The XM was released in February 1964, five months after the EH Holden, its main competitor.
With three engines (2.4L, 2.8L and 3.3L) and manual or automatic transmission, Ford offered buyers more choice than Holden.
Plus, Ford unveiled the svelte two-door pillarless coupe as a “halo” car.
On paper, it was an enticing combination.
But, the XM’s sales were disappointing.
Its average monthly production was less than its predecessor, the XL.
And that’s no surprise, because in 1964 the reputation of the Falcon was at rock bottom.
The two previous models, XK and XL, had been under-engineered for Australia’s rougher roads.
Reliability and warranty issues were well known.
“Foul Can” was the public’s perception of the car.
However, despite the disappointing sales, the XM was the Falcon that helped convince Ford executives that the car had significant potential.
Not only that, Ford in the USA approved the construction of dedicated proving grounds at You Yang.
Trouble was, the You Yangs site would not be ready to test the XM prototypes.
What to do?
The Cape Catastrophe area in South Australia was chosen to test the more than 1000 revisions to the car’s engineering, especially the torque boxes used to strengthen the frame.
The location was rugged and far enough away from news hungry automotive journalists, especially those at Modern Motor who were legendary for their scoop photos of yet to be released cars.
The Falcon withstood the punishment and all involved were confident of its durability.
To emphasise that the Ford was as reliable and rugged as a Holden, Ford’s PR team decided to stage the launch of the XM at the very location it had been tested.
Over 40 motoring scribes were transported to the Cape and given cars to thrash around in.
Back then this sort of event was a big deal.
The result was priceless positive publicity in magazines and newspapers.
The media hailed the XM’s “Made in Australia for Australians” credentials and its ability to cope with rough roads.
Much was made of the phrase “Certified Golden Quality” which was used in almost every advertising and brochure opportunity.
Ford claimed that the XM was the result of “practical testing provided by the three years in which Falcons have been run on every road in every part of Australia, knowledge and experience gained from Falcon’s successful participation in Australian competitive events — on the race-track, in trials, and in rallies and suggestions and needs of Australian motorists.”
The public was still sceptical however, hence the disappointing sales.
It was not until the next model, the XP arrived in March, 1965 and all the publicity surrounding its 70,000 mile durability trials at You Yang in April did the public’s perception begin to shift.
The XP won the Wheels Car of the Year Award.
The Falcon had begun the long climb to market leadership.
David Burrell is the editor of retroautos
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