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really, this piece of crap had the turning circle of a house brick,most fords of this yearage did and those shitty die cast door handles ..the local ford spares shop sold hundreds of them ..they say that most sales persons were able to put there kids thru uni after the amount of crappy made door handles they sold ... yeah i had a company ute and broke 3 of them and two just fell apart
@osmankeskic9005 Just a whole stack of little things that don't stack up. The suspension, LPG, exhaust. It's easy to tell anyway ESP's have a unique chassis number. I'd own it regardless looks tuff. "Allso the boys from gt they really only do genuine cars" Yeah good luck with that one, you seriously have to know your shit these days. The high the prices go, the better the copy is. Please don't shoot the messenger.
I was in Canberra, Yarralumla, no air con, just a fan, We had to go Me my wife and the corgi dog, inside that beautiful Ford Falcon ? Cuz it had air conditioning. and a big motor to support it. When Australia still made great cars
Had an XE "S-Pack" with 351 4V Clevo and 4 speed FIOD gearbox (after blowing up the Borg Warner). Got stolen and wrapped around a tree :( Looked completely stock. The look on folks faces when the secondaries opened up, priceless
My dad had a 6 cylinder one of these back in the 80's. Was more of a burnt orange color ( not sure of exact color ) and it had the orange scheel seats. He took my best mate and I to 1986 Bathurst race in it. Dad passed in February this year, looking at this brings back great memories.
My dad passed away in January this year so I feel your pain my dad died out on a Camping trip 😢 but he left me his project XY ute. and project Valint ap6 im 23 years old. He allso left a shed of old car stuff and goodies for me and my brother and my mum
They were based off the Fairmont ghia top spec falcon They came with bilstein shocks scheel seats with big bolsters including back seat Special cloth trim Engine / gearbox was just standard fare Gold snowflake wheels were standard The ‘fix’ for the door handles is to drill out the rivets used as a pivot on the door handle and replace the rivet with a self tapping screw … Do all handles and you won’t have trouble again
Had my ESP for 20 years. 302, 4 slot, along with my 66 Valiant Wayfarer ute. Had to sell both when i had to move overseas, i still cry thinking about those 2 cars!
Owned an ex NSW Highway Patrol XD (351 with modded Carter carby, HM Headers & GT40 coil), Single Rail, 4 Wheel Discs, Sports dash and had ESP front & rear seats (fitted sometime during the mid 80's, i bought the XD off my Tafe bodywork teacher who owned it since 1986 and the ESP seats were in it when he bought it). The car spent 90% of its life cruising Tamworth- Armidale- Uralla & back when it was in service Used to get offered a lot of Dollarydoos for the seats, as they in mint condition, foam was still like new too. Those seats are still in the car today (sold it to a family friend 16 years ago)
I owned one as well 351 FMX 9 inch disc brake and the interior was pov pak apart from the dash . Vinyl seats and vinyl floor with drillings in various spots from the equipment fitted during service life. The handling of these later falcons were far superior compared to earlier fords. They just felt better on the road.
@@davesclassicgaragetours I got 14k back then for it (threw in a 20ft shipping container of NOS- panels, roof panel, seat frames, door cards, 2 dashes, columns, calipers...Sooo much stuff, you could pretty well restore another XD 80% of the way
1984 was my year 12 at CBC Leederville in Perth. My brother bought one of those as his first car probably in the mid nineties. I started working for Nestle in Perth in 1989 and had a new Ford Falcon every 18 months as a company car. Some interesting experiences with the first EA falcon - complete lemon. They gradually improved the models as the years rolled by. I now own a 2012 G6E. Very reliable and comfortable and cheap to maintain
I just sold one of these last year, 351 4spd version same colour as this one. Had been sitting in my shed for 15 years. But unfortunately I didn't have the money to restore it, so decided to sell rather than let it rot in the shed. I still have a 302 auto one in silver over charcoal with sierra tan interior that has been my car for 30 years. I will restore it soon hopefully with the funds from selling the 351c. Beautiful car to drive. It out handles my Clubsport which is 19 years younger. Best car I have ever owned. As my username suggests, my 2 favourite possessions in the world. My XE ESP and my Ibanez Jem guitar.
Great video. I remember seeing the same car new in charcoal on the showroom floor at the dealer at South Auckland Motors in Auckland. It was a factory 4 speed manual car and it was beautiful. This car would be a good candidate to find the original shocks and spring from the factory along with the missing engine air cleaner. Those parts if NOS would command some good dollars now if you could source them. Keep the videos coming
I was just finished my apprenticeship with Ford when these came out. I remember being captivated with the pink dash illumination so I stripped the dash in my GTS HX ute and wrapped the bulbs in red cellophane. So cool😅. Yes my boss was a bit peeved I had a Holden.
Who doesn’t like a good barnfind! Picked a nice day for it. Liked the way he was checking for spiders while you checked for rust and damp😮 Another great video Dave
friend had 351 XD manual let me drive it late 80s. Said I can do a burn out. So I did a massive on Bristol st outside Merrylands High . i never forget it nor will the kids that saw. Great car
We used to Bloww the doors off our mate's commodores in an old XD Falcon, it literally beat every car on the road. respect to a Ford V8.. was in 1999 though hahaha
The last V8-powered Australian Ford Falcon passenger car (until this powerplant's return in 1991) was a silver 4.9-l (302 in3) Ford XE Fairmont Ghia ESP sedan, VIN # JG32AR33633K, in November 1982.
