Ford Falcon XA - The Death of the Phase 4 

Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. I will do more Holden episodes and there are plenty of others on the channel . 🥹

i like all of them

My favourite Aussie car 👍👍

Thanks. I can imagine that would be the case, given the size and shape of the rear quarters 👍.

Sadly panel beaters are an extict species these days, according to an old panel man. These days they’re panel replacers instead. They wouldn’t know the roll/return of an HQ guard if it came up and bit them on the arse apparently lol

@@jamesmcgowen1769 yes it’s hard to find a good one. My mate Brian is a good one. 👍

Very cool Steve. I am sure he has plenty of good stories in these? 👍

Thanks very much. Good luck withyour car 👍

Nice one Anthony. I bet it has fond memories for you. One of the best colour combinations. 👍

Man I hope you had some Contiki experiences to make it all worthwhile 😉

Cool memories hey Michael? Couldn’t do that these days! 😀

How impressive for a young kid hey? Like my story in the episode 👍👍

Thanks Jason. It’s definitely one of my favourites too. I’d like a Wild Violet GT hardtop or the Wild Violet GS Fairmont sedan like the one in the episode. Glad you liked it 👍

Thanks George. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Yes, a terrible shame we do not make cars here any more. 👍😢

Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. I still remember those coupes storming up the mountain at Bathurst, passing everything on the climb. Man they looked good. 👍

Wow. I bet you do. What colour?

Gee! I hope you’ve forgiven them. 😀

Ouch! I’m feeling your pain.

Obviously Motor Cycle people you should have brought a Kwaka 900😆

@@fredfungalspore Got an 04 ZX10R in the garage.

Should have been round in late 70s, when 5 grand would get your pick after insurance costs and fuel prices near made them unrealistic.. I cry now on cars I could have bought, family and house payments came first then. Should have just bought a shed and stored cars...

Wow. Thanks David. That is a great endorsement. I appreciate the use of some of your images too from Retroautos.

Yes, if we only knew then what we know now. Nice Mum buying you the car though! I hope you gave her a mice Mother’s day gift? 😀

@@markbehr88 we're not close these days. I try.

@@davidcarr2649 That’s a shame

@markbehr88 we still talk. Just rarely and it's awkward. Kinda like Sheldon Cooper's relationship with his mother. Mostly, it is a quick call at Xmas and again on our birthdays.

@@davidcarr2649 Oh well, at least you have that nice memory of the coupe she bought you. If the fuel was cheaper you may have still kept it? 🤔

Yes, I know what you mean but Jack Telnack was responsible for the first generation of the Taurus (we never got it) and it was America’s top selling car. I saw a wagon version in 1988 and thought it looked like it came from outer space. He also did the 1983 Thunderbird (I have one pf those) - the aero bird, a good looking car and the Fox body Mustang. He argued sloping the front for the 1979 model to aid in aero for fuel efficiency.

Hi Nick. Glad you enjoyed the episode. The John Goss specials were XB, so I will cover those in the next episode. I’ve met John Goss a few times and we almost did a John Goss special FPV GT. He told me about the time Ford were doing his XB special, so I will be sure to add that in the next episode. I will also eventually get to doing the P4 Landau and P5 LTD (along with the others). The levers in the centre console were for the air conditioning, temperature etc. They were inspired by aircraft controls. A 4.3 4 speed Super would be a Leyland P76. If you check out the channel there is an episode on the cancelled coupe version - the Leyland Force 7V (which I have been lucky enough to drive years ago). I think we loved our cars back then but did not appreciate that one day they wouldn’t make them anymore and we let a lot of good cars go to the wreckers that could have been saved - so yes, we did not appreciate them. Agee, the older cars had a lot more character than today. 👍

That would have been a very nice car. Agree re XA-C. I never liked that horn button on the stalk. Leave it in the wheel where it belongs I say! 👍

