Road-testing the 1976 Ford Falcon 500 GXL Fairmont | RetroFocus

In this episode of 'Torque' from November 1976, Peter Wherrett road-tests the luxurious Ford Falcon 500 GXL Fairmont.
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[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Grammar school educated, articulate and very well detailed descriptive method of presentation of the wonderful Fairmont GXL 5.8. Peter Wherrett was a trailblazer Motoring critic. He was ahead of his time.

[@pauliejay4161]

1:09 - **COUGH** - "pardon me" Gotta love the one-take production ethic of old Australian TV.

[@CallMeMrX]

Haha I thought the same thing "f**k it, leave it in."

[@BenHelweg]

Film isn't cheap!

[@26TptCoy]

ABC low budget, maybe can use the cough as a sound effect in Mr Squiggles or something.

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Hey it was the seventies lol

[@DavidCaldwell1]

when the substance of the insight and commentary is this good, it doesn't matter

[@SeanCleverly]

This was a wonderful show back in the day. Peter Wherrett was an excellent presenter, with a great knowledge of the automotive industry and especially the cars he drove, both Australian and foreign. Thank you so much for this, takes me back to a simpler world of child hood days and dreams of my own of the car i would one day own. R.I.P Peter Wherrett.

[@timothylanders3189]

Was hooked on the 70's Ford cockpit & interior layouts. The padded soft vinyl. Brilliant! Always trumped Holden's rough as guts, hard plastic interiors imo

[@turbofan67]

"Torque", with the expertise and communication skills of Peter Wherrett was without a doubt, the best car show Australia has ever produced. All the other shows were just talking heads sucking up to whichever car manufacturer was paying for ad space. Wherrett knew what he was talking about, and told it like it was.

[@heffyg101]

A true Aussie icon. I grabbed one of the last Falcons - the FGX XR6 with the 4.0L straight-6. Promised myself to keep it until I die to help showcase the brilliance of a full-sized Australian car.

[@bmwoutlander]

I have a BF V8 Fairlane, it's amazing on the highway.

[@overlander123]

I did the same, FG-X XR6 ute.

[@NickoOutBush]

I did the same with a specked up falcon turbo. The last one I owned at number 13. Lost to the Lismore flood of 2022.

[@bluesteel7171]

These are great, keep them coming ABC. I wish we had car reviews of this standard today!

[@Deevo037]

We do but they're few and far between. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onKnZpunjsx8p9E

[@iatsd]

@@davidhusband5022 do you work at your myopic idiocy or is it a natural skill for you?

[@FreedomForAll2013]

I wish we made cars still today

[@bluecent]

@@filespec it’s the 1970’s

[@leopoldonotarianni8663]

Eloquence and excellence in communication and description. An articulate gentleman to the core. Fairmont GXL 5.8 Cleveland Four Barrel V8, rear discs, LSD and nine inch diff. A true gentleman's luxury sports sedan for its time. That dashlayout and instrumentation.... perfect

[@gregrudd6983]

Pure Highway patrol car in civilian drag!

[@Gokizzmass]

No bloody Voltmeter though. i miss that.

[@kikurass322]

About bloody time these were released on KZbin. Keep them coming, that will prevent people from having copyright strikes against them, we want this. If you are not going to upload the entire series, leave the rogue traders alone.....WE WANT THIS :)

[@blackdiamondmarine]

this show is brilliant, a decade before i was born and his review techniques are as valid today as they were then

[@peterhoulis1184]

Whilst at high school a fellow student just bought a gxl 5.8 fmx 9inch second hand in 1979 , what a beast

[@Gokizzmass]

Rich mate !

[@jamesgovett3225]

I never thought l would make this statement, thanks ABC, thanks for releasing these motoring time capsules, a newfound respect.

[@leoesposito8762]

This guy was ahead of his time. .great stuff abc that is gold. ..

[@NorseInOz]

I had the 4.1 litre version; drove it for seven years. The handling and braking was surprisingly good for a car of that era and the mechanicals were bulletproof, but rust protection - oh dear. I always wished I'd had a 4.9 or 5.8 but when I later got to drive one, I discovered it had the lifeless power steering that Peter notes in this review. It's amazing how much that detail detracted from the enjoyment of driving it.

[@jamesfrench7299]

I had a spin in a Rambler Matador. It literally felt like someone had disconnected the steering column from the front end.

