Greatest falcon? My 2 Cents.

[Nikked]

When silence blankets the factory, the last machines are switched off and the workers file out, 56 years of a loved name will be laid to rest. But like all good names, it will be remembered, and there will be many a discussion on what was the greatest...but what is the greatest?

Ask many a fan, and a most likely the XY Phase III GTHO will be mentioned multiple times, but is it? A great character in a story, a brilliant race car, a corker of a performance car it may be. Is greatness defined through this in itself though?

Lets start with the XP falcon, put through 9 days, 70,000 mile's of physical torture to save face. It proved the falcon was truly another option to the "Holden" for a car suited to our needs, not just another car slapped together to do the job.

Or, the XD falcon. Arrogantly stood up to the competition, it stayed large when others downsized. Its large, roomy and good fuel economy selling point from 1979 is now almost de rigueur for any car these days.

Are these the greatest falcons?

Perhaps, perhaps not.

The term "greatest Falcon" is subjective.

The again, the greatest falcon is the one that took you away on holidays safely, brought your newborn home from the hospital, got you to work every morning...

The greatest falcon, in fact, is the one that you own.

The end

[Stefan]

XY and XA. No question.

[hackney]

Originally Posted by Stefan

XY and XA. No question.

A bit of "Trivia",anybody know what "XA" stands for?(yes, I do know.)Good luck.Cheers

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by Nikked

The greatest falcon, in fact, is the one that you own.

The end

Couldn't agree more..

[Uncle_Ken]

Originally Posted by Nikked

The term "greatest Falcon" is subjective.

The again, the greatest falcon is the one that took you away on holidays safely, brought your newborn home from the hospital, got you to work every morning...

The greatest falcon, in fact, is the one that you own.

The end

I agree 'Greatest Falcon' is subjective. I have owned/driven some great rides, Fords among them. I enjoyed my Ford Twin carb metor but I liked my AUII more. My latest ride an AUXR8 220 Tickford is a fantastic daily drive for me (even my wife likes it). I have not driven or have any 'feelings' for any other falcons. It will be interesting to see why people select what they consider 'greatest'

UK
Mind you whatever is listed will be a cool ride

[HO 3]

XR GT undoubtedly....................the performance trend setter that started it all.

Cheers Mick

[Dr Smith]

Nikked:

The greatest falcon, in fact, is the one that you own.

The end

I vote our old XW Falcon 500 wagon, not because it was "ahead' of it's time, a technical tour-de force, or had a steering wheel set perfectly so no motoring writers's had something to criticize, in fact it came without a standard heater, without rear seatbelts and had non-assisted 4 drum brakes from the factory...it was the best for us because 5 kids got to learn how to drive in it, went on family holidays in 40deg heat, survived many car accidents in the hands of maturing young drivers, made deliveries for the family business often with a few hundred kg's in the back, clocked the odometer at last 3 times meaning over 300,000miles without any engine repair work apart from alternators/radiators/water pumps....

I still think in my own mind, the G6ET is the greatest as a balance of performance, luxury and price.

[jackute23]

I've had heaps of them and would keep buying them if they continued. Just a pity the ones made in the last decade weren't as reliable as the ones made 40 years ago.

[Bluehoon]

F6 Typhoon

[Whitey-AMG]

By acronym and engineering it has to be the GTF
GreaTest Falcon.

[98TLS]

My vote would go to the Falcon ute...had a few of em from XWs to BAs and any one of them was a great piece of kit,everything from carrying loads of firewood to sitting on the tailgate down at the river doing some fishing,great memorys of seeing my best mates ears flapping in the wind on hot summers days.

[78xcgxl]

FG MKII. Hands down!

[PepeLePew]

No such thing as a bad Falcon. Each and every one had it's virtues. As an act of change perhaps AU while seen as a misfire at the time was a great thing, giving the catalyst to arguably the most significant Falcon of latter times the BA. There are so many ways of looking at the word greatest, you can find meaning in every single model

[Dezza]

It's always hard to call when it comes to the greatest Falcon. Most of them did have their flaws, but that was more than offset by the positives. Everyone will have their own opinion, whether it be through childhood memories, their own experiences of ownership, or just that dream Falcon they've always wanted. Between the GT and GTHO Falcons of the late 60's-70s, to the much later Turbos of the 2000s, the Falcon has had it's hero models thoughout, but it's the versatility that makes the Falcon stand out. From family sedans and wagons, to executive luxury cars, to high performance vehicles, to tradie vehicles, there would barely be an Australian alive that has never been in a Ford Falcon.

[Seasoned One]

I just think it's sad. full stop. I have now, a 67 XR 289 ute, September 66 289 XR Fairmont, 97 el , 2001 xr6, 2012 G6ET( from new), ALL GREAT. previously, XB GS 302, XC GXL 351, EB 5.0 S PACK WAGON, 2001 XR8 220, from new (so far the best, only because the test of time on the G6ET hasn't happened yet) and every one had been tough, reliable done there job, yes there are 'better' cars yes, all have some 'problem' others may not, but, value for money, servicing costs, general running and durability, THEY ARE ALL THE GREATEST, its a shame, a casualty of globalisation

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by Seasoned One

I just think it's sad. full stop. I have now, a 67 XR 289 ute,

I don't believe that Ford built any 289 V8s utes. The V8 was only optional for sedans & wagons in the XR series.

Dr Terry

[chrisandsharon]

FG F6 - only in black though

End of the day it's all of em, they've all contributed to the now legendary immortal Falcon.

Took the retired F6 for a run today with the old man and 2 brothers. Was all polished up, the big 6/4 brembos hangin out, and 2 inches lower with all the weight of 4 athletes on board, felt great.

