Ford Falcon 50th Anniversary – Special Feature – 236

On June 25, 2010, the Australian Ford Falcon notched up its half century, fifty years after the original Australian-made XK Falcon rolled off the production line in 1960 launching the longest continuous model line in Australian motoring history.

Ford Australia achieved two outstanding milestones this year, the other, 85 years of Ford production in Australia. The Falcon has proved itself to be a true icon of Australian motoring since its debut, and while other models such as the recently discontinued Ford Fairlane have travelled over Australian roads longer, they’ve included imported versions. The Falcon has undoubtedly earned its place in automotive history as the longest running nameplate on an Australian-made vehicle and, in order to commemorate this outstanding accomplishment, Ford has recently unveiled a range of six special edition Falcon’s boasting a host of additional features and special pricing. With four XR-based models and two G-Series based models, proudly wearing the Falcon ‘bird’ logo that originally inspired the name for the large car. Read the rest of this entry »

1972 XA GT Falcon – Fantastic Falcon – 236

One word – Bathurst – instantly conjures up images of decades of nail-biting battles between the two Aussie archrivals, Ford and Holden. In fact, Bathurst was the inspiration behind Ford’s decision to produce such a car as the famous GT Falcon.

During the early years of the ‘great race’ the annual 500-mile event at the mountain road course of Mount Panorama attracted countless entrants driving virtually every known variety of foreign and domestic car, including the very first purpose-built local Ford ‘race’ car, the Cortina GT500. However, in 1967 Ford was keen to promote its current Falcon XR model which, for the first time for an Australian Falcon, was available with a V8 engine. Ford set about planning something rather different. The rest, as they say, is history, as the GT Falcon reigned supreme at ‘the mountain’ during the ensuing years, and was involved in some of the most heavily fought tussles in the event’s history.

Between the years of 1969 and 1973 these mighty machines had a huge impact on the Australian touring car scene, when a young up and coming driver, Allan Moffatt, got behind the wheel of the Phase 1, 2, and 3 GT-HOs, firing up the imagination of Ford fans throughout Australasia as he took the laurels at Bathurst in 1970 and 1971. Read the rest of this entry »

Ford Falcon turns 50 – news report

Ford Falcon turns 50 – news item from Ten News in Australia

Goodwood 1966: Memories of the Lloyd Family

For me as a car mad schoolboy of 11 (pictured with Peter Arundell’s F2 test Lotus), the major sporting event of 1966 was the closure of Goodwood for regular motor race meetings.

While I soon developed a more cosmopolitan attitude to racing elsewhere within easy reach of home (such as Brands Hatch, Crystal Palace and Thruxton), in 1966 Goodwood was my favourite circuit, especially as it was the first circuit to which I had been taken by my parents back in 1963.

Much has been said and written about the friendly atmosphere of a Goodwood race meeting in the 1960s, and I would concur with this view. Free admission to the Paddock, and the Grandstands at Woodcote and the Chicane at Members’ Meetings emphasised this too.

The Lloyd family visited Goodwood four times during 1966, in March, April (including Members’ Days and the practice day for the Easter Monday event) and June.

I am not sure whether prices had risen so high that my Dad felt that it was too expensive for a family of four to attend the Easter race day, or that first, the crowds were too big for small kids, second, the circuit’s new 3-litre limit for Racing and Sports Racing Cars or third, the fact that the big race was for the 1-litre Formula Two cars, I am not sure, but in any event we went to the practice, which I recall we also did in 1965.

Ironically we went as a family to the Brands Hatch race meeting on the Monday.

I was excited that the freedom of movement we were allowed gave me the opportunity to snap a number of cars with either the family Baby Brownie or my sister Julia’s Ilford 127 camera. I took pictures of a number of cars which grabbed my attention during the days racing or which looked good or different in the paddock.

My own memories include an intense battle at the March meeting between the Fraser Imps and Roger Nathan’s version, which ended with Nathan and one of the Fraser cars in the bank at Woodcote.

An equally intense battle at the June meeting involved  Don Jones (Anglia), Peter Bevan (A40) and 2 Minis driven by David George and David Meer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Classic Ford Commercials

Some classic commercials for the popular range of Australian Ford Vehicles of the sixties and seventies, including the Falcon, Cortina and Escort.

NZV8TV S2 Ep5 – 1963 Corvette Split Window, muscle cars at Eastern Creek – pt2

Central Muscle Cars race 4 from Eastern Creek. Classic muscle cars including the Pinepac Mustang, GIO Walkinshaw Commodore, Falcon XC Cobra and VH Commodore. Plus a minter split-window Chevrolet Corvette from 1963

NZV8TV S2 Ep5 – 1963 Corvette Split Window, muscle cars at Eastern Creek – pt1

Central Muscle Cars race 4 from Eastern Creek. Classic muscle cars including the Pinepac Mustang, GIO Walkinshaw Commodore, Falcon XC Cobra and VH Commodore. Plus a minter split-window Chevrolet Corvette from 1963

NZV8TV S2 Ep4 – Father’s Day Drags at Meremere, Muscle Car Masters at Eastern Creek – pt2

On this show, Father’s Day Drags: Over 5000 people attended the annual fathers day Drags for V8 Street machines at Fram Autolite Dragway Meremere on of course Father’s Day. The top 8 American and Aussie Street registered V8s went through eliminations into the top 8 shootout. Wayne Grimmer turned up with his new 73 Barracuda as did Bruce Cox (71 Camaro), Reece Fish (56 Chev Bel Air) and Ian Rainbow in the latest issue’s cover car 50 Chev Coupe. The Aussie shootout featured Kelvin Blacks 93 Commodore, Aaron Jenkins 72 Monaro and Damon Birchs 80 Ford Falcon ute. Aussie Muscle Car Masters: From Eastern Creek in Sydney its Australias biggest muscle car event. The Kiwi CMC cars were there to compete in 4 races plus the end of event Trans Tasman Muscle car Challenge. After a disastrous crash in race 2 which took out 3 of the Kiwi muscle cars it was back to the track for race 3. Plus we look at some of the legend Aussie Touring cars of yesteryear that paved the way for the V8 Supercars that run today.