> Ford Falcon > XA/XB/XC (1972-1979)

XA/XB/XC Ford
February 1972 - March 1979

The third generation XA Ford Falcon was introduced in February 1972 and was designed and built in Australia, with the demise of the US Ford Falcon several years earlier. The third generation was a big car available in a plethora of bodies and engines. The new generation also brought along the new ZF Ford Fairlane, released in March 1972. Real success for the model was acheived with the XB Ford Falcon facelift released in 1973. With the facelifted ZG Fairlane in 1973, Ford introduced its new flagship model, the LTD (and the short-lived Landau hardtop) to replace the imported Ford Galaxie. The XB Falcon marked the end of the GT performance model until the nameplate was revived in 1992. The third generation rounded off with the introduction of the XC Falcon, ZH Fairlane and impressive P6 LTD in 1976. The XC Falcon and long-wheelbase derivatives had an upgrade in April 1978 known as XC½ (introducing the blue oval badge) but were replaced in 1979 by the stylish fourth-generation XD Ford Falcon.

Falcon

XA Falcon

On sale: February 1972 - October 1973
Body styles: sedan, wagon, hardtop, utility, panel van
Range: Falcon sedan ($2,750), Falcon station wagon, Falcon 500 sedan, Falcon 500 station wagon, Falcon 500 hardtop, Futura sedan ($3,290), Fairmont sedan ($3,770), Fairmont station wagon ($4,010), Fairmont hardtop ($3,925), Falcon GT sedan ($4,790) (March 1972), Falcon GT hardtop ($4,955) (August 1972), Falcon utility, Falcon 500 utility, Falcon van
Engine: 200ci 3.3L inline 6-cyl 97kW@4600rpm 258Nm@2000rpm, 250ci 1V 4.1L inline 6-cyl 116kW@4000rpm 325Nm@1600rpm, 250ci 2V 4.1L inline 6-cyl 127kW@4200rpm 339Nm@2200rpm, 302ci 5.0L V8 179kW@5000rpm 414Nm@2600rpm, 351ci 5.8L V8 194kW@4600rpm 481NM@2600rpm, GT: 351 5.8L V8 224kW@5400rpm 515Nm@3400rpm

XB Falcon

On sale: October 1973 - July 1976
Body styles: sedan, wagon, hardtop, utility, panel van
Range: Falcon sedan ($3,236), Falcon station wagon, Falcon 500 sedan, Falcon 500 station wagon, Falcon 500 hardtop ($3,420), Futura sedan ($3,540), Fairmont sedan ($4,044), Fairmont station wagon, Fairmont hardtop ($4,149), Falcon GT sedan ($5,200), Falcon GT hardtop ($5,316), Falcon utility, Falcon 500 utility, Falcon van, Falcon 500 van
Engine: 200ci 3.3L inline 6-cyl 97kW@4600rpm 258Nm@2000rpm, 250ci 1V 4.1L inline 6-cyl 116kW@4000rpm 325Nm@1600rpm, 302ci 5.0L V8 179kW@5000rpm 414Nm@2600rpm, 351ci 5.8L V8 194kW@4600rpm 481Nm@2600rpm, GT: 351 5.8L V8 224kW@5400rpm 515Nm@3400rpm

XC Falcon

On sale: July 1976 - March 1979 (XC 1/2 upgrade - May 1978)
Body styles: sedan, wagon, hardtop, utility, panel van
Range: Falcon sedan ($5,456), Falcon station wagon, Falcon 500 sedan, Falcon 500 station wagon, Falcon GS hardtop ($6,337), Fairmont sedan, Fairmont station wagon, Fairmont hardtop, Fairmont GXL ($7,822), Falcon Cobra hardtop (from August 1978), Falcon Cobra hardtop Bathurst Edition ($10,330) (from August 1979)
Engine: Crossflow 3.3L inline 6-cyl 80kW@4600rpm 220Nm@2000rpm, Crossflow 4.1L low compression inline 6-cyl 85kW@3900rpm 272Nm@1900rpm, Crossflow 4.1L high compression inline 6-cyl 92kW@3700rpm 289Nm@2400rpm, 4.9L (302ci) 4V V8 151kW@4600rpm 364Nm@3000rpm, 5.8L V8 162kW@4500rpm 429Nm@2700rpm

Fairlane

ZF Fairlane

On sale: March 1972 - October 1973
Body styles: LWB sedan
Range: Custom sedan ($3,900), 500 sedan ($4,790)
Engine: 250ci 1V 4.1L inline 6-cyl 116kW@4000rpm 325Nm@1600rpm, 302ci V8 5.0L 179kW@5000rpm 414Nm@2600rpm, 351ci V8 5.8L 194kW@4600rpm 481Nm@2600rpm