[SprintFg]

My 2 cents

Any factory forced induction falcon is the greatest.

The i6t or supercharged V8 are so far ahead of other falcon motors.

Drive them and anyone will agree. They are demonstratively better in every single way.

The rest of the car is also the best it's ever been.

Ford saved it's best for last.

[nstg8a]

What if falcon is not dead?

[malazn mafia]

Two Words:

XR6 TURBO

No other two words in the Ford vernacular have wiped the smug grin off so many Holden and Ricer drivers' faces.

[98TLS]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Two Words:

XR6 TURBO

No other two words in the Ford vernacular have wiped the smug grin off so many Holden and Ricer drivers' faces.

See your point but the XR6T was just a slap compared to what Nissan achieved years earlier so somewhat muted.Doubt theres any one greatest Falcon,there a bit like like dogs (if your a dog sort of bloke) there all different and have been a huge part of your life,to pick the best one is kind of difficult.

[Craig@AUDI]

I'm a sucker for the 70's XA, XB and XC coupes.

Style, grace, presence and a cool ride to boot.

[OzriderXR8]

XW without a doubt, had 2 loved them, XB GT on looks alone.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Everyone is going to have a different opinion on the topic. For me it's the EB - introduction of the XR6/XR8s and the return of an Aussie Ford with a V8.

[Sox]

Clearly the most significant Falcon would be the XY, simply because of the GTHO P3.

The greatest Falcon to me is the AU, with the XA in second place.

The AU was the ultimate refinement of old school.
The EA was the beginning of modern day Falcons, with radically changed engines and suspension.
This provided new levels of handling and comfort.
For the first time ever a Falcon actually went around corners.

Throughout the whole E series era, they kept improving on that base, however the AU was the finest E series made.
AU's went around corners even better than E series, they even stopped alright once S2 came along.
That beautiful rigid body shell, and those curves, it was way ahead of it's time...

B series was a major overhaul again, but went in the wrong direction IMO. Soft. Bland. Heavy.
Went backwards in handling because of the extra weight.
I don't rate any of the later F series really. Uninspiring, Camry looks.
Go like the clappers, but that's it. Full of electronic wizardry, but who needs it?

All X series were great, having the same underpinnings from the early 70's to the late 80's.
Awesome, and cheap to maintain.
Woeful handling by todays standard though, but reasonable for the time.

The XA takes that era for me just because of the styling. The grille/bonnet. Lovely.

I haven't had much to do with anything prior to XR, but I would like an XP just because.


Subjective for sure.
1st place - AU
2nd place - XA
3rd place - XD

[roddy1960]

G'day all...SOX...I am unashamedly biased but.......AU is really interesting call and one I have an affinity with.. My old girl AU ll is just awesome..I love that old bird like no other car I've had.. People get sick of me saying it , I know that , but I have never not wanted to drive her..
You know she'll start every single time , she's cost me stuff all outside the ordinary tyres , mufflers, a couple of batteries, brake pads etc and all original otherwise except for the alternator (when the voltage regulator failed) last year. ..Bugger all rust in her , runs about 30 mpg , pulls like a train still and not a great health check on the trannie when I had it checked and serviced recently..Good for another couple hundred thousand kays..
The AU ..In my opinion one of the very best Falcons of all..
Cheers Rod...

[hackney]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

G'day all...SOX...I am unashamedly biased but.......AU is really interesting call and one I have an affinity with.. My old girl AU ll is just awesome..I love that old bird like no other car I've had.. People get sick of me saying it , I know that , but I have never not wanted to drive her..
You know she'll start every single time , she's cost me stuff all outside the ordinary tyres , mufflers, a couple of batteries, brake pads etc and all original otherwise except for the alternator (when the voltage regulator failed) last year. ..Bugger all rust in her , runs about 30 mpg , pulls like a train still and not a great health check on the trannie when I had it checked and serviced recently..Good for another couple hundred thousand kays..
The AU ..In my opinion one of the very best Falcons of all..
Cheers Rod...

It was at the time a very "polarising" design.(I did once use to own one a Futura in "Galaxy".)still see it around very occasionally..Sought of miss it.

[mike_nofx]

Incorrect - I own one of the most boring and least 'greatest' Falcons ever made.
Just about any other Falcon ever made is greater haha

[xr6turboford]

To me their all great but my personal favourite was my XBGT Coupe if I could own another one I would in a heartbeat.

[Gothefalcon]

I've had quite a few "Falcons" over the past 33yrs... Sedans, Utes & Wagons... 6s & V8s... Manuals & Autos... Column & Floor shifts... Base, Sports & Luxury models... Short & Long Wheelbase. Several XBs, an XF, an EB & ED... ZF, ZG & NL Fairlanes... a BA, BF & BF2. They have all been great, in their own ways and for the time !

I still own the EB 4.0 Fairmont Wag, NL 5.0 Fairlane Ghia, & BA 4.0 Falcon Wagon... and will never sell the NL... but the best Falcon I've ever owned is my BF2 AWD Falcon Wagon....

IMG_0542 by Gothe Falcon, on Flickr

Sure... it's had "a few" modifications since it left the Factory ()... but they are all from the Ford Aus parts bin !

For me... this truly is "The Great Australian Road Car"... and dirt road car... and off road car... and no road car too !!

In the past 4yrs I have travelled to and through every State & Territory in this great & vast country of ours (inc Tas)... I've been on the best freeways, the most average interconnectors and the worst dirt tracks on offer here... covered around 230,00ks in that time... and the FAWD has never let me down !

I appreciate that we will all have our own favourite... for our own reasons etc... but this is mine and it too, will stay in the stable until I go

D