Do you mean the horn on the steering wheel inner rim????? I had a 73 LTD, which was (of course) XA based, and it had that rim horn actuation. Grab the wheel anywhere, set the horn off. Only because it was unique I suppose, we weren't used to it. Mine had a broken part on the rim switch, and horn used to go off without touching it, was a hassle. I fitted a SAAS leather wheel that was two brown colours, sounds horrible but matched interior woodgrain and brown leather. Most expensive SAAS wheel back then, but got it cheap in classified ads. The first (XA equiv) had the horn rim "button", (and hi beam dimmer on floor) wheras next LTD (XB equiv and onward) had stalks for horn/headlight dip/flash. Headlight flash useless on LTD, as headlight covers couldn't open that quick. I liked Fairlanes, as (while we all liked Ford V8's) any sportish model (GT/GS) was too expensive for us. While a Fairlane was seen as a car your Uncle or bank manager had, they came with V8's and were a reasonable price. I went to look at a Fairlane at a yard, and there was an LTD there (1980, so was 7 years old). Back then, the ONLY Ford V8 that had a 4 barrel carb other than the GT was the Landau/LTD, as ZF (XA equiv) had a 2 BBL, even on 351. The LTD was never going to be a GT, with the longest wheelbase (cars shortest, wagons and fairlanes longer, LTD longer again), but it had a few GT parts on it. 4BBL carb same base spec as GT (Motocraft 4300), and it had the heavy drive train. LTD's came standard with the 9 inch rear end, diff radius rods and ventilated rear discs. LTD's also had the separate rear brake proportioning valve, similar to the GT. When I got it the brakes didn't work/rears locked too easily. All the "Ford guru's" told me that "yeah, rear discs on LTD a failure/don't work." I stripped and cleaned the prop valve (full of sludge) and then they were perfect. The foot operated parking brake was a bad design though. I used to use it to tow a very heavy 25ft bondwood cabin cruiser, and it handled it: I was thankful for the brakes, as I towed the same boat with my Dad's ZD Fairlane, and you could feel the rear drums going off on a long downhill grade compared to the LTD's ventilated discs. I had that car for 8 years and mechanically it was very good and served me well. In the end the body fell apart/lots of rust. Early on I fitted a manual box and 11 inch clutch and I loved it like that. Again, "Ford gurus" said "manual won't fit LTD/never had them" but was XA body apart from stretched in rear footwell, so why wouldn't it??? It went straight in. Of course tailshaft was longer, so I used orig tailshaft with an adaptor uni. The top loader box was from an XYGT, and came with the 11 inch clutch (F100 V8's had the 11 inch). I sold the FMX I removed for what I paid for the manual, so all it cost me was for adaptor uni for tailshaft, and I got manual pedals from a V8 wrecked at the tip. 80 to 87 the local tip was better than any wreckers, cars everywhere. Then the council started crushing them to "stop people hurting themselves climbing on the cars." A bit of power, and a bit of comfort with the leather seats etc. I really wanted a Landau, but they were rare/expensive. But then I had kids and got the boat, so LTD worked out better. Only other thing I changed were the wheels. All Fords had 14 inch wheels (like all medium/large cars) but LTD had 15's, and those HORRIBLE huge 68 Tbird wheel trims shown in the Landau pic in the vid. Back then 15's weren't common, so very expensive. For the price of 4 x 15 inch tyres, I got 4 x 14 inch chrome wheels and new tyres, and as far more choice in 14's, easy to get wider 14's that were same OD/rolling radius as orig 15's. Like I said, no GT, but once I bolted a Holley on (4 BBL went straight on existing manif, fitted XAGT bonnet scoops) and the ultra heavy duty drivetrain, I got my V8 fix with a little bit of comfort for a price I could almost afford.................................... it did me.

@@KJs581 No, not the rim blow. I was talking about later, when they put the horn on the end of a stalk. I did not like that. Great memories re the LTD. I will do separate episodes on those down the track so please subscribe and stay tuned. My favourite Australian car is the P5 LTD. Such a cool looking machine and a great interior.

Yes, McCleod Ford did those “Horn” car dress up packages. John Goss used to help promote them. 👍

Yes they were very cheap once but now worth big $$. That squeaking is familiar with those front ends if not maintained properly. Probably not in the budget for the young bloke back then?

