Ford Australia commissioned one of the country’s most reputable dealers to build this bespoke six-door, eight-seat Falcon XY limousine in 1970.
A bespoke six-door, eight-seat Ford Falcon limousine – built to transport the US car giant’s executives visiting Australia – is set to be auctioned in March 2023.
The one-off 1970 Ford ‘XY’ Falcon last went to auction with Gold Coast-based company Seven82Motors in December 2022 but failed to sell – after being unsold and referred in a Grays online auction in September 2020.
According to the December 2022 auction listing, the Falcon rolled off Ford’s Broadmeadows production line in September 1970 as a wagon, but it was soon sent to Australian car dealer giant BS Stillwell’s Ford workshop in Kew to undertake its limousine conversion.
Ford Australia reportedly commissioned the six-door, eight-seat limousine so it could have a vehicle capable of transporting visiting executives from the US car giant’s headquarters.
The stretched XY Falcon was later sold to Australian airline TAA and moved to Hobart, Tasmania where it was used by the now-defunct airline to transport VIP customers around the Tasmanian capital, coinciding with the opening of Australia’s first legal casino in Wrest Point.
After concluding its service with TAA, the Falcon limousine was shipped to the small island of Nauru before returning to Australia in 1984.
The car underwent a restoration in the 1990s – resulting in its late-20th century Pioneer sound system – before a new owner upgraded its 4.9-litre V8 engine to the larger 5.8-litre ‘Cleveland’ in 1997.
The XY limousine features exterior and interior trim from the luxury Fairmont variant, although its dash and steering wheel are from the Falcon’s performance GT grade.
Period-correct equipment includes ‘venetian’ style blinds in the rear windows, ‘12 slot’ 15-inch wheels and custom-made chrome roof racks.
Seven82Motors’ upcoming March online auction is set to run between 8am on 6 March and 3pm 11 March (AEST), with the Ford XY Falcon listed as lot #13.
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