Ford Falcon
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The Ford Falcon is a car manufactured by Ford since 1960. It was once manufactured in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Australia and Chile, and was also assembled in many other countries. The Falcon remains Ford's most popular model in Australia, which is also the only country in which new Falcons are now built. If sales figures from all countries are combined the Falcon is one of the biggest selling names in world automotive history.[1]
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Falcons in North America
Image:Fronten60.jpgHistorically, the Big Three auto manufacturers, (GM, Ford and Chrysler), focused purely on the larger and more profitable vehicles in the US and Canadian markets. Towards the end of the 1950s, all three manufacturers realised that that former strategy would no longer work. Large automobiles were becoming increasingly expensive thanks to wage inflation, making smaller European cars such as Volvos and Volkswagens increasingly attractive. Furthermore, many American families were now in the market for a second car, and market research showed that women especially thought that the full-size car had grown too large and cumbersome. At the same time, that research showed that many buyers would prefer to buy US or Canadian if the domestic manufacturers offered a smaller, cheaper car. Thus, all three introduced compact cars: the Valiant from Chrysler (becoming the Plymouth Valiant in 1961), the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair, and the Ford Falcon. Competition also came from smaller Studebaker, with the Lark, and AMC with its Rambler line.
By American standards of the 1960s, the Falcon was a small car, but elsewhere it was considered a mid-size car. It was powered by a small, lightweight 90 hp (67 kW), 144 in³ (2.4 L) straight-6 with a single-barrel carburetor. Construction was unibody, and suspension was fairly standard; coil springs in front, leaf springs in the rear. There was room for six passengers in reasonable comfort in the simple interior. Body styles available at launch were two and four-door sedans, two or four-door station wagons, and the Ford Ranchero car-based pickup, transferred onto the Falcon platform for 1960.
Image:Ford Falcon 500px.jpgIn 1960, Ford's Canadian subsidiary introduced the Falcon-based Frontenac in order to give Mercury and Meteor dealers a smaller model to sell. Produced for the 1960 model year only, the Frontenac was essentially a re-badged 1960 Falcon with its own unique grille, tail lights and external trim including red maple leaf insignias. Despite strong sales (5% of Ford's total Canadian output) the Frontenac was discontinued and replaced by the Mercury Comet for 1961.
Robert McNamara, a Ford executive who became Ford's president briefly before being offered the job of US Defense Secretary, is regarded by many as "the father of the Falcon". McNamara left Ford shortly after the Falcon's introduction, but his faith in the concept was vindicated with record sales; over half a million in the first year and hitting over a million sold by the end of the second year.Image:1964 Ford Falcon.jpg
The 1961 model year introduced an optional 101 hp, 170 in³ (2.8 L) six, and two new models were introduced; a bucket-seat sedan model with a higher trim level called the Futura, and a sedan delivery. A Mercury derivative, the Mercury Comet, was launched.
1962 saw a Squire model of the station wagon, with fake wood trim on the sides. Also new that year, the "Futura" option was offered with in slightly upgraded interior, different fender trim (spears), and a handful of different emblems. Halfway through the model year, they changed the roof line at the back window to more of a Thunderbird design.
In 1963 even more models were available; there was now a 4-door Futura, a Deluxe wagon and Ranchero, convertibles were introduced, and the new "Sprint" model was introduced. Halfway through the model year, a 260 in³ (4.3 L) V8 engine was offered for the first time. The Falcon was climbing in trim level from its budget beginnings as Ford attempted to wring more profit from the line.Image:66falcon.jpg
A redesign changed the Falcon's looks for 1964. The new look was more squared-off, more modern, as Ford chased the youth market. Later in 1964, Ford's new offering for that market was launched: the Ford Mustang, based heavily on the Falcon but with no compromises about its youthful, fun intention. The Mustang dealt Falcon sales in North America a blow from which they would never recover.