I think time has been kind to the XE and XD. I have always liked the ESP. My old man had a ZK Fairlane from 1989 to 1993 and I loved that car. Did 160kmh in it the day I got my licence in 1990😁
Fantastic vid......I had a gold XE also 1984 GL ...She had the 4 speed manual 4.1 crossflow 6 and she was a gem to drive ...so smooth and reliable...nice set of alloys too . Owned it for about 5 years , not one bit of trouble... My first Falcon and since then I've had an EF Futura , an AU Futura (still got her actually) 2001 Series 2 heaps and heaps of kays , drives sweet as ever and I have owned it 20 of its 22 years ...Also a BA Fairmont Ghia for a while and ....a gorgeous 2008 FG XR 6 .. Owned her since 2016...Absolutely gorgeous thing... You CANNOT go wrong with a Ford Falcon... Truly bulletproof and great to drive and its awesome through your channel to see stunners like this one rescued and restored to be appreciated....Thanks so much..
OHHH the memories come back fast. When it was minimum 245 /75/15 or most likely 265 /75/15. Only the beautiful 9 inch would spin them and stay strong. And ya had either a c4'that blew up pretty quick or a lucky c4 that took a beating. Then we would go the FMX top loader of some would build a C6 Auto. One thing Ford did VERY WELL was build a beautiful driveline . And special models like this are ART WORK. VERY COOL VERY RARE TO FIND 👍👍
Bought a brand new 5.8 four speed esp parked infront of my mates house after 3 hours of ownership and it was rear ended buy a drunk driver had 28 kms on the clock and was written off. So went back to the car yard and got back my 78 Fairmont GXL and still have it today. 351 top loader and 9 inch and still the most comfortable car I have ever driven.
I recall there were Falcon with a poshier Fairmont, premium luxury Fairlane and off course an Aussie flagship LTD. Gosh I still remember model names from back then.
In the late 80's, I was after an XD to have as my first car, and took this GL six cylinder sedan for a test drive. From memory I think it had buckets and a T- bar shifter. The moment I planted my bum in the driver's seat, I couldn't believe how uncomfortable the driving position was. The steering wheel was too close to the driver, and the seat's rearward travel on its runners was unbelievably short. As a result, I walked away from the sale. I ended up buying an XE GL sedan which was improved in that area with better seat to wheel positioning. It had a four speed and 3-3 when I got it. I later fitted a C4 auto and 4-9 V8 to provide more power and enjoyment, not that the 4-9 was that brilliant by today's standards. It did sound great though! I also fitted XD Ghia rims to lift it's appearance, along with a hood ornament. In the end, rust got to it so I sold it to a mates mate.
Back in the 90's I owned an XF Fairmont Ghia with the EFI 4.1, 5 speed manual and moonshot 2.92 rear. Fantastic comfortable highway car with good mileage. I owned it for 7 years and it was absolutely bullet proof ( except door handles 🤔)
The GT replacement was the the Falcon 500 JG23 fitted with a Cleveland 351 Manual or auto nine inch diff , and at the bottom of the radiator support was a plaque saying it was a rally pac.
I worked on a lot of xd xe and xf fords of all models when they were new as apprentice panel beater they are fairly good cars.i did think the esp where 351 top loader and 9 inch cars though and the were extremely well thought of in the day.🇳🇿
Mate had one, he was the second owner. He had a Suzuki sierra as as a daily driver so his mum drove it regularly, she complained every time it needed fuel ! I told him she had a lead foot and maybe she did, she did say it was great through traffic!😅
Good to see My brother had one of these back in the day An orange one , 302 auto We ended up replacing the 302 with a 351 from mick Webb in Melbourne And put a top loader behind it… Was a bloody quick car in the end …
That is 'monza red', mainly used on the XD model. Esp XE were usually a two tone silver and black or charcoal color. I had a XD 351 ghia but not an ESP, it was hermitage red.color.
Really like these Fairmonts, a mk2 Granada turned up to 11 - and that asymmetrical steering wheel at 36:25 is 👌❤️ Fantastic to see some of your videos now getting the views they deserve, too! Great stuff Dave.
Thanks Martin. Only Aussie metal to Aussies according to the analytics unfortunately though. Barely making a sound overseas and the Euro and even US stuff I cover remains on views in the 100s. It’s strange given the worldwide fascination with all things Australia from its lifestyle to wildlife that Mini lovers or the Alfisti around the world aren’t interested in what goes on with them down under. Just can’t seem to break that algorithm. Back to the Healey Factory next week featuring a Jensen 541R and a bunch of British sports cars from the sixties that will barely make 500 views guaranteed. Where are all those boomers in the US that bought those or loyal British subjects? Just can’t quite fathom it.
@@davesclassicgaragetours It may be more that US viewers aren’t being shown it, rather than they aren’t clicking. Can you see the impressions and CTR by geography in the ‘advanced’ version of the analytics? It does seem extremely difficult for non-US channels to get US views, though I’m sure there are some exceptions (like Tom Scott and, er, ok that’s probably it).
This takes me back. My father had an XD Fairmont Ghia ESP 5.8 Auto as a company car. I'd seen pics in Wheels mag and suggested he order one. They'd actually sold out at that point but he found one that was being driven by a dealership owner and persuaded him to part with it. It was a beautiful car, it drove really nicely, quiet and lots of torque. The XD also had the Globe Bathurst mag wheels, which were much nicer than the ugly gold rims on the XE. With the fairly hard Bilstein shocks it handled remarkably well for a large car, so much better than the average Aussie car at the time.
