When you think about Ford and muscle cars, you naturally think about the Ford Mustang. Not, for example, the Falcon XB GT. A car developed by Ford Australia that became quite popular down under. But it's not a car that perhaps those in North America really think about. But for a time in the 1970s, if you lived in Australia, this car was undoubtedly the coupe to have. It's an underrated car and one of the best Ford ever produced.

Not only was the performance good, but it looked good too. The Falcon XB GT looked every bit like a muscle car, and it's arguable it was better looking than the Mustang of the time. An achievement that is quite big. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to appreciate the Falcon XB GT a little bit more than they used too.

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The Falcon XB GT Is One Of Ford's More Obscure Creations

1974 Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop Front View
via CarAdvice

Obscure is perhaps an interesting word to describe a car that has typical 1970s styling. But the Falcon XB GT was obscure by the fact it was a Ford Australia product, with the first version appearing in 1973. As you might have gathered, the XB GT was the top, performance-oriented version of the Falcon. The Falcon was not new to Australia back then, with the first XK series examples coming to Australia in 1960. But by 1964, Ford of Australia was producing its own bodies for the Falcon chassis.

The XB GT was very much part of the third generation of the Falcon series in Australia. The bodywork was impressive, featuring a sleek, slender coupe look while it was also made available as a sedan too. The XB GT featured a 351 ci Cleveland V8 engine under the hood. And that V8 engine provided plenty of power, with 300 hp on offer as well as 38 lbs-ft of torque. This huge sum of power was partly thanks to the fact that the engine did not need to have the smog equipment that its American counterparts had.

1976 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe Rear Quarter View
via Keen Racing

It didn’t take long for this improved and perfected Falcon XB to make a name for itself. A four-speed manual was the standard transmission for the GT, while there was the option for a three-speed FMX automatic as well. The XB GT was quite a big car, but it provided a solid and tight driving experience. It was certainly built for big mileage, something Australians do with their cars. Like an American muscle car, the Falcon XB GT just floats over any oscillation in the surface.

It's soft and comfortable, although in the corners it hardly handles like a Lotus Elise. Remember though, at the heart of it this is a muscle car. Muscle cars aren’t meant to handle like thoroughbred racers. Like the muscle car, it is on the highway where the XB GT made a name for itself. Fast and powerful, you could outrun most other cars in Australia at the time and it just eats up the miles. There is something Grand Tourer about the XB GT even though it is an Aussie muscle car at its heart.

How Mad Max Films Made The Falcon Famous Around The World

1974 Ford Falcon XB Interceptor Mad Max Recreation
Mecum Auctions

Despite the fame it earned during the 1970s in Australia, the Falcon XB GT remained obscure pretty much everywhere else. Talk about the XB GT outside of Australia, and you’d be easily forgiven for thinking you were an alien landing from another planet. However, the Falcon itself would soon become quite recognizable. This was during 1980, when HBO started showing George Miller’s Mad Max on everyone’s screens. And it was set in the open-landscape that was Australia. The trend continued with Mad Max 2, shown in America as Road Warrior.

Various cars were of course featured in both Mad Max epics, but people couldn’t quite work out what they were. GM, Chrysler and Ford cars were all present. Well it turned out that the Ford products were Falcons. Falcons with the Australian style bodies, which is what confused so many. What it did though was ensure the Falcon shot to fame across the world and more people began to be aware of it, and in turn became aware of the epic Falcon XB GT. Very soon, Australia’s obscure little muscle car had become globally recognized, something I truly deserved.

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The Falcon XB GT Is A Muscle Car Worth Appreciating

Ford Falcon XB GT Front Quarter View Yellow
via Hemmings

It is worth appreciating the Falcon XB GT for what it is. It featured a big, brutal V8 engine that you would expect from a muscle car while also providing some truly stunning styling. Plus, it drove exactly like a muscle car, and is now one of the rarest breeds of muscle car on the planet. Slightly obscure to many of us, but to those in Australia, the Falcon XB GT has become the stuff of legend.

Sources: CarAdvice, Mecum Auctions, Hemmings