favourite GTHO

[fpv_gtho]

which is your favourite falcon GTHO? many people like myself would go for either the phase 3 or 4 because of their higher powered engine, whilst theres a select few that go for the phase 2 for its hotter cam and what they claim better styling. i know theres a gt restorer that reckons the phase 3 is a girls car and the phase 2 looks better, because as he claims, ford used to dress up a model before replacing it, and he claims thats why the phase 3 looks like a dressed up falcon 500. there may even be people that think the first gtho is the best because thats the one that started it all.

[henk4]

Well being a 100% democrat I would love to vote, but also being a European I have absolutely no clue what goes on down under and what this car is about. I am sorry that I cannot really contribute.

[fpv_gtho]

they're 4 cars ford australia released in consecutive years between 1969 and 1972 for homologation in the local touring car series

[crisis]

Dont know if it really qualifies as a classic in the true sense of the term. The last , the fastest, must be the best.

[fpv_gtho]

well no, i guess theyre not classics in the true sense of the word, but they're still over 3 decades old. the last also happens to be the most exclusive with only 4 built, only one of those registrable for road use. i think theres only about 40 or so RPO83 equipped XAGT's around as well so the numbers are still under the 300 built of each of the others

[BiTurbo]

Originally posted by crisis
Dont know if it really qualifies as a classic in the true sense of the term. The last , the fastest, must be the best.
GTHO's are classics, after 30 years they attract respect and admiration - AND I'M A GM FAN/freak (NEVER OWNED A FORD).
I believe a classic is a car that you would like to own because of it's history and uniqueness, which can include the car's styling or innovation.
The GTHO has a great history and judging by what I've been told it was a hoot to drive.:D

[fpv_gtho]

any muscle car woulve been a "hoot" to drive. the sheer fact that the idea behind them was a midsize body with a big engine and maybe heavy duty suspension shows that their power outweighed their handling and braking abilities, especially at high speeds, unless it was a lightweight pony car which u had a chance of getting decent handling. the GTHO's though, they were probably equal or a little behind the toranas and chargers at bathurst, but once they got onto conrod straight, they overtook everything

[Falcon500]

not really most other cars in its class handeled much the same and with allan moffat behind the wheel he was nigh on impossible to pass. The cars that really gave them a run for their money on the twisty bits were the minis and datsun 1600s truth be known.

[fpv_gtho]

was it a v8 charger valiant were developing whilst holden were developing a v8 torana and ford were making the phase 4? out of the 3 super-road car attempts on the mountain, its valiants that i know nothing about

[Falcon500]

It was the e55 they were working on with the 340ci v8 it would of been a better wepon then the XU-2 and it probly would of beaten the phase 4 EASILY if they got the balence right but the E55 did race except they hobbled its perforamce with an automatic firmly killing chryslers chances at a bathurst victory tso the best they ever got was a third.

[fpv_gtho]

sounds like an AMG, but an automatic wouldve seriously cut on its performance. that wouldve been a fair sized V8 they were gunna stick in it, bigger than fords 5.4L at about 5572cc. if the six cylinder chargers matched the phase 3's and XU-1's, then this wouldve blown them away, makes me wish that ford did more than stick the phase 3 engine in a 75kg approx lighter body

[Falcon500]

It was actually hevier and dont argue with me it was believe me! The engine had minor tweaks to the oiling and rods and so it was also made a little more driveable and had revises gear ratios it would of been faster gearing coupled with slighly better motor and better areodynamics =160+ mph car

[fpv_gtho]

well from what ive researched, the XAGT weighed about 1475kg and the XYGT was about 1550kg. so your saying the phase 4 wouldve had about 20mph over the phase 3 then?

[Falcon500]

yeah through gearing and other refinemants and its more the other way around 1550 for the XA and about 1450 for the XY HO believe me my brother owned a XB and it was as heavy as all sin itself and it was a coupe so it was slighly heavier then the sedan but the differnce isnt worth skiting about between coupe/sedan.

[fpv_gtho]

well i found out the weights from supercars.net and thats what they said, but i guess ford knew what they were doing with the phase 4. too bad there werent more things other than the big carb optional on the normal XAGT when the phase 4 fell through. those 300 or so sets of wheels that ford had to flog off to existing XY buyers wouldve been a good option

[Falcon500]

Yeah they sent out letters to all ho owners and stuff like that and pawned a few off through dealers and stuff plus only a handfull of the engine compnatns were used on rpo83 soem found their way into landaus some even found their was into XDs and one found its way in 1 XY ho whereabouts unknown.

[fpv_gtho]

if ford were to develop decent brakes for the XAGTHO, they wouldve been able to outbrake the cometition and make up time there withough having to result to extra performance. looking back at it people wouldve apreciated something like that more. theres all too many stories about people tearing down conrod straight and if they hit the brakes too hard theyd burst into flames

[Falcon500]

there wasnt anything wrong with the breaks the cars had they were the biggest for the time the only bigger ones that were a stock size on anything at the time was a lincoln the same kind that moffat used on his mustang well dics anyway the calipers were imorted magnesium 4 pot ones. It was all really a matter of controll.

[fpv_gtho]

well the brakes were unbalanced by the weight and power of the engine by todays standards and fords always usually been behind in brake standards, plus they wouldnt of gone astray

[Falcon500]

Yes true enough but still the only thing they wernt good for was racing 500 miles they were great for everything else.

[Falcon500]

Prehaps you could of made this a foveorite GT page you could of had more of a pole and we could of posted a few more pics and hopefully of gotten the attention of a few people (eg the people who are running the site) and get them a to put at least some of the GTs on the page (and if were lucky/greedy all the flacons;) )

[fpv_gtho]

sounds like a good idea, but i think the eb and dath vader were the least favourite GT's. theyre holding their resale value quite strongly though