ZG Fairlane

On sale: November 1973 - May 1976
Body styles: LWB sedan
Range: Custom sedan ($4,491), 500 sedan ($5,201)
Engine: 250ci 1V 4.1L inline 6-cyl 116kW@4000rpm 325Nm@1600rpm, 302ci V8 5.0L 179kW@5000rpm 414Nm@2600rpm, 351ci 2V V8 5.8L 194kW@4600rpm 481Nm@2600rpm

ZH Fairlane

On sale: May 1976 - May 1979
Body styles: LWB sedan
Range: Fairlane sedan, Fairlane 500 sedan ($9,149), Fairlane Marquis sedan ($10,986)
Engine: 4.9L (302ci) 4V V8 151kW@4500rpm 364Nm@2200rpm, 5.8L V8 162kW@4500rpm 429Nm@2700rpm

LTD & Landau

P5 LTD & Landau

On sale: August 1973 - September 1976
Body styles: LWB sedan, hardtop
Range: LTD sedan ($7,770), Landau hardtop ($6,950), LTD Town Car ($11,050) (1975)
Engine: 351ci V8 5.8L 216kW@5000rpm 515Nm@3200rpm

P6 LTD

On sale: September 1976 - September 1979
Body styles: LWB sedan
Range: LTD sedan ($13,1670), LTD Town Car, LTD Silver Monarch sedan ($13,384)
Engine: 5.8L V8 162kW@4500rpm 429Nm@2700rpm

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XA Falcon / ZF Fairlane

XA Ford Falcon 500 Sedan	XA Ford Falcon 500 Sedan	XA Ford Falcon 500 Hardtop
XA Ford Fairmont Sedan	XA Ford Fairmont Hardtop	XA Ford Fairmont Wagon
XA Ford Fairmont GS Sedan	XA Ford Falcon Superbird Hardtop	XA Ford Falcon GT Sedan
XA Ford Falcon GT RPO83 Sedan	XA Ford Falcon GT RPO83 Sedan	XA Ford Falcon GT RPO83 Hardtop
XA Ford Falcon 500 Utility	ZF Ford Fairlane 500	ZF Ford Fairlane 500

XB Falcon / ZG Fairlane / P5 LTD

XB Ford Falcon 500 Sedan	XB Ford Falcon 500 GS Hardtop	XB Ford Fairmont Sedan
XB Ford Fairmont Wagon	XB Ford Fairmont Sedan	XB Ford Falcon GT Hardtop
XB Ford Falcon GT Sedan	XB Ford Falcon GT Sedan	XB Ford Falcon John Goss Special Hardtop
XB Ford Falcon Utility/Van	ZG Ford Fairlane 500	ZG Ford Fairlane 500
P5 Ford LTD	P5 Ford LTD Town Car	P5 Ford LTD
P5 Ford Landau	P5 Ford Landau

XC½ Update (note Ford oval badge)	XC½ Ford Falcon Sedan	XC½ Ford Falcon Sedan
XC½ Ford Falcon Sedan	XC½ Ford Falcon Wagon	XC½ Ford Falcon X-PAK Sedan
XC Ford Falcon GS Hardtop	XC½ Ford Fairmont Sedan	XC Ford Fairmont Hardtop
XC Ford Fairmont GXL	XC Ford Falcon Cobra	XC Ford Falcon Cobra
XC½ Ford Falcon Sundowner Van	XC Ford Falcon Sundowner Van	ZH Ford Fairlane Marquis
ZH Ford Fairlane 500	ZH½ Ford Fairlane 500	ZH½ Ford Fairlane 500
P6 Ford LTD	P6 Ford LTD	P6 Ford LTD Silver Monarch

 

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Colours of 1972 XA model:

Port Wine, Yellow Fire, Red Pepper, Shadow Grey, Wild Violet, Yellow Sand, Onyx Black, Deep Ivy, Walnut Glow,
Jewel Green, Calypso Green, Pottery Beige, Cosmic Blue, Blue Teal, Copper Bronze, Blaze Blue, Kelly Green, Ultra White,
Yellow Glow, Summer Gold, Wild Plum, Polar White, Lime Glaze, Skyview Blue

Colours of 1973 XB model:

