Without powersteering it was a barge to point and the performance was adequate for the time and that was all.

Historian, motoring author and avowed car tragic Dr John Wright unwraps the history of the Falcon, while workshop guru and ace road-tester Dave Morley give us a drive impression.

A clever marketing campaign, Weve got your new car on ice, was aimed at persuading prospective Commodore buyers to wait; gradually the ice melted to reveal the elegant XD in March 1979.

Beneath its lovely new bodywork, the XD was still pretty much a carryover XC.

Though smaller and a little lighter than its predecessor, the XD was still bigger and heavier than the new-size Commodore.

The Fairmont Ghia variant (replacing the XC-only Fairmont GXL) boasted plush crushed velour, a limited slip differential, 14-inch alloys, four-wheel disc brakes and air-conditioning.

It pretty well matched Holdens formidably specified Commodore SLE.

It was established that a carefully specified four-speed manual 3.3-litre XD used no more or perhaps slightly less fuel than a Commodore.

The new argument essentially was: if the more spacious car uses no more fuel, why not buy it Then came the updated XD in the winter of 1980 with Honda-sourced alloy cylinder head and electronic ignition.

Although the real gains were modest, the rhetoric of Alloy Head Falcon was formidable and the presentation of the engine bay was first-class.

The old three-speed manual was dropped in favour of four-on-thefloor and an extra ratio was optional.

It outdrove the Commodore in a demanding back to back comparison, although the injected six could not keep pace with the 4.2-litre V8 in the lighter Holden.

Ford Australias relationship with Mazda asserted itself in the XF in the fingertip switches and awkward digital instrumentation on Ghia, Fairlane and LTD.

Late in 1986 four-wheel disc brakes and power steering were made standard on all Falcons.

And a five-speed manual was belatedly offered with the injected engine, but by this time the car was outdated.

In March 1993 the XG replaced the XF, featuring an EB-style nosecone with the SOHC engine.

A much better front end was part of the XDs make-up and even though it still ran to leaf springs in the rear, it was a better matched car and much keener on changing direction.

Yes, there was still some body roll and the steering lacked a bit of feel, but this was immediately identifiable as a newer design.

They could still be pretty thirsty, but at least now there was a bit of sparkle in the way they worked.

Relatively speaking, that is, because if you really wanted to drive a Falcon, you still went for the V8 option.

With an extra link (a Watts link, no less) it outgunned the Commodore for rear-axle control and overnight became the best riding Falcon to date.

Find an XE with a V8, manual gearbox and that ESP option pack and you were on to a good thing.

The XF suffered for that, too, and while its interior was new, it wasnt actually as cosy as the XEs.

Even now, to drive it is to understand that the party was pretty much over for this platform.

Xh Falcon Dash Lights