The Falcon continued to be sold, but at much lower levels, even after another redesign in 1966 that moved the Falcon into small mid-size territory. The Ranchero was moved to the Fairlane platform in 1967, and the convertible models were discontinued.Image:69falconwagon.jpg
The final model year for the Falcon in the United States was 1969, with the aborted 1970 model year replaced on January 1, 1970. These 1970½ Falcons were unique: they were a version of the larger Ford Torino, sold only for seven months before the introduction of the Ford Maverick in 1971. These Falcons could be ordered with all the Torino options, including the giant Ford 429 Cobra Jet engine (7.0 L).
Falcons in Argentina
In Argentina, Falcons closely resembling the 1960s North American Falcons were built until the early 1990s. Green Falcons became infamous due to their use by death squads during the military dictatorship of the 1970s and early 1980s.
The Falcon retained the same body style, with a more substantial facelift taking place in the 1980s, bringing it into line with other Fords. However, by then, it was apparent that it was a 1960 design wearing a 1980s grille. The station wagon model was officially called the Falcon Rural.
It was the official vehicle of many police forces, especially the Policía Bonaerense.
Falcons in Australia
Template:Seealso Image:Falcon.jpg
General description
Ford Australia has manufactured over four million of its versions of the Falcon which have been sold since 1960, and it has been the best selling car in Australia on many occasions. Throughout its history the Falcon has been available in sedan, station wagon, ute (short for "utility," known in the US as pickup trucks), and panel van versions. Falcons dominate the ranks of taxis in Australia and New Zealand and are also widely used as police cars.
Other Falcon-based models continue to be made in Australia, including the better-appointed Ford Futura, and a luxury version called the Fairmont. The Fairlane and LTD limousine models use a longer version of the Falcon wheelbase. The Futura name was revived in Australia some years later for a mid-range model of the Falcon. Falcon and Fairmont station wagons, as well as the Fairlane and LTD limousines, have a longer wheelbase than the Falcon. For this reason they are sometimes rebuilt for uses such as stretch limousines and hearses.
History
In 1959, Ford built a factory at Broadmeadows, Victoria for the Falcon, which is still made there. Falcon components made at Broadmeadows and other places have, in the past, also been assembled at several other locations. Until the early 1990s one of these factories was Ford New Zealand's plant in Wiri, Auckland; since then all Falcons sold in that country have been fully imported from Australia.
The first Falcons sold in Australia, from September 1960, were a model designated the "XK", essentially a right hand drive version of the U.S. model. Ford Australia needed a car that was larger than modified North American or British models, such as the Ford Zephyr, which were not always considered suitable for the Australian market. "XK" sales suffered from complaints about the durability of US-designed cars on rough outback roads. Ford Australia introduced some local design changes to the "XK" in early 1962, such as a heavier suspension system. However, the Falcon was still widely perceived as unsuitable for local conditions and was not a success in the Australian market. Nevertheless, Ford stuck with the Falcon and sales increased over following years. The "XM", released in 1964, was the first Falcon with an Australian-designed body, although it differed little in appearance from US models. The following model, the XP, saw the Fairmont introduced as an upmarket variant, and the XP was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1965, while the largely American-styled XR won the award in 1966.
The Australian affection for the ute also allowed the Falcon to serve as the base model for their line of utes and panelvans, starting in the late 1950s and gaining rapid recognition by (usually younger) enthusiasts by the mid-1960s. As the base sedan and station wagon models of the Falcon further evolved, so too did the ute and panelvan models, although usually up to a year or so after initial release into the market (the only exception was the XF series, which lasted through the initial "EA26" era due to the perceived unreliabity of the base EA-model sedans).
Falcons have been raced in Australia's premier touring car racing categories for many years. From the late 1960s, when the Bathurst Enduro was raced in production cars, a series of high-performance Falcon variants were built. With the "XW" in 1969, Australian Falcons gained a GT model with a bigger V8, the 351 in³ (5.8 L) Canadian-made "Windsor" engine, producing 291 hp (217kW). The GTs remain valuable collectors' cars and this is especially true of the "XY" GT, released in 1970, in which the Windsor was replaced by a "Cleveland" 351, producing 300hp (224kW). An upgraded Cleveland, in the 1971 "XY" GTHO Phase III, produced 385 hp (287 kW). Just a couple of the semi-legendary'GTHO Phase IV were built. Ford had intended to race with the Phase IV's at Bathurst. However, on June 25, 1972, the motoring editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Evan Green, published an untruthful and inflamatory article about 3 car makers that were building street legal supercars that could top 240 km/h. Government pressure forced Ford, along with Holden and Valiant, to abandon their high performance cars, phase IV included. Ironically, Evan Green later became a PR boss and member for the board for arch-rival Trabant, and would even make his name as a rally driver. The article he wrote and its impact later became known as the Supercar Scare.
