenses, as when the car became a Mercury Comet, USA home rules said amber FRONT blinkers & parking lights. But when proposed in 1959 were still clear lens at the front. Then the Edsel debacle happened, and 1960 models were built for just a few weeks in late 1959 less than 3,000 full size cars and not one Comet at all.
What most Aussies are unaware of is the loss of product differentiation when Ford USA made all the car lines look the same, the big Galaxies had been made to look like giant Falcons in 1961, then in 1962 the Fairlane ceased being a full-size car 4 inches shorter than a Galaxie and was made into an Intermediate size car also looking like an oversized Falcon. then there was the Falcon. For as long as Ford kept all three carlines looking the same, they bled read ink with sales, I love the look of the '64 Galaxies, however that was a terrible sales year. Henry Ford 2 came in his chopper to the You-Yangs, he asked the same question, what if this fails, there is a very strained expression on the Aussie guy in charge of the event, no answer was given. I was a kid in late primary school and it was the first time TV ran 24/7 filming the "race" play out. It was early 1965 and the sales of the new square cut 1965 Galaxies were selling well in the USA, and they cleaned up on the NASCAR tracks with 48 wins out of 52 starts. So coupled with their new Mustang sales and great new looking Galaxie sales, Ford was getting out of debt and back into black ink financially. So, they had had it tough globally, and they had copped it in Gt Britain as GM had sent some of their best men to shake up Vauxhall/Bedford group with a new range of cab over engine trucks using the 1959 US GMC cabin pressings but with a bigger new front panel & giant windscreen the TK series truck, and the PB series Vauxhall Cresta that was the width of a Chev Impala and only about a foot shorter. Then to really "bash" Ford over the head GM had the new Cortina in their gunsights, as the Cortina with a flimsy front end and narrow front track, plus the slightly bigger Consul Classic & Capri also with weak front ends. So, GM UK released the FB series Vauxhall Victors tough as iron and to be rally winning. Then GM launched their new small car the HA Viva. Not only in UK but also in Germany GM sent some of their best guys to Opel to shake it up and go on the sales attack in Germany too, some of the products released there even attacked Mercedes earlier S class sales with their superb BIG new Opel Diplomat and Admiral luxury cars, fitting them with Chevy 327ci V8's and decent IRS rear suspension.
So poor old Ford needed a bit of a sales win somewhere around the globe.
@@gregharvie3896 Thanks for all the info Greg, very cool. I reckon you'd make a great research assistant for Mark 🙂
@@robertknights1028Mark & I have been best mates/friends for the last 35 years, he keeps the info' short as some people would or will switch off as they find it a bit boring
Good information on the CP Falcon.
Thanks 👍
Had many early falcons over many years...lots of fun...great memories...1965 two speed auto...1966 3 speed auto and new bigger engine block casting...used the next year in the XR...Cheers ! cop cars...taxis...and commercials 5 stud and 10 inch brakes...Fairmont, disc brakes and 14 inch wheels...All 66 models had padded dash due to new ADR compliance.
Thanks for the info 👍👍
Did you find the three speed better than the two
Great videos Mark. I’m an ex Ford Mo Co guy and my dad was the founding member of FSV in 1969, first of the HO’s. Lot 6 Mahoney’s Rd. Great days growing up as a young fella.
Thanks David. Glad you liked them. My association with Ford was as Senior account director at JWT on the Ford account in the late 1990’s and then as Product Planning and Brand Marketing Manager for FPV from 2002 to 2007. Fun times. 👍
The round taillights don't belong, the grille looks fine except the spaces immediately above and below the grille. Yes, looks don't get you there.
Thanks Mark! 🤠👍
Hi John. I don’t mind it at all. You’d never know they used the Mercury Comet front guards and hood (bonnet). I reckon they did a pretty good job. They sold around 71,000 so it was quite popular here too.
Great little cars! Dependable as heck, other than the voltage regulator going bad!!😂 We owned 4 of them through the years and wish I had every one of them back!!👍🚘 By the way, the round taillights look good to me as 3 of mine were a 64 65,and 66! Great video on these little birds!!
