Readers' Photos # 65: XM Falcon Coupe

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The Correspondent for the Australian Capital Territory has been staking-out subterranean carparks again and has captured this elegant Falcon coupe.  


Generally, Australia's "Big Three" car manufacturers - Ford, GMH and Chrysler - used to go model for model, so that each offered an equivalent of the cars within the others' lineups.  

This was certainly so by the 1970s, with all three having a range of Aussie-built six and eight cylinder sedans, wagons, utes and vans, and a coupe - Ford's Falcon hardtop, GMH's Monaro and Chrysler's Charger - being examples of the latter.


However, it was Ford who first introduced a two door as part of their 1964 XM range, beating the others by several years.




The XM hardtop was followed-up by the XP but then, inexplicably, Ford dropped two door Falcons for the entire XR to XY series (1966 - 72), even though there were equivalents available in the US-market Falcon lineup of the time.

 Perhaps seeing an opportunity, GMH filled the breach with their beautiful HK, HT and HG Monaros and Chrysler chipped in with their magnificent Valiant Regal and Pacer hardtops, before equilibrium was restored to the Aussie auto world when Ford rejoined the fray with the XA hardtop. 


The rest, as they* say, is history.


The XM photographed by CACT is a lovely old bird, showing a few signs of age but nonetheless a great example of a significant model made just when Australian car making was really starting to kick off.


It was a pleasure to research the history of the XM and to write about it, although it also saddens me to have witnessed the demise of our local car industry.







U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos by CACT

* Who to f*ck are "they"?

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