One giveaway that it wasn't out on the road for more than 10 years. All the lenses and bumper trim strips are still the right colour, not faded white 😅
@@iwillnotcomply2002 Filmed it this past week. The lads are going through it over the next week or so to give the owner a full assessment of what needs doing before he decides what to sign off on. Hopefully have a new vid up within the month. Make sure you subscribe and hit the notification bell to keep an eye out
The brakes have heaps of meat on them the whole car is great apart from the oil leaks and tyres hope old mate doesn't have to pay too much for the work to get it back on the road
I was never a ford Falcon fan of the 80s and 90s modle I thought the cars was ugly. I'm more fan of falcons from the 70s and 2000s. I own a FG xr6 myself. But I remember my brother in law had the same modle you showing in this video back in 94. it was custom painted dark blue it was nice it had the flex of sparkling silver in the paint along with the valour interior and 20 inch Simon's. It looked good. It made heads turn for sure
In Europe this model is called Ford Granada. It was build from 77-85 and was available with 1.6 - 2.8l engines. Fuel injected with 160hp Also available with Diesel engines with 2.1 and 2.5l non turbo with 61 & 67hp No V8 available but always independent rear suspension in Europe Nice car, nice wheels 🛞 The front indicators look like some Rover parts
The only things shared with the Granada is the headlights. Everything else is different. Imagine a Granada Ghia XXX with a 5.0 Cleveland on those white alloys. Sweet as a nut
That was the thing to do back then, wider tyres, now the kids these days put 195s on a 10 inch rim. I have 295s on a 8 inch rim, classic muscle car look lol 😄
I had a 4.1 six cylinder 4 speed version as my first car. Silver with the blue scheel interior. Unfortunately gutted it in the early 2000’s for a race car build. It’s now a 302 / 5 speed, full cage etc. Still have it but kinda wish we’d restored it.
Would love to see the follow up on this car,early 80's Falcons are overlooked.Used to own a goldy/brown XD Falcon until it was taken out by a red light runner,not happy.
A bad driver gets into crashes that are his fault. An average driver gets into crashes that aren't his fault. A great driver just never has crashes. When driving, always have situational awareness and anticipate others drivers mistakes. That's another classic car that future generations won't get to enjoy.
@@TheTigerQuoll I grew up in a small country town surrounded by quiet dusty roads leading nowhere. Years ago, an elderly farmer and his wife were heading into town in his WB Statesman on one of these roads(so quiet you'd get one car driving by per hour) when they went through an intersection and got bananared by an XD travelling thru at exactly the same time, killing them both. Because the roads were so quiet, each driver assumed the other car wasn't there(a cluster of trees obstructed the view somewhat). Both drivers were locals who likely travelled these roads hundreds of times, so it's an accident that could have played out exactly the same way years earlier or years later, but it just happened to be on that fateful day in 1982. Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups. Always remember that. In the city, other drivers are people you don't know. Always assume they're hopeless and make allowances for them.
This soooo reminds me of my old man’s 1982 Cortina GL. That was red too with a black vinyl roof… I’m sure they share the same underpinnings but google didn’t clarify the facts for me…. 😉
Always liked these. Ones to do one my with a high pro engine mods. And. It be a sleeper look too. Keep it. Manly with hidden mods. I had one. But Larry sold it. Before I got to drive it. Still upset over that.
Dick Johnson had the Greens Tuf, XE Falcon had a 351, Cleveland, he destroyed it qualifying it at Bathurst on the Saturday morning.they had it on the grid Sunday.
European sports pac .Wow i worked on these when new. All the petrol caps were recalled faulty .i had to paint hundreds of them lol .the 2tone paint jobs was called eclipse
I had a 1982 XE Xpac 302 with Borg Warner single rail 4 speed . Main cross member under engine cracked on left side and broke needing rewelding and bracing . A common problem on XD-XE V8s . Rust killed it in the end even though it was end rust treated... It ended up in a wrecking yard ..
@@craig8187 Try November 1982, The XE series ended in October 1984, But the last V8 XE rolled off the line November 1982, Goggle it, You'll find I'm correct.
@@chrish4469 the November 82 car was not 'the last xe falcon v8 car' it was, "the car", that was "fitted with" "the last australian produced v8 cleveland engine''. Of course it was chosen to fit to the ESP Ghia being a low production special model AND it was chosen to use a 4.9(302) because that was an Australian designed version of the Cleveland engine. Yes , V8 Cleveland 'engine production' ceased but XE still ran out v8 models after this Nov 82 ESP.
@@craig8187 The car in this video has the 4.9 Cleveland, No XE had a V8 that wasn't a Cleveland, XE V8 Production ended late 1982, Some would of been sold into 1983
The owner is saying 84 but all 2 tone XE ESP's were for 1982, the 83 & 84 ESP's were a single colour like the normal XE Ghia's & didn't have the orange bumper moulds or side moulds
To think these are now collectables, Used to drive one in high school and got picked on for it being a bucket of S**t, how times have changed. Also owned the fairlane variant which was a nugget to itself.
The Ghia was an 'extra special' version of the Fairmont. From memory they got mag wheels, some kind of extra exterior striping, two tone colours? and a different interior. They were pretty nice!
Only the XA, XB & XCs of the 1970s are the true Aussie Falcons/Fairmonts. That decade started with them being little more than RHD US versions, & ended using European designs. The XE's predecessor the XD is easily mistaken for Europe's Mk2 Granada.