[@phillipevans9414]

@@jamesfrench7299 . Yep, the Matador was like that...however, it was a luxury car without sporting pretences, and luxury in the '70's was synominous with "effortless steering", so feel went out the window. I owned a '73 Matador with the 5.9L (360 c.i), auto, a/c, ps, elec windows and a white leather interior. At the time one of my mates called it "a real lazy man's car", 'cause it was so comfortable and effortless to drive. I loved it, and now regret ever selling it...I would love one again, except now, they are fetching 30x what I sold mine for back in the '90's. Cheers!

[@Gokizzmass]

They all had the same power steering.

[@OrnumCR]

When you look at that body shape today, you forget how big these Falcons were. Width...got in a mate’s XB hardtop recently and marvelled at how wide it was...it was really broad! My family ran these through the ‘70’s and 80’s and were always Ford people. My uncle even had the Ford Landau with the Cleveland 351 whilst my stepfather had the sister LTD sedan with the Windsor 351...The things those two cars did side by side at a certain location will always give me good memories....red and blue...side by side with engines bellowing at speed.

[@leopoldonotarianni8663]

Unbelievably all three of the big three family sedans shared the same 2819 mm wheelbase. Even the width only varied an inch from narrowest to widest.

[@philipbyrnes7501]

What a great show and what a knowledgeable presenter Peter Wherrit was. Deeply missed but thank you for these brilliant memories from my teenage years, exceptional, thank you for putting these out there, 10 stars 👍🏻

[@thtupid]

Steering wheels as they should be...vinyl, reasonably sized and a single bar across! Oh how times have changed...I love this show!

[@unvaxxeddoomerlife6788]

Now steering wheels look like crap, but the airbags have saved countless lives.

[@waynewright2886]

Ford Phased Out the Falcon here in the U.S. on New Years Day 1970, the Fairmont Replaced the U.S. Ford Maverick (1969-1977), in which Replaced the Falcon, the Maverick was a 2 Door Only for the 69 & 70 Model Year, for the 71 Model Year, a 4 Door Maverick was Introduced, & it's Sister Car, the Mercury Brand Comet, came back after an Absence, & was also Built on the Same Platform with the Maverick from the 71 Model Year to the 77 Model Year, & Ford Replaced the Maverick with the Fairmont, & Mercury Replaced the Comet with the Zepher for the 78 Model Year, in 2 & 4 Doors & A Station Wagons & both were Plain Ass Cars, Underpowered Engines, you Could get Features like Power Windows, & A/C, Power Door Locks, AM/FM Stereo, With or Without 8-Track, or Cassette Players in Both Cars, they Stayed in Production Until the 83 Model Year, & Replaced by a New Model.

[@wizzard5442]

Very interesting.

[@bigfella6629]

I had one of these around late 80s, bloody comfy for touring around the countryside in.

[@chisel83]

Always had holdens with the odd euro thrown in but a mate always had Fords and we travelled alot in them. Falcons were by far better log distance cars . His old XF was a killer car for driving long hauls.

[@chrisblue46]

@@chisel83 Especially the XF Ghia, I used to often drive from Adelaide to Melbourne without stopping, and then get out and feel like I'd only driven a couple of hundred kms. I'd usually go there and back the same day, and that's towing a car trailer with a 6 or 8 cyl car on it both ways.

[@petergoodwin2465]

@@chrisblue46 I had a Vz commodore , had to stop twice at least .Drove the old 318 regal and didn't know I drove that far . Couldn't walk after driving the Vz but the old girl kills it by far. They build shit these days , those old V8 Fords were great cars.

[@andrewneill9873]

Slowly starting to rebuild my old one now. Belonged to my late Grandfather. Mine is only the 6 cylinder, but she's still going to be my pride and joy...

[@MarkRaker]

Absolutely agree, I did 15,000km in 4 weeks cruising round Oz in my 78 XC wagon......slept in the back and all, man that was a comfy car to sit in for extended periods.....those were the days!

[@yusuf.alajnabi]

Back in the day when we actually made cars.

[@signature1990]

yeah thanks to Unions for killing jobs...

[@landcruiserfan4206]

@@signature1990 I think you actually mean the Liberal Gov. The Liberals under Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey forced Holden and Ford to shut down Australian manufacturing in 2013. Unions wanted Holden and Ford to stay. The LNP have done everything they can to offshore production and manufacturing, while driving wages and living standards down.

