Thorn Red 2

Perhaps the most famous, and continuing the success carried over from racing the XW and XY, was Allan Moffat who drove some quite awesome looking hardtops at Bathurst.

This is the car Allan Moffat drove in the 1975 Bathurst race.



And this is the XB hardtop that is privately owned.



The car is a 1975 XB Falcon 500 hardtop, fitted with a 302ci Cleveland V8, three speed automatic trans, and factory ordered GT/GS options - dash, steering wheel, bonnet, grille and rear wing.

XC GS interior

Interior with full instrumentation and sports steering wheel.

XC GS four door with GS 12 slot wheels

XC GS hardtop with rear wing scoops.

XC

The GS Rally pack offered on the XC range was quite a comprehensive package, including GT style bonnet, blacked out grille and window trims, long range driving lamps if the car was based on the Falcon 500 with the round main headlamps, bumper over-riders, full instrumentation, sports steering wheel, and 12 slot wheels. If the GS was based on the Fairmont with the rectangular headlights, the long range lamps were not offered. Hardtops were also fitted with the rear wing scoops, similar to XB GT’s. It is interesting to note that these scoops were not offered on XB GS’s or on XC Cobra’s. Nor was there an availability of any stripes.

When is a GS a GS?

When the original sale receipt tells you it is one. If you suspect that your car is a GS but has no actual GS badges on it there is nothing on the car’s data plate that will tell you that it is a GS, unlike a GT. One giveaway is to check the wiring under the dash as genuine GS cars had the GT wiring loom to allow fitment of the GT dash and its extra instruments. If your car has the extra gauges, but a cut and shut loom, you would suspect it was not original. Unfortunately, the Ford Motor Company of Australia is not, at this time, answering queries about suspected GS cars as it is doing for GTs.

XB GS stripes

GS stripes were available in many colours. Both four door saloon and two door hardtop could have stripes in; blck, gold, dark gold,silver, orange and dark orange. Examples of the more popular colours are seen above, but here is a photo of tan XB GS featuring the rare orange GS stripes.

XB GS exterior treatments

This is an 302ci V8 powered XB Fairmont GS without the displacement badges.



Careful inspection of the GS stripes on the XB at the front reveals some variation in their placement. Some have the stripe right up against the ‘seam’ for the little end cap, like the wagon above, and some have them set back from that. In fact, some cars even have different placement from side to side as in this car, although, there is some evidence that the drivers wing was replaced at some stage. The decal may well not have been re-applied with the same ‘factory care’.

XB GS stripe

At the rear:



A close up look at the form of the stripe at the front. Note also the ‘351’ engine identification.

XB GS wagon, van and utes

Like I said...

XB GS Coupes

XB GS

Once more Ford offered the GS Rally Pack on the XB model and again extended it across the whole range; sedans, hardtops, wagons, utes and vans. The XB model, however, offered the GS buyer the chance - while accepting the 260hp V8 gave away 40 hp to the GT - to buy a car as close to the looks of the GT than before. The twin scoop bonnet was part of the GS package for the XB, but the Option 56 ‘driving light’ grille was a separate factory option as were four wheel disk brakes. It was just a matter of ticking the right boxes on the order form.

XA GS - the final installment

Various colours of stripes were available. Four door saloons could have the XA GS stripe in black, gold, silver or orange, and on two door hardtops, in black or gold.

With the availability, in cars but not utes or vans, of a 260hp two barrel version of the 351ci Cleveland V8, the GS again offered an alternative to the GT. Indeed, with the escalating values and appreciation of the GT models, many collectors are turning to the GS, and finding that their predecessors fully appreciated their worth and the fact that with a few simple bolt on parts - manifold and four barrel carburettor - they could be excellent junior GTs.

All of the XA Falcon range could be fitted with the Option 56 ‘driving lights’ grille which was standard on the XA GT. It would seem that the take up of this option on XA GS’s was not as great as that for the same offering on the XB model. However, unlike the XB the XA GT style bonnet was not part of the GS package, nor was it an option on the range.

XA GS variations

Not only did the GS depart from previous years in having a two door, but Ford also made it available on utes



And vans

XA GS characteristics

The swoopy stripe was still a highlight.



The GS could be ordered in station wagon guise.

XA GS Options

Cars came with the optional XA GT ‘driving lights’ grille.



There was now also a two door hardtop model.

XA GS

Once more the GS Rally Pack appeared on the Australian designed XA. Most of the options remained the same although, while retaining the stripe, they lost any exterior GS badging. The wheels were different too. Instead of wheel covers, the GS models got versions of the 12 slot steel wheels with plain brushed centre caps as used on the early XA GTs.

The stripe got swoopy to follow the body contours.



And, once again, dark cars got lighter stripes.

XY GS continued

The GS Pack was available on wagons too.

XY GS steering wheel

No matter what was fitted, all came with a GS badged steering wheel.

XY GS - badges

It is also worth noting that the GS was available on both the 200ci and 250ci six cylinder engines, as well as the 302ci and 351ci V8s.

When the 302ci V8 was fitted, the cars came with the V8 badge.



But when the 351ci V8 was fitted, the displacement was proudly announced, as seen on the black GS above, and the enlargement below.