Lucky you! I would love to have interviewed Jack (as I did with the wonderful John Schinella 😀 - check that episode out if you haven’t watched it). There would be so much to talk about. It’s important we preserve our amazing design heritage and the stories behind the people that made it happen. 👍

Yes, I didn’t list everything as mindful of the duration of the episode and was covering the whole model range. Thanks for the other elements. The winged sump was on some too I believe?

Very cool Patrick. Those were some nice cars. I will be doing an episode down the track of the XC plus a seperate series on the LTDs so please make sure you subscribe to check those out. Your G8 Fairlane sounds really good. Definitely a future collectible. 👍

@@markbehr88 Thanks mate I’d obviously prefer to have restored another P6 but there is plenty of parts around but they are still way cheaper than doing any of the ED to XT but as you would know one has to be very lucky to come across an old shed stored car. But they cost a pretty penny to restore the correctly. And rightly so they were the cars that made Ford Australia the pedigree it is today. It’s an absolute tragedy that Holden and Ford closed shop in Australia. Really brakes my heart. As we truly had an amazing system in its day. And absolutely definitely looking forward to more content on your show. Fantastic i appreciate the feedback mate. All the best.🇦🇺👍 And I subscribed to your channel buddy have a good start to the year.

Thanks very much 👍@@patrickaussieMilartry

Thanks Andrew. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍

The XD was the first fairmont ghia

@@warwickrun542 That’s right.

Thanks very much. Re the Aussie cars being exported. The United Auto Workers Union would have something to say about that if Ford even had the idea to do it. 👍

@@bashka5743 That would have been a nice car. Love the colour. I copied that when we launched Toxic. 👍

Yes. That is correct. It was a landmark car for sure that set Ford up for success.

That wasn't due to build quality however... it had EVERYTHING to do with tariff barriers and lack of competition. Consider this... 70 percent of all Porsches ever built are still on the road today. That's more than 700,000 911s alone. I would wager less than 1% of all 1970's Australian made cars (of any brand) are still on the road. They were shit heaps.

@@ivanjulian2532 sounds like somebody has an axe to grind? Don’t think anyone claimed world class build quality. I own Mercedes Benz amongst other things, however, I still appreciate the Australian cars and their attributes. Not sure where you plucked the 1% figure from? Also your survival rate for 911 (if it is accurate) is not based on build quality but on the value of the cars today. The same could be said for Falcon GTs and their build quality was no better than the standard car. That’s also why the Porsche 924 would have nothing like the same survival rate but the quality would be similar to other VW/Audi products.

@@ivanjulian2532 bit rich saying Australian cars are shit heap from the 70’s , I could say all Porsches are shit heaps from past to current day, I can definitely say anyone who drives a Porsche is a pretentious dickhead.

Excellent. You could buy an XA (not a V8) with front drums but you could also buy a V8 HQ Premier with four wheel drums too, whereas Ford had front discs standard on V8s from back in XR days (1967). Interesting re the rear discs. Another Ford first.

The dealer service manuals list the 4 wheel disc brakes as being made by Girling and not Girlock or PBR. The ones fitted to the RP083 XA Coupe I used to own had Girling imprinted into the caliper. Much larger pad surface area than the Girlock pads.

Both sound like nice cars Bill 👍

XA? HQ was a Holden or do you mean HO? Assume you meant HO.👍

Definitely a softer, more integrated design. I do like the XA though.

@@markbehr88 cheers from australia its sad all this gone global agenda said no to aust car industry yes to record big 👽 migration

I agree. They are a good looking machine. 👍

Thanks Chris. Very interesting. You’ve had a few local Fords for sure. I only met Howard once (when I was introduced to him by Gordon Barfield). He seemed like a very nice person. Very sad he died so soon after retirement. Very sad.

@@markbehr88 Howard was a real gentleman; he and I got on very well, helped perhaps by the fact that I'd previously worked for both Triumph and Rover in the UK, so we shared a similar background and a love of motorsport. Sadly, cancer is no respecter of persons.

@@chrisweeks6973 sadly that is very true.

Well said. 👍

Thanks very much 👍.