Great vid. This reminds me of how much of a duck head I am after turning down a 5.8L manual in the same colour combo with 17” Simmons, in absolutely original pristine condition for $12k in 1999. Instead I bought an ED XR6 manual for the same money. Geez-I wish I’d kept that one as well!! 😢😢 Has anyone got a DeLorean I can borrow for a day or 2?
A 351 manual ESP (factory 4.1 manual with rare orange trim)- sold at shannons auctions last week for only $31k so theyre not holding values post covid.
@@smiddysmidton8313 I see your point re prices possibly trending downwards. Collectable cars a very much a luxury item and this sort of discretionary spending is heavily impacted by the increased cost of living. Having said that, a modified 4.1 ESP is a very different kettle of fish to a 5.8 manual in terms of desirability and collectibility. I don’t consider myself poor but I can’t justify the current asking price of the 5.8L ESPs that are occasionally show up on the market. So……..how about that DeLorean people? I’m happy to supply the flux capacitor and 1.21 jigawatts of power.😎
It’s a strange dichotomy between larger capacity engines retaining or gaining value while similar cars that would be cheaper to run and maintain are dropping in value. Not just with big Fords but across the automotive marketplace
Built Ford tough, beautiful cars and the 5.8 also plenty of power and comfort. Dick Johnsons Greens Tuf XE was the fastest car at Bathurst .Shame this ones butchered with the duel fuel
A friend of ours bought one of these brand new in the eighties.. (his dad owned the local Greek fish & chip shop)...we thought it was a UFO compared to our old XU-1's and Monaro's.. Never thought they would become barn find rare.
The channel would really appreciate your comments guys - good or bad. RUclips works by promoting videos that are appreciated and they do that by looking at your watch time, likes and comments.
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Many many thanks
really, this piece of crap had the turning circle of a house brick,most fords of this yearage did and those shitty die cast door handles ..the local ford spares shop sold hundreds of them ..they say that most sales persons were able to put there kids thru uni after the amount of crappy made door handles they sold ... yeah i had a company ute and broke 3 of them and two just fell apart
@osmankeskic9005
I don't think it's a real ESP.
@osmankeskic9005
Just a whole stack of little things that don't stack up. The suspension, LPG, exhaust. It's easy to tell anyway ESP's have a unique chassis number. I'd own it regardless looks tuff.
"Allso the boys from gt they really only do genuine cars"
Yeah good luck with that one, you seriously have to know your shit these days. The high the prices go, the better the copy is. Please don't shoot the messenger.
@@maisydaisy9970 it’s not, the v8 in esp were only made in 1982, the 1984 esp only came out in 6 cylinders, this is just a 1984 v8 Fairmont ghia
@@aus-rider
"this is just a 1984 v8 Fairmont ghia"
Or a real 4.1 ESP with a Lpg Cleveland and Pedders
This brings back a lot of memories, in the 80’s my mate use to own one in green color, we use to have a lot billies inside his car😂
True
I was in Canberra, Yarralumla, no air con, just a fan, We had to go Me my wife and the corgi dog, inside that beautiful Ford Falcon ? Cuz it had air conditioning. and a big motor to support it. When Australia still made great cars
It just great having Aussie content to watch with our cars being the stars. Good or bad. Thanks, & keep it coming.
Will do
Had an XE "S-Pack" with 351 4V Clevo and 4 speed FIOD gearbox (after blowing up the Borg Warner). Got stolen and wrapped around a tree :(
Looked completely stock.
The look on folks faces when the secondaries opened up, priceless
My dad had a 6 cylinder one of these back in the 80's. Was more of a burnt orange color ( not sure of exact color ) and it had the orange scheel seats. He took my best mate and I to 1986 Bathurst race in it. Dad passed in February this year, looking at this brings back great memories.
Hunt that car down
My dad passed away in January this year so I feel your pain my dad died out on a Camping trip 😢 but he left me his project XY ute. and project Valint ap6 im 23 years old. He allso left a shed of old car stuff and goodies for me and my brother and my mum
colour*
Beautiful machine. Cant wait to see it cleaned up...
They were based off the Fairmont ghia top spec falcon
They came with bilstein shocks scheel seats with big bolsters including back seat
Special cloth trim
Engine / gearbox was just standard fare
Gold snowflake wheels were standard
The ‘fix’ for the door handles is to drill out the rivets used as a pivot on the door handle and replace the rivet with a self tapping screw …
Do all handles and you won’t have trouble again
The gold snowflake wheels were not standard. ESP snowflakes have a curved transition where each "spoke" meets the dish. Regular snowflakes don't.
@@robg6485 correct
Had my ESP for 20 years. 302, 4 slot, along with my 66 Valiant Wayfarer ute. Had to sell both when i had to move overseas, i still cry thinking about those 2 cars!
Owned an ex NSW Highway Patrol XD (351 with modded Carter carby, HM Headers & GT40 coil), Single Rail, 4 Wheel Discs, Sports dash and had ESP front & rear seats (fitted sometime during the mid 80's, i bought the XD off my Tafe bodywork teacher who owned it since 1986 and the ESP seats were in it when he bought it).
The car spent 90% of its life cruising Tamworth- Armidale- Uralla & back when it was in service
Used to get offered a lot of Dollarydoos for the seats, as they in mint condition, foam was still like new too.
Those seats are still in the car today (sold it to a family friend 16 years ago)
That’d be worth a few bob now.
