Ford Falcon GT-HO: The World's Fastest Sedan in 1971 !

📘 Think you know your car? Check the VIN first. Full decoding guide for Classic Cars → https://classiccarshistory.com/ Ford Falcon GT-HO: The World's Fastest Sedan in 1971! In 1971, the fastest independently tested four-door production car on sale was not a Mercedes, a Maserati or a Jaguar. It was a Ford Falcon, a car most Americans remembered as a cheap, sensible compact. In Australia, Ford turned it into the XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III, a homologation special built to win one race: the Bathurst 500 at Mount Panorama. In this video we trace the full story. It begins with the humble American Falcon of 1960 and Ford Australia's battle to make it survive local roads, including the famous You Yangs durability run. From there we follow the rise of the Falcon GT and GT-HO through the XR GT of 1967, the Phase I and Phase II, and the fierce rivalry with Holden's Monaro and Torana GTR XU-1 and Chrysler's Valiant Charger R/T E49. We look at the 351 Cleveland V8, the officially understated 300 horsepower rating, and the 1971 Wheels magazine road test that recorded a true 141.5 mph. We also put that figure against the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, the Maserati Quattroporte and the Jaguar XJ12, so you can judge the "fastest sedan" claim for yourself. Then comes Allan Moffat's dominant 1971 Bathurst win, followed by the 1972 Supercar Scare. A single newspaper headline, political pressure from NSW transport minister Milton Morris, and just six days of fallout ended the Falcon GT-HO Phase IV after only four cars were built. Finally, we cover how the Bathurst rules changed, why the homologation specials disappeared, and how the Phase III became one of the most valuable Australian cars ever sold at auction. If you enjoy classic car history, Australian muscle cars, Bathurst racing and the stories behind legendary performance cars, subscribe for more deep dives. Tell us in the comments which classic car we should cover next, and where you are watching from. #FordFalcon #GTHO #FalconGTHO #PhaseIII #AustralianMuscleCar #Bathurst #AllanMoffat #ClassicCars #MuscleCars #FordAustralia #SupercarScare #CarHistory #Holden #ValiantCharger #351Cleveland #AussieMuscle #ClassicCarsHistory #VintageCars Sources: Mel Nichols, Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase III road test, Wheels magazine, October 1971 Harvey Grennan, "Why they killed off the Aussie supercar," Drive / Sydney Morning Herald, June 2012 Ate Up With Motor, "Falcons Down Under: The Australian Ford Falcon," Parts One and Two Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. I do not own some or all of the video materials used in this video. In the case of copyright issues, please contact me at historymediachannel1@gmail.com for credit or removal.