Ford Falcon (XP). 1965–6 (prod. 71,000 approx. incl. Fairmont). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, 2-door hardtop coupé. F/R, 144, 170, 200 in³ (I6 OHV). Best of the original Australian Falcons, toughened for local conditions. Al Sundberg, the US engineer, headed over to Australia to work on it, while Jim Martin, chief of product engineering, was thorough in improving the Falcon. Prototypes racked up 473,900 miles. Steel boxes were welded into the underbody to strengthen the structure of the car. Bonnet from Mercury Comet (1962–3), which necessitated a new front end design. New automatic gearbox from Borg-Warner. Ford staged a 70,000-mile You Yangs durability run as a publicity stunt to prove that the XP was far tougher than the fragile XK, and sales, including to fleets, rose. The XP won Wheels’ Car of the Year award. Fairmont spun off in September 1965, replacing Futura and Squire.

Manufacturing location: Broadmeadows, NSW, Australia

Marque: Ford | Model: Ford Falcon | Predecessor: Ford Falcon (XM) | Successors: Ford Fairmont (XP), Ford Falcon (XR)