The end of production in the US paved the way for much greater Australian input in the design of Australian-made Falcons, from 1971 onwards, although for several years there was still a distinct resemblance to US-made Mustang. This was particularly noticeable in the "XA" Falcon, introduced in 1972 and the similar "XB" and "XC" models.
The 1973 GT "XB" was the car used to create the black 'Pursuit Special' in the film Mad Max, while the 1974 "XB" Sedan was the basis for the blue and yellow Police Interceptors that also made an appearance.
The Falcon, while popular, was outsold in Australia by GM Holden's Kingswood until 1978, when Holden decided to replace the Kingswood with a smaller model called the Commodore, based on the European Opel models. Ford's next model Falcon, the "XD", introduced in 1979, bore some styling resemblances to the European Ford Granada, but was somewhat larger, and eventually outsold the Commodore. Initially, quality and fuel consumption concerns dogged the XD. 1980's introduction of the crossflow Alloy Head improved fuel consumption of the ageing 4.1 OHV engine, an engine with its roots in the 1960s. As the 1979 fuel crisis eased, Australians moved away from the downsized Commodore back to traditional full-size Australian sedans. In 1982, For the first time in more than a decade, the Falcon eclipsed its Holden rival and did so for the next decade. Only with the subtantially improved VT Commodore did Australian buyers flock back to Holden.
Government pressure and the fuel crisis began to curtail the development of high performance cars. Despite some opposition, the traditional V8 models were deleted in the 1980s, in favour of fuel-injected six-cylinder models which, in fact, produced more power. The Ford eights remained absent between 1983 and 1991, when the EB was introduced. The EB II was arguably one of Ford's best ever Falcons, righting the wrongs of the previous EA and EB models - so much so that no substantial changes were made until the EF of 1995.
With hindsight, the deletion of the bent-eights was the lesser of two evils presented at the time. Ford had considered replacing the Falcon with a model from "Project Capricorn", which would have seen a front-wheel-drive car based on a stretched Mazda 626 fill the market segment.
There was a third alternative: developing a four-door version of the European Ford Scorpio, which at the time had only been designed as a five-door hatchback. Work on this did progress to clay models.
Ford persisted with developing an all-Australian car under the codename EA26 (E for the large size, A for Australia, 26 for the global project number, usually in sequence at Ford). EA26 would retain the traditional Falcon hallmarks of width and rear-wheel drive. This proved to be the correct move as sales of the Falcon began to climb after the fuel crisis aftermath, while those of the rival Holden Commodore slipped. It became clear that Australian buying patterns had not truly changed and what the public wanted was a full-size family car.
In addition, Ford's dominance of the taxi market in Australia meant that a car that could comfortably seat three along the back seat—and even the front, with a bench seat installed—was necessary. It also ensured that Ford could retain, at least until Holden released the new Statesman in the late 1980s, the market for official cars for governmental use.
The "EA" model Falcon introduced in 1988 bore a passing resemblance to the European Ford Scorpio, but under the skin, remained entirely Australian. This was only produced as sedan and stationwagon models, with the old model ute and panelvan (at that stage the XF model) continuing in production. Between 1989 and 1992, a version of the Falcon ute was badged as a Nissan under an unsuccessful government-backed model-sharing scheme called the Button Plan (which also saw the Nissan Pintara badged as the Ford Corsair). The EA model, while initially popular, unfortunately proved a little unreliable: transmission issues and electrical faults (also experienced by their major competitor at the time, the VN Commodore) were the usual culprits, before the "EB" model was hurriedly released some time later in 1990, fixing most of these issues. EA-model reliability also curtailed resale value, and still does to this day: most second-hand car purchasers usually prefer to pay more money for the preceding model (the XF) or the succeeding model (the EB) than for the EA. This also affected the ute and panelvan models, which still persisted with their old XF-model styling, to eventually get a quick update from the EB-model release the following year in 1991 (as the "XG").