Thanks Don. The round tail lights were a feature of Fords for many years. In the US they moved away from it around 1966 but we kept them up to 1969 when XW moved to a different style. Glad you liked the episode. 👍
Excellent presentation.
This is my favourite model. I have two sedans two wagons a ute and a hardtop.
I'd love a Fairmont.
Wow. You really do love the XP. Great collection! 👍👍
A bloke in my town had a black XP hardtop with a 289 v8 in it. I always thought that engine was an option, but clearly not and he must have done that engine swap himself. Very cool car.
Cool. There was a business on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and others who used to do conversions with the 260 and 289 V8 engines, however, not available ex factory unless you bought a fully imported Falcon Sprint from 1963 onwards.
@@markbehr88 this was in country Victoria, so I think maybe he got the engine from a wrecked XR later on and retro-fitted. Had the 289 badge as well.
@@scottmclennan6114 Yes, could be. 👍. Would have been a cool car. 👍👍
Hi everyone. I hope you enjoy this fourth episode on the history of the Ford Falcon - the XP series, where Ford made so e significant improvements, winning the 1965 Wheels Car of the Year award. Please enjoy and let me know what you think of the XP model.
A great model and my favourite of the earlier ones.
Having said that I like the red interior of the XL and XM Falcon Futura.
@@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv I personally like the XM but they are all cool. 👍
really comprehensive episode Mark. The most informative car series on You Tube - keep up the great work. I look forward to each of these new episodes like I do with my Mum's sponge cake.
Thanks Rohan. And best of all, I guarantee my episodes are calorie free! 😀
XP won car of the year in 65 if I remember correctly…
Ok thanks was mentioned near the end
Yes a big accolade back then for sure 👍.
The Wheels Car of The Year Award was awarded to Ford for the XP Falcon in January 1966. Exactly at that time, my late father bought the wagon and ute brand new trading in a 59 FC Holden Ute and 58/59 Zephyr Mark II sedan. Homicide featured XPs for eighteen months and the XPs were on the intro well after the introduction of the XR and even the later episodes when the XR Falcon became the police car in use. I think January 1966 to mid 1967.
Are those birds good lord they are loud!
@@joellamoureux7914 Yes, that is Australia!
Mate had his grandpas xk. Sweet car but overheated, poor brakes
It would be great to have it now. 👍
As far as favourites go, the XP is definitely mine from the first generation of Falcons. Am I correct in saying that the XP was the first Falcon to offer metallic paint?
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure there was a metallic blue in XM?
@@markbehr88 -- You could well be right there.
@@couttsy222 I am even wondering if the green XL wagon ala my Dad’s similar car was also a metallic? You can see the video on the channel. 👍
113 liked
Hi Mark what do you know of the "rally pack" I had one with an American made 170ci it came factory with a holley double pumper and an alternator and went a lot faster than it should have? ps:I also had a "fashion pack" cloth seats, heater, tinted front window etc
Hi Dave. I have never heard of those options on the XP. It almost sounds like an ex Ford Motor Company vehicle that one of the management had. It is well known, apart from Bill Bourke’s special company cars (outside of his Lincoln MKIII amongst others), that very senior leaders within Ford Australia often had one offs built for themselves, including head of production, product planning etc. I could ask David Ford if he recalls such an animal? 👍
Hi , my Dad worked at Ford in quality control and I have home movie footage of the Xp test if you’re interested Ash
Very cool. If you are referring to the 70,000 Mile Durability test promo at You Yangs, I have that video thanks very much. 👍
@@markbehr88 hi yep that’s the one but this Is Dads own footage on his movie camera👍👍
@@AshField-wg4th Right. Sure. If you have a digital file of it you can send it to mjbehr@yahoo.com.au
👍
@@markbehr88 no problem I’ll drag it out over the next few weeks and see what I can do👍 cheers Ash
@@AshField-wg4th Thanks Ash. 👍