Bonnets

The XB Falcon is most often compared to the 1971-73 U.S. Ford Mustang. There was a perception that the front of the XA Falcon looked a bit ‘soft’ so the restyle to the XB was done to toughen the car up. Whether one looks tougher than the other is a matter of interpretation, but there is no denying that the restyle did bring the Falcon closer to a U.S. copy than before.

Or did it ?

A direct comparison, Falcon to Mustang.





It is apparent from the above that the Falcon is a wider car - although the 3 inches noted in specifications can most probably be attributed to the bulging rear wings - but it is also almost 4 inches shorter than the Mustang. The Falcon looks wider at the front due to the fact that the front wings stay much more square to the rest of the car in plan view, unlike the Mustang which squeezes inward to the front of the wings. This tends to push the headlights in closer together than in the Falcon.The Falcon also has much broader upper wing surfaces.