[@signature1990]

@@landcruiserfan4206 well your comments show just how clueless you are regards basic economics... The Government never forced anyone to shut down, Unions and their idiotic claims over the decades sent a death knell to manufacturing and making cars overseas was the only option. Of course unions wanted manufacturing to stay, they were rip[ping the workers off union dues whilst casually living off an industry that was doomed due the taxpayer cash being injected into it to prop it up. No assembler was worth 85K a year putting cars together.....

[@oldbloke100]

@@landcruiserfan4206 GM stopped all right hand drive manufacturing around the world, you are delusional if you think its the governments fault.

[@oldbloke100]

@@signature1990 As Prime Minister Hawke said: > Tariffs have been one of the abiding features of the Australian economy since Federation. Tariffs protected Australian industry by making foreign goods more expensive here; and the supposed virtues of this protection became deeply embedded in the psyche of the nation. But what in fact was the result? Inefficient industries that could not compete overseas, that and Buttons motor vehicle policy were the beginning of the end for Australia's motor industry.

[@jimmartin9704]

I remember a quick trip back from the street machine national in 88. Mates 351 wagon (same colour ), my HQ panel van, Canberra to Goulburn flat biscuit , good days

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Peter Wherrett was an absolute legend. Don't think the car producers liked him very much though, he could be brutal on an industrial level sometimes.

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Absolutely

[@trewqpoiutl9774]

These XC's just floated on roads. Remember driving mine when I had just smoked a few cones, felt like I was driving the landspeeder.

[@ruination775]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@holdenbrougham1923]

they were the car for that lol , i,m theeee car

[@captainkaos754]

Peter was a great visionary when he mentioned door handles falling of. He could already see them falling of xd xe xf falcons.

[@Nemesisrooster]

I had an xd wagon. At one stage only the drivers door handle was still attached. Happy days

[@samkaur4098]

I had XD,XE and XF.All the door handles came off every car and sometimes more then once..I remember my mum trying to open the door and she fell on her back with the door handle in her hand.She thought i did it deliberately.

[@gjmob]

When we saw a Falcon pull up outside the workshop we would think, that's here for some door handles and they may even want a service done as well.

[@geoffmower8729]

I used to work in a crash repairs when people would bring there xe, xf in for new door handles. I used to fix the old ones up as it usually was just a rivet giving way off the metal leaver inside. I'd fix it with a self tapping screw and I had a great little side business replacing door handles.

[@Gokizzmass]

XB & XC used to break all the time as well, behind the lever so it wasn't obvious.

[@HandyAndyTechTips]

That is a damn cool looking car.

[@05gtdriver]

The fact that you could get a Ram Air hood(functional or not) on a sedan is what makes our Aussies brothers very cool car people :-)

[@michaelcalder9089]

Those were the days. Australia when is was true 🔵. Used to have one of those cars in 1981. They were 👍💯. Massive interior space. Wide track made for good handling and bulk performance. Only problem was the onset of rust.

[@area51isreal71]

That was great. I wanna see them all, Valiants, Kingswoods, Toranas, Falcons and whatever else he drove from what was the golden era of car manufacturing in this country......I am sure he even tested the Leyland P76? Keep 'em coming please ABC.....or just realease the lot on DVD. The queue starts behind me.

[@abcnewsaustralia]

Here's a few for starters, we're doing our best to free the archives! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXzYanx6bZdmZ9k kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmfccqKwndKjbKc kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5KsYXWglquiiqs kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmbXeKGCarefotE

[@teddyboo2962]

Big time 😀

[@brianholden2724]

He did test the Big Leyland and didn’t he use it to give the other manufacturers a spanking on innovative design 🙀

[@bluecent]

@@abcnewsaustralia we want more !!

[@markbehr88]

What a great car. I wish the ABC would release all of these episodes.

[@melvyncox3361]

Proper review!Concise,and straight to the point👍

[@kenezos]

I loved the Xc Fairmont gxl. Wish I had one today

[@stevenlippis5488]

1976 they talk about the roof trim falling off. Right until the end of the Falcon, it was still a standard feature. At least Ford was consistent.

[@AngryTurds]

Factory leaks were standard back then and featured well into the late 90's too.

[@thrillseekanz7874]

Every vehicle in that heat had the same issue including GM and anything Euro. Hardly a Ford specific issue.