I owned one as well 351 FMX 9 inch disc brake and the interior was pov pak apart from the dash . Vinyl seats and vinyl floor with drillings in various spots from the equipment fitted during service life. The handling of these later falcons were far superior compared to earlier fords. They just felt better on the road.
@@BRETTYZCAR For sure- my 'D just felt like it was solid wood stuck to the road, zero body roll & just hooked up when given the wellies
@@davesclassicgaragetours I got 14k back then for it (threw in a 20ft shipping container of NOS- panels, roof panel, seat frames, door cards, 2 dashes, columns, calipers...Sooo much stuff, you could pretty well restore another XD 80% of the way
@@BRETTYZCARthey didn’t come with a nine inch???
1984 was my year 12 at CBC Leederville in Perth. My brother bought one of those as his first car probably in the mid nineties. I started working for Nestle in Perth in 1989 and had a new Ford Falcon every 18 months as a company car. Some interesting experiences with the first EA falcon - complete lemon. They gradually improved the models as the years rolled by. I now own a 2012 G6E. Very reliable and comfortable and cheap to maintain
Definitely a Ford man then. 👍
In my opinion one of the best carburettor Falcons ever built. Weapon.
Its finally good to see a barn find when the owner actually put cover on it ,good on him.
Decision being made today on whether to paint or repair
And it’s got the big uni royal tyres
That car-is a peach 😍😍
I just sold one of these last year, 351 4spd version same colour as this one. Had been sitting in my shed for 15 years. But unfortunately I didn't have the money to restore it, so decided to sell rather than let it rot in the shed. I still have a 302 auto one in silver over charcoal with sierra tan interior that has been my car for 30 years. I will restore it soon hopefully with the funds from selling the 351c. Beautiful car to drive. It out handles my Clubsport which is 19 years younger. Best car I have ever owned. As my username suggests, my 2 favourite possessions in the world. My XE ESP and my Ibanez Jem guitar.
That would’ve hurt.
I am the proud owner of an 1982 XE ESP V8 charcoal grey over charcoal grey. wonderful cars
Too right
Great video. I remember seeing the same car new in charcoal on the showroom floor at the dealer at South Auckland Motors in Auckland. It was a factory 4 speed manual car and it was beautiful. This car would be a good candidate to find the original shocks and spring from the factory along with the missing engine air cleaner. Those parts if NOS would command some good dollars now if you could source them. Keep the videos coming
Will do and if anyone can find original parts it’ll be GT.
Love these falcons. Blocky n float but so good. Thanks
Had an XD ESP. Factory 351, 4 speed. Sold it for 4 grand back in 2001 when you couldn’t give them away 🙄
The benefit of hindsight hey
Sold my XD ESP for $800 in 2006...😢
Bit of treasure in that little garage!
Thanks Dave, great car there, looks in awesome condition considering where it's living.
Yeah I’d imagine it’s been through some extreme temperatures while it’s been stored, so all in all it isn’t too bad
Wow thats a nice car!
Really made me miss my XD. Drove it a lot between Echuca and Albury. It wasnt slow! 😉
I was just finished my apprenticeship with Ford when these came out. I remember being captivated with the pink dash illumination so I stripped the dash in my GTS HX ute and wrapped the bulbs in red cellophane. So cool😅. Yes my boss was a bit peeved I had a Holden.
almost bought one back in the day…until the oldman said if i bought it i would have to move out…
Who doesn’t like a good barnfind! Picked a nice day for it. Liked the way he was checking for spiders while you checked for rust and damp😮
Another great video Dave
Haha yeah I’ve really got to get down with the local occupational health and safety regs 😂
My auntie had a white ESP. I have had some beautiful cars. But nothing I have had even comes close. Manual, 5.8 litre. Stunning.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks again can't wait too see when this thing is back on the road
You and me both!
friend had 351 XD manual let me drive it late 80s. Said I can do a burn out. So I did a massive on Bristol st outside Merrylands High . i never forget it nor will the kids that saw.
Great car
We used to Bloww the doors off our mate's commodores in an old XD Falcon, it literally beat every car on the road. respect to a Ford V8.. was in 1999 though hahaha
Those were the days
Love both the XD & XE ESP's👍👍
a good mate of mine had a an XE S PAK 351 4 speed and it was quicker than my VL turbo back in 1990 awesome car
The last V8-powered Australian Ford Falcon passenger car (until this powerplant's return in 1991) was a silver 4.9-l (302 in3) Ford XE Fairmont Ghia ESP sedan, VIN # JG32AR33633K, in November 1982.
I owned a March 1982 plated XD, they really packed them into 82 eh? 😂
XD XE XF all had a problem with leaking water on the front floor miss my XD Fairmont Ghia 351 same colour as this one beautiful car 👍
These cars always had a mold smell
Can't wait for the follow up on this one
I think time has been kind to the XE and XD. I have always liked the ESP. My old man had a ZK Fairlane from 1989 to 1993 and I loved that car. Did 160kmh in it the day I got my licence in 1990😁
Fantastic vid......I had a gold XE also 1984 GL ...She had the 4 speed manual 4.1 crossflow 6 and she was a gem to drive ...so smooth and reliable...nice set of alloys too . Owned it for about 5 years , not one bit of trouble... My first Falcon and since then I've had an EF Futura , an AU Futura (still got her actually) 2001 Series 2 heaps and heaps of kays , drives sweet as ever and I have owned it 20 of its 22 years ...Also a BA Fairmont Ghia for a while and ....a gorgeous 2008 FG XR 6 .. Owned her since 2016...Absolutely gorgeous thing... You CANNOT go wrong with a Ford Falcon... Truly bulletproof and great to drive and its awesome through your channel to see stunners like this one rescued and restored to be appreciated....Thanks so much..
