1971 Ford Falcon XY GT Sedan

Description

Regarded by many as Australia's greatest muscle car, the Ford Falcon XY GT was launched in November 1970 with numerous improvements over the outgoing XW. The GT retained the thundering 351-cid V8 but a new Autolite 600cfm four-barrel downdraft carburettor and 11.0:1 compression ratio helped boost power to 300bhp. Broadening the GT's appeal was a choice of three diff ratios coupled with either a four-speed manual or three-speed auto, allowing buyers to bias towards acceleration or relaxed cruising. In later cars Kelsey Hayes disc brakes up front helped keep everything in check, while new five-slot wheels were said to be stronger and there was the option of a 36-gallon fuel tank to cope with the V8's prodigious thirst. A new bonnet scoop, known to all and sundry as "The Shaker", was added to the GT styling package that also included matt black bonnet panels, grille and bootlid along with Super Roo decals to help differentiate it from lesser Falcons. The Falcon GTs came into being to help Ford win Bathurst and Alan Moffat used the XY GT-HO to totally dominate the race in 1971 - in fact, all but one of the top six places went to the Fords. Part of the huge appeal of the Falcon GT today is the rarity of genuine cars and prices of GTs have shown unprecedented growth in recent years, a trend not likely to change with demand for classic muscle cars growing all the time and supply waning.