@@markbehr88 your welcome keep up the great content Mark, subscribed. Thanks Dave

@@fozz351 Much appreciated 👍

Hilarious. You made me laugh. At least it wasn’t a paw print 😀👍

​@@markbehr88or a POOR print !

Hi Shaun. You are lucky to have that car. There are not many XA Fairmonts left of any description these days. Copper Bronze - nice. My parent’s 1972 Ford Galaxie LTD is that colour (episode on the channel). Yours sounds terrific. I’d love that 351 Fairmont GS in Wild Violet.

I got very lucky to find it! I have a very very rusted wild violet 250-2V XA ute as well, the wild violet does not age well outdoors! 😂 Can't wait for you to interview your mate on the Turbo 6 evolution!

Shame they do rust so bad isn’t it. Yes, I will have to get onto Gordon one of these days to do that. @@onedayiwillmakesomecontent

Now that is a good future topic 👍. I used to work with Gordon Barfield. The father of the turbo.

There's one on the Barra and briefly touches on the past of the Falcon "Thiftmaster" 6. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DPR-e3Vy-Vw.htmlsi=2MRsySCmxwXGG9ca

Thanks Graeme. Glad you liked it. I worked for Holden as National Sales Manager in NZ in the late 1990’s out of Wellington (Trentham). Great days.

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Thanks Chris. Glad you liked it 👍

Thanks. Yes we were lucky weren’t we. I would not have it any other way and I feel so lucky to have worked in the industry and part pf product development for Holden, HSV and FPV. Great times.

I used to do a lot of that and also wrote to all the US companies even Delorean. I still have all the brochures! 👍

Hi James. They all have their good points. I am probably XC, XA, XB in the sedans. Hardtops XA, XC Fairmont, XB.

@@markbehr88 appreciate your response. Chuffed you see it my way regards sedans. Hi spec XB hardtops are nice. Saw a stunning black one recently in a Central Coast shopping car park.

I’d love a red XC Fairmont coupe. Saw one the other day near Wagga. @@jamesfrench7299

@@markbehr88 I Googled one on image search and found one in England for sale but it's from 2020. I see what you mean. My personal ultimate would be a yellow wagon V8 (4.9 or 5.8) in a sports spec equiv to a Falcon S with black trim and inboard driving lights.

@@jamesfrench7299 yes, that would be an XC GS Rally Pack Fairmont or Falcon with a 351. Ford always did very nice wagons.

Thanks very much Gary. Your GS ute would have been nice. Glad you’re enjoying the episodes 👍

Wowsers, 351 utes were rare when they were new.

@@StevenMilne-sm4fk For sure, but it was always cool looking for that badge on the front guard to see “V8” (302) or “351”. Even as a kid it was a “wow” moment.

How cool but, 9 inch all the trimmings..

@@markbehr88 I plucked a few in wreckers back then, when ya just walked in..

Pleasure Tony. HNY to you. 👍

No doubt that rust was a killer of many Falcons of this era, which is why survivors are worth $$. I like the XB and XC too. There isn’t really a Falcon I don’t like. The AU was strange looking when it was released and no doubt Ford lost sales but now (per my channel) you can see I have three of them! They improved with age styling wise I reckon. 👍

Yes that was a great campaign they used for a while. Very memorable. Wait until you see the XB ad! 👍

@markbehr88 I look forward checking that out. I also like the XB Falcon. 🙂

@@jasoncarpp7742 Yes, me too. Thanks for your support of the channel 👍

Thanks Nick. Appreciated. 👍

I think you mean front quarter windows?

Man, you must have been gutted! That Mulberry was an interesting colour for sure.

@@markbehr88 indeed i was. I had only paid $5,000.00 for it 18 months earlier :(

Thanks very much Anthony 👍

Thanks David. In the 1980’s the XA was an unloved car but now we appreciate it for the cool car it is. 👍

Yes definitely one of mine too. 👍

Thanks Mal. I noticed there were a couple with vent windows in the images I included too but don’t recall seeing them in person. Glad you like the episodes 👍.

Think they were mainly for QLD ? or more country locations if the old farmer did not want A/C .