[@imtheonetosayit3657]

Most cars had that problem. Magnas, camrys lots in holdens

[@urabusliberty9258]

deleteMe KZbin! Magnas don’t leak water in

[@peterj5751]

And let’s not forget breaking door handles and quickly wearing ball joints. But I remember wanting this car more than anything else and I’d still love one today.

[@Hitman-ds1ei]

A very under appreciated car in its day, wasn't a Ford guy but worked on a lot of them, can remember the RTA spec XC,s were this and a bit more

[@michaelscott1060]

ABC love this awesome stuff, please don’t stop

[@tonytone5856]

I love this review of the falcon but its a bit bitter-sweet because my brother had a similar model to this one and the same colour but a 77 model unfortunately it was stolen and was found strpped .i remember it had black seats and i loved riding in it.really nice car.thanks for posting.

[@antostomp]

used to love watching the dash's on these old birds as a kid, such a crazy angle...lol from a small kids perspective...also loved the bench seats

[@gorillafunk725]

WOW! Takes me back to my childhood. Grew up looking forward to torque every week. To a time when people actually gave honest opinions on TV. Pity we have to travel back nearly half a century to find any.

[@adventuresofaidan3541]

It’s pretty Sad seeing these Beautiful old classics in the Junkyards and not looked after it’s sad seeing these older falcons off the road.

[@redoz9768]

Even one sitting in a junkyard would be worth a lot of money. XA-XC Falcons are pulling big money now, even a complete basket case.

[@lewamalfitano5498]

Shitbox.

[@nathan2483]

@@lewamalfitano5498 maybe, yet still a thousand times better than anything Holden offered at the time

[@scummy73dude64]

Gawd I had one of these I miss you baby 🥺

[@matthansberry5795]

Got one of these sitting in my shed had it for 25 years been off road for 10 need lots of money to restore her future project

[@iansandersVortech500]

Met Pete at Birdwood Mill in the Adelaide Hills when i was a teenager , nice bloke

[@flowergrowersmith449]

People are just ADORING these old Torques!

[@anthonycrompton1980]

my first car was a 4 door xc falcon with 302 cleavland

[@steventhr]

How long did it take to write it off?

[@jcee6886]

A brand new xc Fairmont gxl 351 manual 😍

[@DIYChannelSteve]

....and straight through the stop sign. Love it

[@acegikmoii]

I love this guy! I don't think New Zealand television (at the time just one station) bought this series. What a pity! Peter Wherrett is ahead of his time in this great series. Serious, honest and consumer-minded, Peter must have been invaluable in helping people choose cars back then and at the same time perhaps an out-spoken thorn-in-the-side of makes that were not delivering quality and safety.

[@leonotarianni2604]

I totally agree Grant . He was very analytical intelligent and informative. His grammar school education is strongly noticeable in his excellent vocabulary

[@iatsd]

1976? Two stations by that point, and they both ran car shows from the UK.

[@goldreverre]

He was very influential. This show was respected and watched by people in the industry. His criticisms were always fairly explained.

[@eadonone]

Tvnz had a show called the motor show with Dougal Stevenson and Chris Amon doing the test drives

[@KGBSpyGeorgeCostanza]

Australia had great cars

[@gosportjamie]

Yes, yes they did. But a lot of them weren't so great straight out of the factory...

[@gosportjamie]

@David Miatke Yes, and they were a lot better when someone who knew what they were doing had been through them. But that's not just a comment appropriate to Australian cars, just about everything built then had flaws and issues, but the relative simplicity of the vehicles made them pretty simple to sort, unlike today where those flaws and issues tend to be electronic so you're stuck with them until they kill the vehicle...

[@DodgyBrothersEngineering]

You spelled Austria wrong, because you certainly can't have meant Australia. Have you even watched any of Peter's reviews, he is constantly saying how bad they were, and they were bad compared to other manufacturers around the world. We simply got used to them being crap, that's all.

[@johnsergei]

@@gosportjamie Indeed. A cheap Falcon of the time, didn't brake like this, had cheap tires & a 3.3 engine that gave neither good economy or performance. Really only justifiable if you need 5/6 seats or bought the wagon, for load capacity. Otherwise get a Golf or Honda Accord. If you need space & a smaller wagon is enough, A VW Passat, maybe?

[@trevordonohoe3712]

unions destroyed australian cars

[@edstar01]

Australia, you where once great!

[@memzruz6340]

once great? still are lmao

[@petergoodwin2465]

@@memzruz6340 sorry mate ,China owns Australia, didn't even have a war over it . We were sold out by leftist traitors.

