Top Tips for Buying a Used Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop

Having watched as Holden’s two-door Monaro pinched the limelight and lots of sales, Ford could only wait until 1972 for its XA Falcon Hardtop to be ready for sale.

There was a GT version of course, with a 5.8-litre 351 cubic inch engine that developed 224kW. That figure is based on cars with a 600cfm (cubic feet per minute) carburettor and standard exhaust. If you come across one of the scarce RPO83 versions with a 780cfm carb, special manifold and extractor exhaust, output would be an estimated at 246kW.

Image: wheelsage.org

A four-speed manual transmission was standard in the GT but a lot of owners were buying for the show rather than go and opted for the three-speed automatic.

Two-door Falcons were similar in size to the four-door sedans but the hardtop design cut headroom by 30mm and rear passenger leg-room by 122mm. The doors and rear body pressings were all new, as was the glass, tail-lamp panel, boot-lid and internal bodywork.

Although they look big and bulky, two-door Fords of this age weren’t especially heavy.  With standard manual gearing they managed 203km/h and mid-range performance was strong; 80-110km/h taking just over four seconds. Fuel consumption in a manual will range from 18-26L/100km.

Three Bathurst 1000 victories and various other trophies confirmed that the two-door GT and its derivatives ranked as a competition success. Winning the sales race was a more difficult though, with only 893 of the two-door XA GT sold and 949 of the mildly restyled XB version.

image: wheelsage.org

Hardtops with their big windscreen and shallow rear window were regarded as a mid-summer hotbox and cars with working air-conditioning offer an attractive alternative to Ford’s struggling ventilation system.

When considering an XA of any kind, rare colours, manual transmission in preference to automatic and period accessories all help bolster values. The cars in greatest demand will have all-original components and their history fully documented.

Ford Falcon XA dash – Image: wheelsage.org

Ford Falcon XA GTs in average condition currently cost $130-150,000, with excellent cars above $200,000. Verified examples of the RPO83 will add at least 30 percent to the price of a basic car in similar condition.

Things To Watch Out for When Buying a Used Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop

• Body rust, especially in the roof and rear quarters

• Worn hinges making doors hard to close

• Noisy valve train with oil smoke on start-up

• Gears hard to select in the manual

• Creaking front suspension

• Oversized tyres rubbing on bodywork

• Dash cracks

• Noisy starter motor