Tropic Gold, Yellow Blaze, Red Pepper, Sandstone Beige, Mulberry, Emerald Fire, Onyx Black, Tango, Walnut Glow, Banana Blush,
Tropicana Green, Apollo Blue, Deep Aqua, Copper Bronze, Skyview Blue, Frosted Lime, Polar White, Mushroom Beige, Alpine Green,
Antique Beige, Blue Steel, Burnt Orange, Coolmint Green, Corporate Blue, Deep Ivy, Emerald Fire, Sherwood Green, Outback Bronze,

Colours of 1976 XC model:

Blue Steel, Regency Brown, Antique Beige, Regency Green, Frosted Pine, Sweet Cream, Banana Blush, Black Matt, Red Flame, Meadow Green, Tango, Mushroom Beige, Satin Spruce, Regency Blue, Midnight Blue, Modena Green, Pine n Lime, Coolmint, Raw Orange, Brown Satin, Outback Bronze, Gold Rush, Emerald Green, Platinum Blue, Harvest Gold, Fire Glow, Sherwood Green, Desert Gold, Spearmint, Neptune Blue, Desert Haze, Beige Blush, Chalet Blue, Regency Lime, Sno White

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Falcon

XA
Introduced: February 1972
Production: December 1971 to November 1973
Production sites: Broadmeadows, Eagle Farm
Number built: 152,609
XA hardtop: 8,689 (4,525 Falcon 500, 3,273 Fairmont, 891 GT)
Falcon GT: 2,759 in total. 1,868 four-doors and 891 two-doors. 1971: 1 four-door manual. 1972: 1,222 four-doors, 529 two-doors. 1973: 645 four-doors, 529 two-doors. GTHO Phase IV: 1 (only counting production car, the 3 race cars didn't have HO on compliance plates). GT RPO 83: 119 hardtop, 120 sedan
Superbird 302 hardtop: 700 (500 auto, 200 man)

XB
Introduced: October 1973
Production: June 1973 to June 1976
Production sites: Broadmeadows, Eagle Farm
Number built: 220,765
XB hardtop: 9,731 (5,400 Falcon 500 (inc Goss), 3,382 Fairmont, 949 GT)
Falcon GT: 2,899 in total. 1973: 229 four-doors, 138 two-doors. 1974: 1,003 four-doors, 563 two-doors. 1975: 434 four-doors, 123 two-doors, 1976: 284 four-dors, 125 two-doors.
John Goss Special 302: 260 hardtop

XC
Introduced: August 1976
Production: June 1976 to July 1979
Production sites: Broadmeadows, Eagle Farm
Number built: 150,707
XC hardtop: 2,262 (1,214 Falcon, 648 Fairmont, 400 Cobra)
Falcon Cobra: 400 in total. (80 351 man inc 30 Bathurst spec, 120 351 auto, 100 302 man, 100 302 auto - one with reverse colour scheme, #209)
Allan Moffat Special 302 sedans: 500

Fairlane

ZF
Number built: 17,306

ZG
Number built: 19,556

ZH
Number built: 22,982 in total. 6,067 Marquis models

LTD

P5
Number built: 7,003 LTD sedans, 272 Landau hardtops

P6
Number built: 5,896

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Australian Touring Car Championship

• 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship
  The 1976 championship was won by Allan Moffat in a XB Ford Falcon GT hardtop.

• 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship
  Allan Moffat won the 1977 season convincingly ahead of teammate Colin Bond for a 1-2 finish in the Moffat Ford Dealers team XB Ford Falcon GT hardtop and XC Ford Falcon 500 GS hardtop.

Bathurst

• 1973 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
  Australia's premier race, it was the first race to be held under the new metricised distance of 1000 kilometres, rather than the 500 miles previously contested. The 1973 race around Mount Panorama, Bathurst was won by Allan Moffat and Ian Geoghegan in a XA Ford Falcon GT hardtop for the Ford Australia team.
  

• 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
  The 1974 race won by John Goss and Kevin Bartlett in a XA Ford Falcon GT hardtop for the McLeod Ford - 2UW team.

• 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
  The 1977 race was won by Allan Moffat for a then-record-equalling fourth time, driving with Belgian Jacky Ickx in the Moffat Ford Dealers XC Ford Falcon 500 GS. They finished in side-by-side formation with the team's second XC Falcon driven by Colin Bond and Alan Hamilton in the most dominant team performance seen at the race.

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The XA Ford Falcon sat as full-sized model in Ford Australia's 1972 passenger range:

The XC Ford Falcon sat as full-sized model in Ford Australia's 1976 passenger range:

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Competitors at introduction of XA Ford Falcon:

Competitors at introduction of XB Ford Falcon:

Competitors at introduction of XC Ford Falcon:

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