The Ford Falcon (XC) is a
full-size car that was produced by
Ford Australia
Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of Automotive industry in the United States, United States–based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in 1925 as an Austral ...
from 1976 to 1979. It was the third and last iteration of the third generation of the
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...
and also included the Ford Fairmont (XC)—the luxury-oriented version of the Falcon.
Overview
The XC series was a facelift of the
XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the
XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972.
Introduced in July 1976, the XC included significant changes to comply with new
Australian Design Rules. ADR27A set limits for the emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen. To meet the new requirements, engine compression ratios were dropped, and the engines now featured an
exhaust gas recirculation
In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide () emissions reduction technique used in petrol engine, petrol/gasoline, diesel engines and some hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle, hydrogen engines. ...
valve and
positive crankcase ventilation. In order to offset power losses as a result of implementing emissions controls, Ford upgraded the
six-cylinder engines with a new
crossflow cylinder head with larger valves, and fitted all V8 engines with four-barrel carburettors. While quoted power outputs were lower than those claimed for the XB Falcon, this reflected a move from
SAE gross to
DIN methodology, which measured power of the engine as installed in the car with cooling, charging and exhaust systems installed. Ford claimed power outputs for the upgraded engines were around ten per cent higher than those of their XB predecessors.
Weight also increased significantly, from .
The increase was in part due to the fitting of much larger, stronger front and rear bumpers, and strengthening of the doors to comply with ADR29, which introduced strength and stiffness requirements for side-impact protection.
Visually, the XC Falcon was given a restyle treatment that softened its appearance from its predecessors. The XC had a less aggressive nose which incorporated two round headlights on Falcon models and two rectangular headlights on Fairmont models. On sedan and wagon models, Ford also addressed the vision problems of the XA and XB by utilising redesigned rear doors, which debuted in May 1976 with the
ZH series Fairlane,
with a lower window line that had the effect of removing the
coke bottle styling of the XA and XB. Visibility was further improved by an all-new, lower dashboard and crash pad,
and higher front seats. The XC hardtop was the last of the two-door Australian Falcons.
Total production of the XC range reached 171,082 vehicles prior to the replacement of the XC by the
XD Falcon in March 1979.
Model range
The XC Falcon range of passenger vehicles consisted of nine models:
The Fairmont models were not badged or marketed as Falcons.
The XC Falcon range of commercial vehicles consisted of five models:
[Ford Cars - All Model Catalogue May 1978, page 48]
The contemporary Fairlane and LTD models were codenamed ZH, and P6 respectively.
File:1977 Ford XC Falcon 500 (5092433775).jpg, Ford Falcon 500 Sedan (XC)
File:1976 Ford XC Fairmont (6055732330).jpg, Ford Fairmont Sedan (XC)
File:1978 Ford XC Fairmont station wagon (7708281888).jpg, Ford Fairmont Wagon (XC) (with GS Rally Pack)
File:Ford Fairmont Hardtop (XC Series) (16027826004).jpg, Ford Fairmont Hardtop (XC) (with optional vinyl roof)
File:Ford Fairmont XC GXL Sedan.jpg, Ford Fairmont GXL (XC) (with optional vinyl roof)
File:1978 Ford XC Falcon Utility (8590806201).jpg, Ford Falcon Utility (XC)
Fairmont GXL
Unique to the XC model was the GXL version of the Fairmont, Available in 4.1L
Straight 6, or 4.9L
Cleveland V8. An upgraded engine package, the GT Power Pack, used the larger 5.8L
Cleveland v8. The Fairmont GXL was replaced in the following XD range with the Fairmont Ghia model.
GS Rally Pack
A GS Rally Pack was fitted as standard equipment on the Falcon GS Hardtop
[ and was available as an option on Falcon 500 Sedan and Wagon,][ Fairmont Sedan and Wagon,][ Falcon Utility and Van ][Ford Cars - All Model Catalogue May 1978, page 37] and on Falcon 500 Utility and Van.[ The pack included special paint treatment, bonnet scoops, bumper overriders, slotted steel wheels, enhanced instrumentation, a sports steering wheel and long range driving lights.][ The driving lights were not included when the pack was fitted to Fairmont models.][
]
Limited edition models
In December 1977, 12 special-build XC hardtops were released, all with VINs beginning JG65TE. These were based on the GS hardtop but featured an homologation pack of additional parts that Ford persuaded CAMS was now available as standard on GS hardtops, in order to include those parts on their race cars. The pack included front and rear spoilers, twin electric radiator fans, various body and steering braces for durability and stiffness, and a reverse bonnet scoop that supplied cool air to the engine via a circular hole in the bonnet. This homologation pack would also form the basis of the 30 Option 97 "Bathurst Cobras" the following year.
Ford Falcon Cobra
In August 1978, Ford Australia introduced the limited production Falcon Cobra, a high-performance version of the XC Falcon Hardtop. Only 400 were built, including 4.9-litre and 5.8-litre street versions and 30 "Bathurst Specials".
Allan Moffat Special
In 1977, a limited number (500) of the Falcon 500 sedan were marketed as Allan Moffat Specials. These cars received XB GT-style blackouts and a sticker on the front doors consisting of Allan Moffat's signature and an Australian flag, as well as other options such as the GS Rally pack and Sports handling suspension as standard.
Motorsport
At the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000, Allan Moffat and Colin Bond drove Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
specification Hardtops to a "1, 2" formation finish. Moffat later went on to win the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship driving both an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and XC Falcon GS 500 Hardtop.
The GS 500 Hardtop formed the basis for the Ford Falcon Cobra and a customer racing program, with a special "Evolution" (and later Evo II) package to homologate parts.
References
External links
The Old Car Manual Project - Ford Cars All Model Catalogue May 1978
{{Ford Falcon
XC
Cars of Australia
Cars introduced in 1976
1970s cars
XC Falcon
Sedans
Station wagons
Coupé utilities
Vans
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars discontinued in 1979