Ford Falcon (XC). The Ford Falcon (XC) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1976 to 1979. It was the third and last iteration of the third generation of the Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (XC)—the luxury-oriented version of the Falcon.

Overview
The XC series was a facelift of the XB Falcon, itself an upgrade of the XA Falcon which had entered production in 1972.

Introduced in July 1976, the XC included significant changes to comply with new Australian Design Rules. ADR27A set limits for the emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen. To meet the new requirements, engine compression ratios were dropped, and the engines now featured an exhaust gas recirculation valve and positive crankcase ventilation. In order to offset power losses as a result of implementing emissions controls, Ford upgraded the six-cylinder engines with a new crossflow cylinder head with larger valves, and fitted all V8 engines with four-barrel carburettors. While quoted power outputs were lower than those claimed for the XB Falcon, this reflected a move from SAE gross to DIN methodology, which measured power of the engine as installed in the car with cooling, charging and exhaust systems installed. Ford claimed power outputs for the upgraded engines were around ten per cent higher than those of their XB predecessors. 

Weight also increased significantly, from . The increase was in part due to the fitting of much larger, stronger front and rear bumpers, and strengthening of the doors to comply with ADR29, which introduced strength and stiffness requirements for side-impact protection. 

Visually, the XC Falcon was given a restyle treatment that softened its appearance from its predecessors. The XC had a less aggressive nose which incorporated two round headlights on Falcon models and two rectangular headlights on Fairmont models. On sedan and wagon models, Ford also addressed the vision problems of the XA and XB by utilising redesigned rear doors, which debuted in May 1976 with the ZH series Fairlane, with a lower window line that had the effect of removing the coke bottle styling of the XA and XB. Visibility was further improved by an all-new, lower dashboard and crash pad, and higher front seats. The XC hardtop was the last of the two-door Australian Falcons. 

Total production of the XC range reached 171,082 vehicles  prior to the replacement of the XC by the XD Falcon in March 1979.

Model range 
The XC Falcon range of passenger vehicles consisted of nine models:

The Fairmont models were not badged or marketed as Falcons.

The XC Falcon range of commercial vehicles consisted of five models:

The contemporary Fairlane and LTD models were codenamed ZH, and P6 respectively.

Fairmont GXL

Unique to the XC model was the GXL version of the Fairmont, Available in 4.1L Straight 6, or 4.9L Cleveland V8. An upgraded engine package, the GT Power Pack, used the larger 5.8L Cleveland v8. The Fairmont GXL was replaced in the following XD range with the Fairmont Ghia model.

GS Rally Pack

A GS Rally Pack was fitted as standard equipment on the Falcon GS Hardtop  and was available as an option on Falcon 500 Sedan and Wagon, Fairmont Sedan and Wagon, Falcon Utility and Van  and on Falcon 500 Utility and Van. The pack included special paint treatment, bonnet scoops, bumper overriders, slotted steel wheels, enhanced instrumentation, a sports steering wheel and long range driving lights. The driving lights were not included when the pack was fitted to Fairmont models.

Limited edition models
In December 1977, 12 special-build XC hardtops were released, all with VINs beginning JG65TE. These were based on the GS hardtop but featured an homologation pack of additional parts that Ford persuaded CAMS was now available as standard on GS hardtops, in order to include those parts on their race cars. The pack included front and rear spoilers, twin electric radiator fans, various body and steering braces for durability and stiffness, and a reverse bonnet scoop that supplied cool air to the engine via a circular hole in the bonnet. This homologation pack would also form the basis of the 30 Option 97 "Bathurst Cobras" the following year.

Ford Falcon Cobra

In August 1978, Ford Australia introduced the limited production Falcon Cobra, a high-performance version of the XC Falcon Hardtop. Only 400 were built, including 4.9-litre and 5.8-litre street versions and 30 "Bathurst Specials".

Allan Moffat Special

In 1977, a limited number (500) of the Falcon 500 sedan were marketed as Allan Moffat Specials. These cars received XB GT-style blackouts and a sticker on the front doors consisting of Allan Moffat's signature and an Australian flag, as well as other options such as the GS Rally pack and Sports handling suspension as standard. 

Sundowner Van

The Falcon Sundowner Van, based on the Falcon 500 Van, was introduced in 1977. It included options from the Falcon GS Hardtop, such as comprehensive instrumentation, bonnet scoops, slotted sports road wheels and driving lights, with side protection moulding's and rear side glass deleted. Side and rear decals were included in the package.

Motorsport

At the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo 1000, Allan Moffat and Colin Bond drove Group C specification Hardtops to a "1, 2" formation finish. Moffat later went on to win the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship driving both an XB Falcon GT Hardtop and XC Falcon GS 500 Hardtop.
The GS 500 Hardtop formed the basis for the Ford Falcon Cobra and a customer racing program, with a special "Evolution" (and later Evo II) package to homologate parts.

References

External links
 The Old Car Manual Project - Ford Cars All Model Catalogue May 1978

XC
Cars of Australia
Cars introduced in 1976
1970s cars
XC Falcon
Sedans
Station wagons
Coupé utilities
Vans
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars discontinued in 1979