The Tickford Fords of the 1990s represented the reintroduction of high performance models. These included the XR8 and potent T-Series, engineered by the British company Tickford, which does work for Aston Martin, now also owned by Ford.
While their sport-utility models still proved very popular, the popularity of the panelvan at this stage had faded somewhat of late, and Ford released their last and apparently final model of the panelvan in 1997 with their XH & XH2 models (based on the EF model of the previous year). Falcon-based utes continued evolving along the lines of the sedan however: the next model (AU) offered the first tray-model ute in many years.
Image:Falcon AU XR8 2.jpg Image:Falcon AU XR8 1.jpg
The "AU" model Falcon was released in 1998, but was panned by the motoring press, and faced an uphill battle against the new "VT" model Holden Commodore. The AU — actually developed under the code name "EA169" — had Ford's "New Edge" design style, which was meant to differentiate it from the Audi-esque styling prevalent in the 1990s. The gamble, which had worked with the Ford Focus, did not particularly endear the AU Falcon to its buyers, even after subtle model upgrades (the AU Series II and Series III).
Although now panned for its styling, the new Mercedes-Benz CLS-class bears a striking resemblance to the AU Falcon.
However, Ford Australia appears to be fighting back with the "BA"-model Falcon, with yet another unique design, suggesting AU Falcon's failure was due to the proportions and lines of the car. The BA Falcon retains the same doors (due to engineering limtations), but otherwise appears as a very thorough redesign. Engineering-wise, substantial improvements were made to allow the BA — also officially part of the "EA169" platform — to compete well against the Commodore.
BA brought the new Barra engines to the Falcon range, the 210hp (157kW) SOHC 4.0L was given a new DOHC variable valve timed head (this version produced 245hp (182kW)), and the Windsor 295hp (220kw) 5.0L and 335 (250kw) 5.6L V8 was replaced with a 24-valve 295hp (220kW) SOHC 5.4L V8 in lower models; 32-valve 349hp (260kW) and 389hp (290kW) 5.4L DOHC V8s powered the sportier XR8 and GT models.
Also new to the model range was the XR6 Turbo, powered by a 323hp (240kW) Turbo version of the base model's 4.0L engine (this engine is currently unique to Australia). Turbocharging was initially experimented with during the early development of the 4.0 L engine, which was being developed for the EA in 1998. Its relatively high power output - 147kw in MP-EFI version - was considered more than adequate for the time, and plans for turbocharging and even DOHC were dropped.
The turbo BA engine is lightly stressed and a favorite platform for tuners who have extracted over 1000kw from it. Companies such as Australia's 'Air Power Systems' can supply kits to provide around 400kW for around $4000. Rumors and conspiracy theories abound, but a widely held though unsubstantiated belief is that the turbocharged engine was over-tuned in the intial BA release and, during routine servicing, the engine was detuned to reduce the stress and thus possibility of warranty claims.
The BA model offered substantial improvements in styling, interior, engines, reliability and performance. Within a year of its release, Falcon sales had increased subtantially and, for a time, eclipsed Commodore sales. The BA Mark II changes incorporated small improvements more akin to a model-year upgrade.
The BF model brought many mechanical upgrades to the Falcon this year, including but not limited to; dual-independent variable cam timing on the 6-cylinder and SOHC V8 engines, which in conjunction with ECU modifications led to increases in power and fuel economy, required to comply with recently introduced Euro III emissions standards. Long a Falcon (and indeed, Australian-built vehicle) weakness was the continued use of 1980s-originating 4-speed automatic transmissions. With the BF, Ford introduced a 6-speed automatic developed by German company ZF and Bosch dynamic stability control available as an option on many models.