I take it you’re a Ford man Rodney?
OHHH the memories come back fast. When it was minimum 245 /75/15 or most likely 265 /75/15. Only the beautiful 9 inch would spin them and stay strong. And ya had either a c4'that blew up pretty quick or a lucky c4 that took a beating. Then we would go the FMX top loader of some would build a C6 Auto. One thing Ford did VERY WELL was build a beautiful driveline . And special models like this are ART WORK. VERY COOL VERY RARE TO FIND 👍👍
Glad you’re enjoying the show
Bought a brand new 5.8 four speed esp parked infront of my mates house after 3 hours of ownership and it was rear ended buy a drunk driver had 28 kms on the clock and was written off. So went back to the car yard and got back my 78 Fairmont GXL and still have it today. 351 top loader and 9 inch and still the most comfortable car I have ever driven.
Ouch, that would’ve hurt.
Can tell he loves it. Covered it up well.
A little too well
I recall there were Falcon with a poshier Fairmont, premium luxury Fairlane and off course an Aussie flagship LTD. Gosh I still remember model names from back then.
Oh man. I had an XE Spac. Had the exact same A tread Yoki's on it to.
I remember when you could pick one of these up for about $2500 ... or a HK 186 Monaro for about the same price .... those were the days.
In the late 80's, I was after an XD to have as my first car, and took this GL six cylinder sedan for a test drive. From memory I think it had buckets and a T- bar shifter. The moment I planted my bum in the driver's seat, I couldn't believe how uncomfortable the driving position was. The steering wheel was too close to the driver, and the seat's rearward travel on its runners was unbelievably short. As a result, I walked away from the sale.
I ended up buying an XE GL sedan which was improved in that area with better seat to wheel positioning. It had a four speed and 3-3 when I got it. I later fitted a C4 auto and 4-9 V8 to provide more power and enjoyment, not that the 4-9 was that brilliant by today's standards. It did sound great though! I also fitted XD Ghia rims to lift it's appearance, along with a hood ornament. In the end, rust got to it so I sold it to a mates mate.
Lovely ESP. 4.9 litre 302 cubic inch is a real find. But of course the jewel in the crown is the 5.8 litre 351 cubic inch version.
Back in the 90's I owned an XF Fairmont Ghia with the EFI 4.1, 5 speed manual and moonshot 2.92 rear.
Fantastic comfortable highway car with good mileage. I owned it for 7 years and it was absolutely bullet proof ( except door handles 🤔)
Wish you still had it?
@@davesclassicgaragetours Yes, and the '93 Fairlane Ghia V8 I traded it on and then the 2002 AU XR8 I traded that on.
Now I own a Ranger..🤔🫣😝
The GT replacement was the the Falcon 500 JG23 fitted with a Cleveland 351 Manual or auto nine inch diff , and at the bottom of the radiator support was a plaque saying it was a rally pac.
Nothing rarer than a 4.8 litre Falcon
I worked on a lot of xd xe and xf fords of all models when they were new as apprentice panel beater they are fairly good cars.i did think the esp where 351 top loader and 9 inch cars though and the were extremely well thought of in the day.🇳🇿
ESP means European Sports Pack for those who do not know.
Mate had one, he was the second owner. He had a Suzuki sierra as as a daily driver so his mum drove it regularly, she complained every time it needed fuel ! I told him she had a lead foot and maybe she did, she did say it was great through traffic!😅
Good to see
My brother had one of these back in the day
An orange one , 302 auto
We ended up replacing the 302 with a 351 from mick Webb in Melbourne
And put a top loader behind it…
Was a bloody quick car in the end …
Sounds awesome
@@davesclassicgaragetours prt 2 of it all finished
The three phase is beautiful
That is 'monza red', mainly used on the XD model. Esp XE were usually a two tone silver and black or charcoal color. I had a XD 351 ghia but not an ESP, it was hermitage red.color.
Last of the Grandpa specials, ive never seen a rust free XE, quite the specimen
Not quite rust free. Gone off to the body shop last week. We’ll get the full picture soon
Really like these Fairmonts, a mk2 Granada turned up to 11 - and that asymmetrical steering wheel at 36:25 is 👌❤️
Fantastic to see some of your videos now getting the views they deserve, too! Great stuff Dave.
Thanks Martin. Only Aussie metal to Aussies according to the analytics unfortunately though. Barely making a sound overseas and the Euro and even US stuff I cover remains on views in the 100s.
It’s strange given the worldwide fascination with all things Australia from its lifestyle to wildlife that Mini lovers or the Alfisti around the world aren’t interested in what goes on with them down under. Just can’t seem to break that algorithm. Back to the Healey Factory next week featuring a Jensen 541R and a bunch of British sports cars from the sixties that will barely make 500 views guaranteed. Where are all those boomers in the US that bought those or loyal British subjects?
Just can’t quite fathom it.
@@davesclassicgaragetours It may be more that US viewers aren’t being shown it, rather than they aren’t clicking. Can you see the impressions and CTR by geography in the ‘advanced’ version of the analytics?
It does seem extremely difficult for non-US channels to get US views, though I’m sure there are some exceptions (like Tom Scott and, er, ok that’s probably it).
@@GrandThriftAuto dare I say, who's Tom Scott? Never heard of him.
