Legends, lies and rumours of these four cars persist to this day but they are the most collectible of all GTs. Three prototypes (all supplied to race and rally teams) and one actual production model of the Phase IV were built. Almost one third of the XA GT models were hardtops out of a total of 2,759 units sold. The XA GT continued the race-winning tradition set by the earlier models culminating in the Moffat/Geoghegan Bathurst victory in 1973 followed by the 1974 Goss/Bartlett win in pouring rain making the XA GT the single most successful GT at Bathurst. The hardtop eventually became even more famous as the basis for the Mad Max super car for the film of the same name. The Windsor 302 V8 was replaced by a 302 version of the locally-built V8. From the end of the XY series, the GT’s Cleveland V8 was locally assembled from imported parts before they were manufactured here. The XA GT marked a return to the popular 12-slot sports wheel. Upgraded suspension and extra refinement made it even more of a Grand Tourer. The XA series was the first all-Australian Falcon design and the sleek new GT looked the part with twin bonnet NART scoops, side vents on the front guards, blacked-out bonnet, wheel arches and door sills, and driving lights integrated into the blacked-out grille. Ford had to quickly find a home for 200 sets of the Phase IVs 15 inch Globe Bathurst wheel and Australias first 60 series radial tyre amongst previous Phase III owners so that the Phase III could continue racing in 1972 on the latest 15 inch racing rubber. Media controversy over race homologation specials hitting the streets killed the XA Phase IV at birth. The XA Falcon saw the return of a two-door hardtop, which allowed the new XA GT to appear in two-and four-door body styles for the first time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |