1962 Ford Falcon XK Sedan

Description

With Holden winning the sales race in Australia in the 1950s thanks to its locally produced models, Ford's Australian arm desperately needed to come up with a car of their own to compete on a level playing field and the compact new Falcon, about to be launched in the States, provided the perfect solution. Although of similar dimensions to the contemporary Holden FC, the new Falcon was far more modern looking, being lower and wider. and instantly made its rival look distinctly old fashioned. Ford built a new plant at Broadmeadows in Melbourne to assemble the new Falcon, dubbed the XK series when launched in September 1960, and offered the car in two series, the basic version and better equipped Deluxe. Although essentially a right-hand drive version of the American model, the Aussie Falcon did have heavier duty rear suspension and larger tyres to cope with local conditions. The range was extended to include both utility and panel van versions in May 1961 and the initial 144ci six-cylinder was supplemented by the option of a more powerful 170ci Pursuit motor. Transmission choices were a three-speed column shift manual or two-speed Fordomatic automatic. When production of the XK Falcon ended in August 1962, 68,413 units had been sold.