@@davesclassicgaragetours was he the singer of ac/dc? 🤣oopsy Bon not Tom, must have been the accent that threw me off.
Jeez, watched the Desani vid. A ten minute one take wonder. Imagine that!
All Aussie made holdens and fords are going to be collectors. Especially the factory V8s. Good investments
I really like these videos.
Thanks Paul. Plenty more in the library and plenty more to come
My dream car right there.. i'd prefer it in manual but.. would settle for auto..
This car with a HO Body kit would look supreme.
This takes me back. My father had an XD Fairmont Ghia ESP 5.8 Auto as a company car. I'd seen pics in Wheels mag and suggested he order one. They'd actually sold out at that point but he found one that was being driven by a dealership owner and persuaded him to part with it. It was a beautiful car, it drove really nicely, quiet and lots of torque. The XD also had the Globe Bathurst mag wheels, which were much nicer than the ugly gold rims on the XE. With the fairly hard Bilstein shocks it handled remarkably well for a large car, so much better than the average Aussie car at the time.
“ugly gold rims”? each to their own I guess.
Yes, the globes on the XD were much nicer. They should have kept them for the XE too.
One giveaway that it wasn't out on the road for more than 10 years. All the lenses and bumper trim strips are still the right colour, not faded white 😅
how fantastic really nice to see,
Glad you enjoyed it
@Dave's Classic Garage Tours mate do u have part two
@@iwillnotcomply2002 Filmed it this past week. The lads are going through it over the next week or so to give the owner a full assessment of what needs doing before he decides what to sign off on. Hopefully have a new vid up within the month. Make sure you subscribe and hit the notification bell to keep an eye out
@Dave's Classic Garage Tours thanks mate looking forward to it very exciting. All the best
Just leave it to the expanse when you have someone looking over this vehicle please good footage well done👌
These look so sick dropped. I swapped 2 owner XC falcon for a van so I could work with it. big regret that one.
That would hurt
The brakes have heaps of meat on them the whole car is great apart from the oil leaks and tyres hope old mate doesn't have to pay too much for the work to get it back on the road
Compression test done today. Word back is it’s a bit of a tired old beast.
Yeah I was thinking the same pads looked fine,cleaner underneath than my garaged ba turbo and less spiders too haha
@@davesclassicgaragetours hope you look after old mate good on you for helping him out
Very strong cars the XD family , I got rear ended hard by a 4 by 4 in a xf there was no damage
🍀
I was never a ford Falcon fan of the 80s and 90s modle I thought the cars was ugly. I'm more fan of falcons from the 70s and 2000s. I own a FG xr6 myself. But I remember my brother in law had the same modle you showing in this video back in 94. it was custom painted dark blue it was nice it had the flex of sparkling silver in the paint along with the valour interior and 20 inch Simon's. It looked good. It made heads turn for sure
Each to their own but I love the early to mid 80s Falcons. Awesome shape IMHO
In Europe this model is called Ford Granada. It was build from 77-85 and was available with 1.6 - 2.8l engines. Fuel injected with 160hp
Also available with Diesel engines with 2.1 and 2.5l non turbo with 61 & 67hp
No V8 available but always independent rear suspension in Europe
Nice car, nice wheels 🛞
The front indicators look like some Rover parts
The only things shared with the Granada is the headlights. Everything else is different.
Imagine a Granada Ghia XXX with a 5.0 Cleveland on those white alloys. Sweet as a nut
What a find
Which I could find one like that
That was the thing to do back then, wider tyres, now the kids these days put 195s on a 10 inch rim. I have 295s on a 8 inch rim, classic muscle car look lol 😄
Sounds great
I had a 4.1 six cylinder 4 speed version as my first car. Silver with the blue scheel interior. Unfortunately gutted it in the early 2000’s for a race car build. It’s now a 302 / 5 speed, full cage etc. Still have it but kinda wish we’d restored it.
Would love to see the follow up on this car,early 80's Falcons are overlooked.Used to own a goldy/brown XD Falcon until it was taken out by a red light runner,not happy.
Make sure you subscribe and hit that notification bell for updates. I’ll be heading back soon.
A bad driver gets into crashes that are his fault.
An average driver gets into crashes that aren't his fault.
A great driver just never has crashes.
When driving, always have situational awareness and anticipate others drivers mistakes.
That's another classic car that future generations won't get to enjoy.
@@noelgibson5956 Ok Fangio get a life.
@@TheTigerQuoll
I grew up in a small country town surrounded by quiet dusty roads leading nowhere.
Years ago, an elderly farmer and his wife were heading into town in his WB Statesman on one of these roads(so quiet you'd get one car driving by per hour) when they went through an intersection and got bananared by an XD travelling thru at exactly the same time, killing them both. Because the roads were so quiet, each driver assumed the other car wasn't there(a cluster of trees obstructed the view somewhat). Both drivers were locals who likely travelled these roads hundreds of times, so it's an accident that could have played out exactly the same way years earlier or years later, but it just happened to be on that fateful day in 1982.
Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups. Always remember that.
In the city, other drivers are people you don't know. Always assume they're hopeless and make allowances for them.
My dad had one same colour. GL model. Had to put tow pack on transmission to stop overheating when towing.
hope to see more of the progress on the esp over the next few weeks
That’s the plan
Yes Dave, great show.
What I would give to have mine back now 😅
These things used to get stolen very easily. Any Falcon key pretty much worked as a master key.
Definitely in the "survivor" category.