Nice one. I bet you wish you still had it? 👍

@@markbehr88 Absolutely 👍

Thanks so much and really appreciate the subscription too 👍

@@markbehr88 Great Research deserves a Sub , keep up the great work Cheers 🍻

Thanks. I will be covering the Cobra when I get to the XC episode. Stay tuned! 👍

Yes, I think Ford did the best wagons then, followed by Chrysler.

Thanks Shaun. Glad you enjoyed the episode. There are plenty of XA variants to like. The ute was much more sporty than previous models. As I said in the episode, I vividly remember seeing a white and blue Superbird back in the day 👍.

Agreed. Yes, Red Pepper was the name of the colour and the GT sedan looked absolutely terrific in that scheme with the black outs 👍.

Thanks very much. Totally agree re the livery. Years later I congratulated Allan on how well he recovered that spin in the XA. 👍

@@markbehr88 I know it's all part of growing up, but it will be a sad day when Allan passes. Never met the man, only watched him on TV. An Icon of Australian motor racing, the best years, IMO.

@@imanenigma3348 Yes. Amen to that.

At least you can say you had one! But I get it. 👍

Thank you 👍

Personally, I like em stock, although a friend of mine has some resto mod Chryslers (look stock on the outside) and he loves the drivability. 👍

A resto mod 70's Dodge Challenger (modern auto and suspension) would be my dream car.

Thanks very much. So glad you enjoyed it. Your life can’t be that dull with all of those cool memories that younger people can only imagine 😀. Yes, styling is very subjective. I do like the HQs too. They are quite soft whereas the Falcons are more aggressive. The Chargers and hardtops were good looking too, especially the Chrysler by Chrysler version (make mine triple black). 👍

@@steelearmstrong9616 For sure. I do like my Fords, however, I appreciate all cars and am not one eyed like some people. It’s better to be objective and appreciate the good and not so good of designs. Having worked at Mitsubishi, Holden, HSV, Ford, FPV and owned multiple makes has given me that perspective I believe.

Thanks very much. I’m glad you are enjoying the series (so far XK to XA). They are an important part of our motoring history, so I think it is worth capturing. I’ll do other makes and models down the track. The Phase IV was a pretty special car. What a shame it did not go into full production as originally planned, along with the responses from Holden and Chrysler.

@@markbehr88 Indeed, it would be great to travel to a parallel universe where the Supercar scare didn't happen and the cars got built and developed. In retrospect it was probably the right decision though. From a safety viewpoint, and how easy it was to get a license, I can fully understand why the Government was nervous. We may well have ended up with a similar situation to what happened in Group B rallying, and no one wants that. As wild as the cars were, they were death on wheels for anyone brave (foolhardy?) enough to drive them hard. It's quite arguable that we dodged a bullet there. The XB I owned was a real handful at speed, and it wasn't anything special, just a almost stock 302 Auto sedan with a few suspension improvements and some decent wheels but it scared me a few times. I definitely don't miss that car when its raining. Cheers, thanks for reading.

Thanks very much. Glad you liked it. Yes, the dreaded rust. 👍

Semon Bunkie Knudsen! 👍

Thanks Barry. Great memories hey? I love hearing that stuff. Reminds me of when I was at school discussing whose Dad had the best car or which model was better. It’s easy to nominate a few favourites in this model range, which is a sign pf how cool they were. 👍

@@markbehr88 Yeah, I had another school friend who was adamant that his father could easily beat my father in a fight , and also would be a much better shot with a rifle. It wasn't an era of sissies back then ,that's for sure.😅

@@barrycuda3769Yes, we were fixated on combat then. Who or what could beat what etc 😀.

Never mind mate. The daisys got his 6 in the end ...

Thank you👍

You can’t get better than that 👍

I think Chrysler did a pretty good interior in their 770 models and Regals etc but the Ford was more sporty with that cockpit dash. 👍

@@markbehr88 Yeah. In my day, the Valiants had the nick name of; 'Marrickville Mercedes'. Good body build, excellent duco,and chrome, with quiet smooth driving. The Big Three all drove differently. The P76 drove well too!

Yes the Valiants had a few names, esp the VH onwards series. Good cars and very cheap. A lot were bought by young guys because they were so cheap. Subsequently they were wrecked too. @@peregrinemccauley5010

What a great learner car! 👍

Did you learn how to drive FAST ?