[@jeeves6490]

@@petergoodwin2465 Yeah, yeah, and in the 80's and 90's the Japanese were going to own it all. In the meantime your babbling yank political bullshit and whinging that Australia's being sold out. Stop aping the septics.

[@petergoodwin2465]

@@jeeves6490 Its because of leftist wankers like you we have no industry left . Nothing to do with America, our government sold us out . Nothing can compete with slave labour.

[@jeeves6490]

@@petergoodwin2465 Yeah that would be it, leftist wankers like me. Your tinfoil hat is too tight mate. The Chinese imports are too thin, you need the domestic version, the tinfoil is thicker.

[@geneticallysuperior6738]

Great classic reviews! Keep them coming!

[@chisel83]

351. Top loader, 9 inch diff with four wheel discs. Marty get in the de lorean

[@jimmybe64]

Not Top Loader in XB & XC, Borg Warner. Very weak shifter design.

[@leonotarianni2604]

Single rail. Not as strong but an easier gearchange than the Toploader used up to 1974 XBs

[@kruleworld]

I was just thinking... that's basically a brand new XC Falcon.... where's my delorean time machine...

[@jimmybe64]

@@leonotarianni2604 my dad broke 3 Borg Warner TF4 single rail gearbox's in his XB 351 Falcon Sedan in 12 months under new car warranty. When he blew it again out of warranty he replaced it with a Ford 4 speed (Top Loader) out of 1972 Cortina with a 250 6 cylinder which was fitted as standard. Never broke that gear box and he had reworked 351 to 400hp.

[@montinaladine3264]

Not a Top Loader mate, Borg Warner single rail. Unsuitable for this car's torque..

[@ronanrogers4127]

Peter was always very articulate and well prepared. This is a really thoughtful and helpful review, unlike so much of the “lifestyle” kind of motoring journalism today. 10mpg...how times have changed. My 2.2 Tdi hets 42 mpg and probably has similar torque to this V8.

[@aussiebloke609]

Likely. Shows how far we've come since then - mid-70s tyre, brake and suspension "technology" (and I use that word in its loosest possible way) had serious trouble dealing with what we now thing of as normal power and torque levels.

[@bretthallett8655]

Yes, but you have a 2.2 tdi.

[@leopoldonotarianni8663]

Very much so indeed. Grammar school education worthwhile and evident in his eloquence and articulated vocabulary.

[@ned900]

Peter Wherrett an impressive human

[@bigears4426]

If manufacturers would of took his ideas on earlier , thousands of people would not of died in accidents , clever bloke when you watch some of his films

[@sg0238]

I know I shouldn't laugh, but that is hilarious.

[@bigears4426]

Yuck Foutube everyone has their bad points , no ones perfect, are you?

[@scottkirkham1230]

Agreement from me Big Ears. I read one of his books, something like 25 years ago. In it he had written about being a junior journalist somewhere out around Bathurst/Orange I think. His assignments usually involved reports on car "accidents". He started to critically analyse them, and realized that you could always find a cause. Speed, fatigue, alcohol, bad road design, Bravado. He never after referred to them as accidents, but crashes. I still see them the same way, and try to modify my driving to be more aware of every situation I'm in. Every "crash" I've been involved in, was totally preventable. Just a thought....

[@pauldunlea6745]

Last of the '' Real Fords '' Heavy and Solid and Reliable

[@jasontroy4723]

In 1994 I had an XC Fairmont GXL sedan 5.8 / fmx trans / 9 inch disc to disc rear / Twin system extractor & collectors . The car was in fine condition no rust great paint work , Missing was the GXL Rims replaced by a set of dragways . I paid 1500 hundred no rwc / reg . Sold it a few years later still in great condition except the fmx trans . The trans did not slip in operation but would not move the car until about 8 / 10 minutes of warm up . Funny hey . Had a service still same issue . I got 3000 grand for it . Cheers this episode was a ripper .

[@leonotarianni2604]

After watching Peter Wherrett canning the HJ Holden Premier to death and noticing his dislike of Australian made vehicles I was dreading watching this. As it turns out, heavy fuel consumption and over assisted power steering apart, this XC Fairmont GXL was appreciated by the tester very well..... In the engine choice it just didn't get better than this , a 4V 4BBL Cleveland 351 (5.8 litre) and Four Speed Gearbox with excellent set up including four wheel disc brakes and LSD. The colour scheme is nice too with the red exterior and black Ford cloth interior .