Nice car that one bruv
I used to have an XD esp 351 but was based on a GL not Ghia. Had the 15" Globe Bathurst mags though. The standard small fuel tank limited range a lot.
Burns me to the core knowing I sold mine 😢
A common theme it seems
E.S.P. Ghia. European Sports Pack.
This soooo reminds me of my old man’s 1982 Cortina GL. That was red too with a black vinyl roof… I’m sure they share the same underpinnings but google didn’t clarify the facts for me…. 😉
Nah. They’ll be different
Always liked these. Ones to do one my with a high pro engine mods. And. It be a sleeper look too. Keep it. Manly with hidden mods. I had one. But Larry sold it. Before I got to drive it. Still upset over that.
Wot??🤨
Dick Johnson had the
Greens Tuf, XE Falcon had a 351, Cleveland, he destroyed it qualifying it at Bathurst on the Saturday morning.they had it on the grid Sunday.
European sports pac .Wow i worked on these when new. All the petrol caps were recalled faulty .i had to paint hundreds of them lol .the 2tone paint jobs was called eclipse
I had a 1982 XE Xpac 302 with Borg Warner single rail 4 speed . Main cross member under engine cracked on left side and broke needing rewelding and bracing . A common problem on XD-XE V8s . Rust killed it in the end even though it was end rust treated... It ended up in a wrecking yard ..
Sounds like a lot went that way
see some comments about 82 being the last of the v8s…i have seen a genuine 83 plated S pack 351…specced by the owner as a tow vehicle…
Can't be 1984, The last XE V8 rolled off the line in November 1982
Try october 1984
@@craig8187 Try November 1982, The XE series ended in October 1984, But the last V8 XE rolled off the line November 1982, Goggle it, You'll find I'm correct.
@@chrish4469 the November 82 car was not 'the last xe falcon v8 car' it was, "the car", that was "fitted with" "the last australian produced v8 cleveland engine''.
Of course it was chosen to fit to the ESP Ghia being a low production special model AND it was chosen to use a 4.9(302) because that was an Australian designed version of the Cleveland engine.
Yes , V8 Cleveland 'engine production' ceased but XE still ran out v8 models after this Nov 82 ESP.
@@craig8187 No, no more V8's after November 1982, Until 1992 with the EB Falcon
@@craig8187 The car in this video has the 4.9 Cleveland, No XE had a V8 that wasn't a Cleveland, XE V8 Production ended late 1982, Some would of been sold into 1983
Brother in law had a 5.8. He should have kept it!
The owner is saying 84 but all 2 tone XE ESP's were for 1982, the 83 & 84 ESP's were a single colour like the normal XE Ghia's & didn't have the orange bumper moulds or side moulds
Did not know that. But I do believe 82 was the last V8 so would agree it probably isn’t 84 if original motor
To think these are now collectables, Used to drive one in high school and got picked on for it being a bucket of S**t, how times have changed. Also owned the fairlane variant which was a nugget to itself.
Everything has its time
I see ol mate has had it at a Pedders Suspension store and had the Bilstein shocks replaced with their own brand junk.
The Ghia was an 'extra special' version of the Fairmont. From memory they got mag wheels, some kind of extra exterior striping, two tone colours? and a different interior. They were pretty nice!
Only the XA, XB & XCs of the 1970s are the true Aussie Falcons/Fairmonts. That decade started with them being little more than RHD US versions, & ended using European designs. The XE's predecessor the XD is easily mistaken for Europe's Mk2 Granada.
Certainly is. By me at least.
G'day one of my dream cars XE esp
Wish they’d imported them into the UK. Love Aussie motors.
They’d have had a rep worse than Lancia
Great vid. This reminds me of how much of a duck head I am after turning down a 5.8L manual in the same colour combo with 17” Simmons, in absolutely original pristine condition for $12k in 1999. Instead I bought an ED XR6 manual for the same money. Geez-I wish I’d kept that one as well!! 😢😢 Has anyone got a DeLorean I can borrow for a day or 2?
A 351 manual ESP (factory 4.1 manual with rare orange trim)- sold at shannons auctions last week for only $31k so theyre not holding values post covid.
@@smiddysmidton8313 I see your point re prices possibly trending downwards. Collectable cars a very much a luxury item and this sort of discretionary spending is heavily impacted by the increased cost of living. Having said that, a modified 4.1 ESP is a very different kettle of fish to a 5.8 manual in terms of desirability and collectibility. I don’t consider myself poor but I can’t justify the current asking price of the 5.8L ESPs that are occasionally show up on the market.
So……..how about that DeLorean people? I’m happy to supply the flux capacitor and 1.21 jigawatts of power.😎
It’s a strange dichotomy between larger capacity engines retaining or gaining value while similar cars that would be cheaper to run and maintain are dropping in value. Not just with big Fords but across the automotive marketplace
Built Ford tough, beautiful cars and the 5.8 also plenty of power and comfort. Dick Johnsons Greens Tuf XE was the fastest car at Bathurst .Shame this ones butchered with the duel fuel
Great need more
And you shall have it. Make sure you subscribe
Such a top car, but the 80s' never left hahahaha Come say G'day, Cheers
A friend of ours bought one of these brand new in the eighties.. (his dad owned the local Greek fish & chip shop)...we thought it was a UFO compared to our old XU-1's and Monaro's.. Never thought they would become barn find rare.
Take away shop Cardiff nsw ?
Get it goin again. Bro these are great cruisers. Heaps of window an just flow down the road for miles'