Happy 50th birthday Falcon

The Ford Falcon has completed half a century on the market, writes DAVE MOORE.

The Falcon is the longest running model nameplate in Australia and New Zealand's motoring history, and it marks its 50th birthday on June 28, 50 years to the day since the first XK Falcon rolled off Ford Australia's Broadmeadows production line.

It's also 50 years since the first inline six- cylinder engine was produced at Ford's Geelong engine plant. The 144 cubic inch (2.4-litre) overhead valve (OHV) push-rod engine developed 67kW when it was introduced, which was class-leading at the time, but these days it's only about average for an engine half that size.

The latest Falcon's power unit, is a four-litre fuel-injected unit, with high-tech features like a dual mode split plenum, composite intake manifold, fast burn cylinder head, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and possessed of dual independent variable camshaft timing.

It also produces about three times the power and more than twice the peak torque of that first Falcon unit, while being significantly more fuel efficient despite a 50 per cent increase in vehicle weight.

Almost all the intervening years have involved Ford's Falcon competing with its arch-rival Holden's large car, both in showrooms and on racetracks around Australia. True-blue Ford fans and the red brigade from Holden will argue who is the leader between the brands on the racetrack. However, they would have to agree that the Falcon and its Kingswood to Commodore competitors have in the past five decades been responsible for probably the most closely- fought racing series in the world, with their Bathurst battles having become legendary.

Ford is celebrating its Falcon's 50th birthday, with special 50th anniversary packages for most Falcon variants. They should be in showrooms in July.

- © Fairfax NZ News