[@montinaladine3264]

Yeah, correct. But chalk and cheese cars really.

[@petergoodwin2465]

That old Xc is built better than the cars of today . The Cleveland was a fantastic engine, I'm a Mopar guy but those old Fords were great cars , worked on everything you can imagine but Ford built good cars back then. Much better than imported shit even today those old V8s will shit on most modern cars .

[@leonotarianni2604]

@@montinaladine3264 I beg to differ .the premier he test drive was a 253 and we'll optioned. I know it can't compete with the 351 but both are luxury versions of the family cars.

[@TheVeljam]

@@petergoodwin2465 Mate, it's great you can love that old V8, but just how will it "shit" on most modern cars: fuel economy - nuh; output, either overall or kw per litre - nope; handling, NVH - no way, not even close; space efficiency, technology - no; reliability - I know which cars start everytime, and it ain't the old bangers. And the main point - passive and active safety.. what's a crumple zone?? Passenger safety cell?? Airbags?? ABS?? Traction control?? Stability Control?? Mate, seriously, people would read your nostalgic bullshit and think there might be some truth to it. Can't let it happen.

[@gogogeedus]

Holden did sort out the HJ, and the HZ,HX Were better, nothing is better than a hz 5 litre prem.

[@johnkauppi7078]

These are a great car.I have one like this,Fire Glow Red paint,351 engine,FMX auto,power steer ,air con,factory ally wheels.It's a Fairmont but lacks the bonnet scoops and is not a GXL. A one owner car from Parkes, NSW.

[@glenrichards7175]

he was good,very good, young ones ,watch as this is the way it used to be done

[@jeffmantle2468]

I just sold my GXL 351 manual with 96kms on the clock.Great car

[@samartz]

Loving these old car reviews!!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I love the hat that Peter Wherrett is wearing in this video. I have a similar hat that I like to wear.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

ABC not turning off comments? That deserves a like at last!

[@MrAustruck]

0:39 the old 3 wheeled street sweepers , i remember as a kid seeing them come down our street ..they where huge to me

[@chuckselvage3157]

They were great cars for their day.

[@snowball05]

My mate had one of these exactly right down to the paint colour. Great grand tourer if you didn’t mind 18mpg.

[@club1fan552]

Keep showing these. I watch every one. 10 mpg? Hilarious. Love it! Soon after this we were queueing for petrol in Australia.

[@abcnewsaustralia]

Hey there, thanks Club 1 Fan! We have a couple more of these reviews scheduled, one where Peter looks at the role of motorsport during the fuel crisis. Interesting stuff!

[@club1fan552]

Thank you. The car reviews are my favourite...particularly Japanese cars but haven't seen any reviews so far.

[@snoochpounder]

This show needs to come back

[@747fa]

Australian Ford Falcon/Fairmont.."Trim, Taught and Terrific!"

[@darbz1017]

Watching this thinking im glad I still got mine. Wasn't the 351 4 speed it's the 302 auto but i pulled the 302 and dropped a 351 in it also put a 9 inch aswell. Keeping the original motor in the shed.

[@rozzyretreat3300]

Loved old FAIRMONTS REAL CARS 351 GOOD DAYS

[@charliepearce8767]

I remember getting in one of these when they we new. So smooth on the road and reasonable handling. I was a Holden man back then and was surprised by the difference. That was back in the 70s and I'm still driving HQ, HJ Holden I just haven't updated from all those years ago. As there's been no need to Now I'm back in fashion.

[@johnmackay1961]

I used to PD XC's during my mechanics apprenticeship at John W Andrews Ford in Auckland NZ.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Between the XA through XC Falcon, I find the XB the best looking.

[@davidwolff8903]

Definitely agree. Much nicer dash and layout of instruments

[@mvnorsel6354]

I rate the facelift from XA to XB Australia's best.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@mvnorsel6354 I agree.

[@holdenfan8532]

Definitely the toughest and best sedan, but i reckon XA hardtops look just that little bit better

[@jamesfrench7299]

My ranking 1.XC 2.XA 3.XB. Never liked the look of the XB, coupe excepted.