It is interesting to note that Ford Australia continues to face the same problems that led to the Falcon being introduced in the 1960s: the resistance of Ford buyers to "smaller" models. Attempts to sell the US Ford Taurus in Australia and New Zealand as a possible future replacement for the Falcon proved ultimately unsuccessful. Since the dropping of the Scorpio, the largest model available from Ford in Europe is now the Mondeo, which proved unpopular in Australia, even competing in the same medium-sized segment of the market as it does in Europe.
Australian Falcon exports have traditionally been confined to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations like Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The only significant export market for the Falcon outside the region has been South Africa, where it was released in 1996, after an absence of nearly 20 years, but was dropped in 2003. Some limousines and hearses are exported to the UK by Coleman Milne, which used to convert European-made Granadas and Scorpios for the same purposes. Hong Kong also imported a small batch of Falcons for trial as taxis, but they have not seen success there either. The Falcon was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year again for 2002.
Full Falcon Model Line Up
1960: XK Falcon^^
1962: XL Falcon
1964: XM Falcon
1965: XP Falcon
1966: XR Falcon^^
1968: XT Falcon
1969: XW Falcon^
1971: XY Falcon
1972: XA Falcon^^
1973: XB Falcon
1976: XC Falcon
1979: XD Falcon^^
1982: XE Falcon
1984: XF Falcon
1988: EA Falcon^^
1991: EB Falcon
1994: ED Falcon
1995: EF Falcon^
1996: EL Falcon
1998: AU Falcon^^
2000: AUII Falcon,
2001: AUIII Falcon^
2002: BA Falcon^
2004: BAII Falcon
2005: BF Falcon
^ - Major Facelift
^^ - Complete New Car
Ford Territory
Image:0817tmp3.jpgThe Ford Territory is a crossover SUV built by Ford Australia and based on the EA169 platform of the Ford Falcon, released in April 2004. Its code name inside Ford was E265. It won the prestigious 2004 Wheels Car of the Year award, the reviewers praising car-like handling and practicality as reasons for its win. Ford had reportedly spent A$500 million on developing the range over four years. It is built on the same production line as the Australian made Ford BA series Falcon. Ford's reputed design brief was for its engineers to develop 'a BMW X5 for Falcon money'. With the clever use of an extensible platform, parts-bin components and a competent though superceded all-wheel drive system, Ford came very close to achieving its goal.
Falcons as police cars in Australia
The Ford Falcon and its rival the Holden Commodore make up the majority of Australian state police fleets. General duties cars are almost identical to the stock Falcon XT, except for upgrades such as modified seats which provide better support and comfort to officers wearing equipment belts, a limited slip differential, sports suspension and dual airbags.
Other modifications include a heavy duty battery, alternator, and wiring, to enable the installation and use of extra equipment like speed detection radar and police radios, a police-certified speedometer with two kilometre increments which provides greater accuracy, a map reading lamp, and reduced insulation in the car roof to facilitate the fitting and wiring of the emergency lights. The various police forces fit their own sirens, emergency lights and decals.
Image:Falcon Police Car.jpg General Duties patrol cars run the standard 190kW six-cylinder engine, and some states use high powered Falcon XR6 Turbo (245 kW) and XR8 (260 kW) sedans as traffic enforcement vehicles. Contrary to popular belief, police cars in Australia do not have any performance enhancing engine tuning chips.
Falcon sedans are commonly used as police vehicles in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory. The South Australia and Western Australia police forces mainly use Holden Commodores, however when the AU Falcon was released in 1997 they were used almost exclusively. Caged trucks based on the Falcon XL cab chassis are frequently used in Victoria and Queensland, and occasionally in South Australia and Western Australia.
As noted above, several XB Falcons appeared in the film "Mad Max" as police patrol cars. Mad Max's own car, a black model equipped with a supercharger, is famously referred to as 'the last of the V8 interceptors'.
Image:Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo.jpg
External links
USA
- FalconRegistry.com
- FalconParts.com
- Falcon Club of America
- Northwest Classic Falcons
- FordForums
- Ford Six Performance
- Ford Six Performance Parts
Argentina
- http://www.todofalcon.com.ar/ (in Spanish)