The Ford XC Falcon was produced by Ford Australia between 1976 and 1979. It was a facelift of the XB Falcon (1973-76), itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972. The XC Falcon Cobra, based on the XC Hardtop (Coupe), was a limited edition released by Ford Australia in 1978.
When final production of the XC Hardtop (Coupe) ended in March 1978, there would still be more than 400 body shells left when production of all of the XC models was due to make way for the forthcoming XD models which were offered only as four-door sedans or station wagons. Ford turned to Edsel Ford II, grandson of the founder, then Deputy Managing Director of Ford Motor Company who was touring Australia at the time. Ford made the suggestion that they be built as Cobras, a high-performance version of the XC Hardtop. They were painted white and finished with bright blue racing stripes and "Cobra" emblems, a throwback to Carroll Shelby's Mustangs of the 1960s that made the car easily identifiable as a Ford muscle car. Each of the cars was given its own individual serial number and fitted with a sequentially-numbered plaque (from 1 to 400) in the dash. The first 200 produced were given the 5.8L 351 Cleveland V8 which produced 202hp, while the other 200 received the 4.9L 302 Cleveland (the exception Build number 1 was a 302 and Build Number 351 was a 351), producing 217 hp. Either automatic or manual transmission. The Cobras had unique items such as 15-inch Bathurst Globe wheels, front & rear spoilers and dual exhaust, special sport cloth seats fitted in black with blue inserts, and special Cobra decals. Either engine could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds.
Ford's idea turned out to be a marketing coup. Dealers snapped up the cars and so did the public. While many considered that Ford could have sold a lot more, there were no more body panel kits available so the Cobra's exclusivity was assured. (wikipedia & falconcobraclubofaus.com)
When final production of the XC Hardtop (Coupe) ended in March 1978, there would still be more than 400 body shells left when production of all of the XC models was due to make way for the forthcoming XD models which were offered only as four-door sedans or station wagons. Ford turned to Edsel Ford II, grandson of the founder, then Deputy Managing Director of Ford Motor Company who was touring Australia at the time. Ford made the suggestion that they be built as Cobras, a high-performance version of the XC Hardtop. They were painted white and finished with bright blue racing stripes and "Cobra" emblems, a throwback to Carroll Shelby's Mustangs of the 1960s that made the car easily identifiable as a Ford muscle car. Each of the cars was given its own individual serial number and fitted with a sequentially-numbered plaque (from 1 to 400) in the dash. The first 200 produced were given the 5.8L 351 Cleveland V8 which produced 202hp, while the other 200 received the 4.9L 302 Cleveland (the exception Build number 1 was a 302 and Build Number 351 was a 351), producing 217 hp. Either automatic or manual transmission. The Cobras had unique items such as 15-inch Bathurst Globe wheels, front & rear spoilers and dual exhaust, special sport cloth seats fitted in black with blue inserts, and special Cobra decals. Either engine could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds.
Ford's idea turned out to be a marketing coup. Dealers snapped up the cars and so did the public. While many considered that Ford could have sold a lot more, there were no more body panel kits available so the Cobra's exclusivity was assured. (wikipedia & falconcobraclubofaus.com)
(Photos from flickr.com, tangcla.com & falconcobraclubofaus.com)