@@lucienleech-larkin7544 Thanks. Great recollections 👍

Thanks Jason. It’s one of my favourite Falcons. A modern design for the time. Glad you enjoyed the episode 👍.

XB looked more refined front especially

@@Eric-kn4yn I love the XB Falcon grille.

Yes, and surprisingly similar dimensions to the Holden and Valiant. All cars were growing larger but funnily enough, put them next to a Corolla sedan these days and they are not as big and heavy as we thought.

Hi Greg. I actually really like the XC. The big chrome bumpers. My first car was a XC Fairmont 4.9 litre V8 sedan. It was only 5 years old at the time so a pretty cool first car. My brother had a 5.8 interceptor sedan too. Very cool. The GXLs look terrific I reckon. Great interior, nice headlights from the UK Granada. I would love one! 👍What colour is yours?

@@markbehr88 It's winter white. It's going on the market soon if anyone is interested. I just don't get to drive it much anymore. Pass it on to someone who will love it as much i have.

@@Dave.C937 How many kms and what is the condition like - mechanical, paint, trim and rust etc? What do you want for it? I’ll let my brother know. You can reach me at mjbehr@yahoo.com.au 👍

TISM 🔥👍

Thanks. Absolutely. John Goss often promoted them. They were pretty wild.

Thanks. Very interesting. I heard those parts turned up everywhere.

​@@markbehr88not supposed to have been in any Multi component combination , to avoid ' someone with info ' getting a good deal ! Eg RPO 83 , a bit like Frankies Monster or (appropriately , Milton the Minister 's Monster )

Wow. That would have been something to see for sure. If only Evan hadn’t written his sensational story……….

@@markbehr88 It wasn't Evan, that media sensationalism was accidental, a consequence , not a curse. I mean, I did fatality surveys for the Police and Opus, it's always trucks and motorcycles, not the unrecorded " less than 10 pound per HP cars" that the "XU2" GTR 308 and XA "GOAT" would have represented . Ford's One Phone call reaction to that States' Transport Minister's outrage totally inflamed the situation. If I was the FSV manager, I'd have organised a meeting, not trial by media. Ford Executives (Internationally under Jac Nasser , locally under Polites and others earlier), sure spent years being responsible and de-escalating the safety versus performance hysteria. As was said in 82, "how could suicide be significantly easier than, say, a drum braked 390 Galaxie". Love your work, MB. Keep it up.

@@deanstevenson6527 Thanks very much. Interesting insights too. Once it was in the papers though, the genie was out of the bottle and public opinion and panic would over rule any sensible argument or facts. It was a real shame. When I looked after Product Planning for Holden it was still a consideration when we released the Gen III V8. We had to detune it for release. I said to Kevin Wale getting the engineering dept to do that was like going to a doctor to make you sick. Maybe that will be a future video? 🤔

​@@markbehr88 I'm up for any of your insights and have a great day! 🥝✔️

Thanks Dean. You too. 👍@@deanstevenson6527

Very interesting. I did not know that. 👍

@@markbehr88 Yes . There was also Kingswood & Holden .

Yes, they would both be worth a pretty penny now. I wish I had of bought the 351 XY Fairmont I test drove in Canowindra. $3,800 or so.

They were definitely up there 👍

Love that story. Thanks for sharing. It is those experiences as a kid that lock you in for life. Love it 👍👍👍👍👍

Cool. Both nice cars. 👍

That’s a different spin on the story and doesn’t really account for the cancellation of the V8 XU2 and Charger programs. That was all Gov’t inspired. 👍

They do look great don’t they? I am not sure if the original show car still exists or not? Anyone know?

The XD was definitely a good one. Especially the V8s. Survival rates are not great though. It was a good looking car. So was the XB, which will be the next episode in the series. 👍

@@markbehr88 Most of the XD's rusted away. Even the taxi fleet didn't survive Pick n Payless.

@@royferntorp yes rust was a big issue.

@@markbehr88 to paraphrase John Cleese , just don't mention the door handles !