[@dpd6401]

Always loved the XC

[@shreckm6470]

Had two of these the last one was the best one 1978 update version with the Blue Oval badges .The best thing you could do was dich that thermoquad carby and go for a a 600 vacuum secondary holley for economy, not for go. Still even today one of the most comfortable cars I ever owned

[@ericbennik2071]

The thermoquad on my dad's clapped out by 50kkm. Loved the cloth trim.

[@richardabbot4695]

We need shows like this again. But that would be regarded as entertaining and we can't have can we.

[@greensocks4507]

I love this old stuff too.

[@mvnorsel6354]

There is such a market for a similar car show today.

[@srh76able]

I'm dead set loving these shows.

[@RtB68]

You have to love how at 6.48 he simply crashes that stop sign.

[@PaulPriz]

Peter you missed the...........stop sign!

[@fordlandau]

The XC GXL was a very nice car indeed.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Particularly with power windows.

[@stevejohnson1321]

In a lot of instances, "falcon" in the U.S. was a lower-line model with straight-six. Though they had a fair following, one iteration was known for frequent breakage of rear springs. One of my neighbors kept extra springs and mounts on-hand.

[@williamegler8771]

They were also available with optional V8 engines that were frequently ordered.

[@TJTruth]

I am a blue blooded American an a Ford guy all the way through, and had no idea Australia and the British made so many good Fords. in every way the British made way better small fords then the US both driving and in looks.... especially in looks lol. and the Australiana's made some amazing muscle cars.

[@franzchong5889]

it was the switch to japan from 1981 to 2002 that gave australian really decent small fords.that partnership with mazda saved the day

[@wizzard5442]

@@franzchong5889 So true

[@blackhat2385]

I had an xc fairmont 351 gxl just like this whwn I was an apprentice, used to go around everything but the servo, I think it use to do 30lts per 100km with some mods.

[@joedaman8436]

This is brilliant! Love it! This is what you call a car critic 👍😂

[@comfortablynumb9861]

That throat clearing during the intro 😂

[@mebeasensei]

So Falcon were ahead on Holden around 1976. Holden had the HJs and HXs at the time. I don't know about Valiant. 10mpg! Way to go Ford! That is imperial gallons too. Can you imagine though, how much this car would be worth now. An original 4 on the floor, 351 four door Falcon Fairmont. That is a top class collectable in Oz and NZ.

[@claudeadams21]

I remember seeing this actual episode. 'Torque' was a great show and Peter Wherrett enjoyed a bit of manufacturer 'bashing' when they deserved it. Bit of trivia....I only heard recently that he was a crossdresser and even wrote a book on the subject.

[@SwaggingWithBen]

6:48 Straight through the stop sign lol!

[@janeblogs324]

But at least he looked left after blowing through it

[@gcsmowfo]

6:49 He didn't stop at the stop sign.

[@keithammleter3824]

Wherrett is hilarious. In this episode he complained about too much power steering boost, saying Ford should check out the Jaguar XJS as it got power steering right. But in another episode he reviewed the jag and complained that the power steering had too much boost. He praised the dash, but the previous model had a better dash.

[@martinfiay8908]

damn I was 6 years old in 1976 , dad had a green Cortina Station wagon and mum had a little red corolla , and my uncles had the Ford Falcons and Ford Fairlanes. Id always say to dad get one of them and he'd say they chew up to much petrol son, that's why I guess we had a Cortina instead ... such memories

[@RE1974]

Nice work ABC, I hope you post more soon. Do you have any of these covering the Mazda RX2,3,4,5? Polarising vehicles at the time, some people loved them others hated them (full disclosure, I still have my RX2)

[@StormCentre88]

I had one of these years ago; 351 Cleveland in dark brown. Peter was right, they love a drink. Not bad cars for their day.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

When the abc use to make unbiased great shows What a car to have today and my favourite colour of red May Aunty has a 4.1 version same colour what a car it was He was so good Peter Werrit loved watching his shows

[@MrPsiclone666]

i had a green xc gxl 351 fmx 9" in the 90's loved it. oh yeah tri y headers and a single 3" exhaust. purred on cruise howled when ya stepped on it.

[@myeviltwinbrother]

Way to go... NOT stopping at the stop sign (@6:50)...

[@jamiebeverley9705]

I wonder if that car has survived, I hope so 351 4 speed GXL, love it 👍

[@lena19191]

He went through a stop sign ...bad peter !

[@gjmob]

That was after hours that he was called Bad Peter. He came out as a cross dresser and that was about the end of his career.

[@petergrundy8081]

Great show