1974 Ford Falcon XBGT - Australian Love Affair

Chris Flocken of Milton, Florida, has been a Ford enthusiast all of his adult life. Growing up in Fort Lauderdale in the '70s, he saw mostly Mustangs and Camaros; from the beginning, he yearned for something different. It just so happened that a friend of his owned a Mercury Cougar, and one day Chris went for a ride with him. He was impressed and for the next 20 years was "hooked on Cougars." Since that first ride, he's owned more than a dozen of the cool Cats.

Then one day Chris went to a car show and saw his first Australian Falcon. Immediately, all of his previous automotive loves became a second priority. From the beginning, he saw the potential of the muscular Fords from Down Under and knew these unusual cars would be his new favorite.

His first Australian Falcon was a '76 GT replica that he financed by selling his '69 390 Mustang and a big-block Cougar. He liked his new car, but the more he drove it, the more he realized that he really wanted a genuine GT.

Chris finally found the car of his dreams right near home, and he's but the third owner. The car you see here is a genuine '74 Australian XBGT Falcon two-door hardtop and one of seven Australian Fords he now owns. This car is rare, even by Australian standards, with only 949 produced. Approximately 150 Australian Falcons are known to exist in North America.

As you might expect, Chris is an active member of the Australian Ford Falcon Club. Beyond that, this car has influenced his life a great deal, and because of his interest in Australian Fords, he has traveled to both Australia and New Zealand. He has also had Ford enthusiasts from Down Under visit him and stay as guests in his home. He reports that Ford fans from both Australia and New Zealand are just as enthu-siastic about their cars as their American counterparts.

The Details
'74 Australian Ford Falcon XBGT
Owner: Chris Flocken, Milton, FL

Engine
351 Cleveland V-8
4.00-inch bore
3.50-inch stroke
Australian 4V cylinder heads
Closed combustion chamber, 67cc volume
10.5:1 compression ratio
2.19-inch intake valves
1.71-inch exhaust valves
Original Holley 780-cfm four-barrel carburetor
Ford cast-iron 4V intake manifold
Electronic ignition

Transmission
Top Loader four-speed manual

Rearend
9-inch
3.00 gears
Open differential
31-spline axles

Exhaust
Pacemaker headers with 1 3/4-inch primaries
2 1/2-inch exhaust tubing
Ford factory replacement mufflers

Suspension
Front: New factory suspension components, heavy-duty front antisway bar, Koni shocks
Rear: New replacement stock leaf springs, antisway bar, Koni shocks

Brakes
Front: Factory disc
Rear: Factory disc

Wheels
Front: Magnum 500 steel wheels, 15x7
Rear: Magnum 500 steel wheels, 15x8

Tires
Front: BFGoodrich Radial T/A, P225/70R15
Rear: BFGoodrich Radial T/A, P255/70R15

InteriorRighthand drive; original carpeting; factory bucket seats; original upholstery; Nardi steering wheel; factory instrumentation including tachometer, speedometer, oil and water; original AM radio still tuned to Australian frequencies

ExteriorOriginal Red Pepper color (25-year-old repaint), factory-original exterior appearance

What's Ford Australia?Ford Australia is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company originally founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925. Once established, production of the Model T began right away. Ford Australia is best known for producing the Falcon, which was originally an American offering introduced in 1960. However, since 1972, the Down Under Falcons have been 100 percent Australian-designed. Ford has manufactured more than 3,000,000 Falcons in Australia since 1960. These cars are renowned for their durability and, like the Crown Victoria in the United States, the four-door versions of the Falcon are popular both as taxi cabs and police cars.