@@robertmorris6529 😂

Yes, I everyone has their favourite elements re styling. 👍

One of mine too 👍

Yes, it is. One of the best Australian voice over people in the business ever. And more famously known for his role on Matlock.

Hi Louis. Glad you liked the episode. The XA is a great model. Yes, I called it a coupe but more as a description of the body style in a generic sense sedan, coupe etc. Then referred to it as a hardtop per its actual designation. I could have bought a Wild Violet XA GT hardtop, manual,white interior, 8 track and factory sunroof plus the RPO83 option. It was our first launch of the BA GT in Bathurst for the GT owner’s club. I had to judge best car and I awarded it to that car. I asked the owner if he would sell it and he wanted $39,000 for it. Seemed a lot back in 2002 but wish I had of bought it. I did not make the same mistake when my favourite US muscle car - the 1970 Mercury Cyclone GT with 429. cobra Jet and Ram Air came up for sale. I bought that and still have it. I know Ross Vasse. He is a terrific guy and is author of those books. I would definitely recommend them. There is a Cobra one coming too. He assembles such great info. You’ll soon forget the price. As a famous advertising man once said. The value is long remembered after the price is long forgotten. Yes. I am in Victoria. 👍

@@markbehr88 The one that got away the XA RPO83 Hardtop. I had a chance to buy a XB Fairmont 302 Hardtop for $10,000 back in 2004 & said not worth it & it was in excellent condition too. Have to have a look at your Mercury love that style with the centre hole in the grill to remove the camshaft. How does one meet & greet you for coffee show you my VG Hardtop Cheers Louis Kats 👍

@@louiskats5116 yes. The ones that get away!! That’s right re the camshaft story on the Cyclones. If you look at my across the USA episode in my 1970 Torino Brougham, I think there is a pic pf my Cyclone plus my equally rare 1970 Mercury Montego MX Brougham sedan. My Cyclone is the one used in the Shannons magazine ads and on the website. It was done years ago. I would be happy to do an episode on your hardtop one pf these days. By the way Trax is releasing two 1/43rd scale Mexicana hardtops soon. My email is mjbehr@yahoo.com.au

@@markbehr88 Awesome owned a very rare VG Mexicana V8 once upon a time. Bought in WA & shipped it to SA. Mate sold it recently. I owned but gave it to my brother for his 40th birthday & he still has it 1970 VG V8 Regal Safari Wagon 1 owner All books Fully factory optioned Fully dealer optioned Build for South Africa didn't go stayed in Australia. 60,000 miles I reckon between the XY Fairmont & HK Premeir V8 wagons my brother's wagon would have to be the rarest V8 wagon from that 1970 era. Parked up in Chadstone

@@louiskats5116 Very cool. That wagon would make a great episode too. What a cool car. 👍

Thanks James. Yes, you did sit quite low in these cars for sure. You got used to it, however, I am sure you could also have the seat raised a little to afford a better view. 👍

@@markbehr88 Yes I recall considering exactly that strategy just as a Red low k RT E38 landed in my lap. Now that truly was a beast.

Nice one 👍 I will be doing the Chargers eventually too. @@jamesrebbechi5247

I would and just avoid carrying anyone in the back. They were really more for singles or couples. If you had kids you would buy the sedan.

When it comes to the back seat, the floor pan and wheelbase is identical between the coupe and sedan, so the amount of leg room is identical. The larger doors and the tilt/slide front seats made it not so bad to get in and out from the rear seats as an adult. The only real drawback of having the coupe over the sedan is the amount of head room in the back seat with the roof height being several inches lower than the sedan. If you were 6ft tall (or taller), then your head would touch the roof lining in the back seat. Get into a tight parking spot and it was actually harder to get out of the front seats than the rear seats in the coupe with the longer doors.

@@K10wNs-Shed The experience of the man that owned one 👍

Was that the disc drum set up? I drove a ZF Fairlane about 5-6 years ago. 302 disc/drum and no issues. So, I assume you are talking drums?

@@markbehr88 Yes they were the disc drum combination. They fixed it with the next model.

Thanks very much. HO was Handling Option but I am sure Ford enjoyed the connotations of High Output.