Ford Falcon – First Generation by Trax

Mike Pigott looks at models of early 1960s Ford Falcons in 1/43 scale produced by Australian manufacturer Trax.The Ford Falcon is one of the iconic Australian cars, and holds the record for the longest continually-used model name of all time, being in production for 57 years. Although the Falcon originated in the USA, it proved most successful in Australia, where it was introduced to compete with the similarly-sized Holden from General Motors. Trax Models, based in Sydney, produced a number of models based on the first generation Falcons of 1960-1966, in a range of body styles.

The Ford Falcon was introduced in 1959 by Ford of the USA as a ‘compact’ car, to compete with small European cars like Volkswagen and Renault that were becoming more popular due to a worldwide oil crisis. Other American manufacturers had also introduced smaller cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvair, Plymouth Valiant and Studebaker Lark.

At Ford’s Australian subsidiary, sales were suffering due to the popularity of the locally-made Holden, which during the 1950s was taking more than 50% of the local market. A mixture of British and American Fords were imported, and while generally regarded as good cars, were expensive due to import taxes. To be competitive with Holden, Ford would need to manufacture cars in Australia using mostly local components. A new factory was built in a Melbourne suburb, and plans were made to begin construction of an Australian version of the British Ford Zephyr Mk II. However, on a visit to Detroit, the head of Ford Australia was shown a prototype of the new Falcon, and decided on the spot that this was an ideal car to manufacure ‘down under’. While the Falcon was categorised as a ‘compact’ in the USA, in other countries it would be considered a large family car. It was about the same size as a Holden, but much more modern in appearance.

Australia did not use all the body styles available in the USA, such as the two-door sedans and station wagons. Development costs and tooling in Australia were on a strict budget, and there had to as many shared components between the four different body styles as possible. On USA versions, the station wagon, pick-up and sedan delivery used a long wheelbase, but in Australia they all used the same wheelbase. All four variants were identical to the B-pillar, while the station wagon and van shared the roofline and tailgate.The Ford Falcon sedan was introduced in Australia in 1960, and initially made a big impact, taking a large slice of Holden’s sales. The station wagon followed later in the year, while the panel van and coupe-utility were released in 1961.

However, problems with reliabilty of the transmission and particularly the suspension soon caused big problems. Falcons were designed to be driven on smooth freeways and boulevardes in the USA, and could not cope with the rugged Aussie bush roads. In the 1960s, roadways in Australia were notoriously poor, with even the Hume Highway – the main thoroughfare between Melbourne and Sydney – being unpaved for large stretches. Guarantee claims cost Ford so much money that the company considered abandoning Australian production, but instead the succeeding Falcon XL was fitted with much tougher suspension. After this, Falcon sales picked up and it became a credible competitor to Holden, all though it took until 1983 for the Falcon to become Australia’s top-selling car.

TRAX MODELS

Trax Models was founded in 1980, and originally produced model railway accessories. In 1986 the company entered the 1/43 diecast vehicle market. Model car collecting was enormously popular in Australia at the time, particularly Matchbox Models of Yesteryear, but with little or nothing in the way of domestic cars. Trax filled that void by introducing a series of Australian models similar in size, quality and price to imported models from Matchbox and Corgi. Early models were all Holdens and Fords, with a heavy emphasis on muscle cars, although later on Valiants and Leylands would also be produced.

In 1996, Trax introduced a model of the first Falcon, the 1960 XK sedan. This was not the company’s first model Ford, as previously some late 1960s Falcon GTs had been modelled. The XK sedan was followed up with panel van, utility and station wagon version – like Ford Australia, Trax had to have as many common components as possible to make production viable. These were later joined by three models based on the replacement XL model: panel van, utility and Squire station wagon. The last versions of the first generation Falcon were the XM and XP models. These were produced by Trax, but only as the rare hardtop coupes.

1960 FORD XK FALCON SEDANFirst produced in 1996, the first Trax model was the base-model Falcon, which was – appropriately – the first type off the production line. The Australian Falcon, designated the XK, was very similar to its American counterpart, except that it was right-hand drive. The XK Falcon had a distinctive concave grille, rounded roofline, circular tail-lights and contoured side panels. The Trax model was very accurate, with a detailed grille including the in-set indicators. The windows were flush, with the frames and B-pillars accented in chrome. There were also separate windscreen wipers, a rear-vision mirror and clear red tail-lights.

Ford tried to emphasise the Australian-ness of the Falcons by naming the paint options after indigenous animals, plants and placenames. The two initial Trax releases were Broadmeadow Green with a green interior, and Aurora Rose (a strange pinky-grey shade) with a red interior. These models were fitted with a plastic chassis.

In 1999, two further versions were released. This time they were based on the top-of-the-range Falcon Deluxe, which could be distinguished by the two-tone finish with a white roof, white steering wheel, plus extra chrome trim on the bonnet and around the body side contours. These models were in Pacific Blue or Waratah Red, and were upgraded to have diecast bases. In 2000, a further standard model was released in Koala Grey. Two years later, a series of four model taxis based on the XK Falcon was released, in some very unusual and colourful regional liveries. A special edition was produced in 2006, in white with non-standard after-market trim fitted; this car was white with blue side flashes. Finally, in 2010 a gold-plated XK Falcon was released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the real car.

1961 FORD XK FALCON STATION WAGONA station wagon also joined the range in 1961. The Falcon wagon had clean lines and a convenient tailgate with a wind-down window. It proved an immediate success, particularly with large families. Trax released two versions of the base-level station wagon in 1996, one in Pacific Blue and the other in Torch Red. Like the sedans, these first releases had plastic bases, although later examples were produced with metal bases. A third version was issued in 1999; this was a Falcon Deluxe Station Wagon in Broadmeadow Green with a white roof and extra chrome trim. After a long gap, the fourth and last XK Falcon wagon was announced in 2009. This was another Deluxe car, in Koala Grey with a white roof. It was enhanced by the addition of a roof rack with a surfboard mounted on top.

1961 FORD XK FALCON PANEL VANFord Australia released the panel van under the American name ‘Sedan Delivery’, although this was later changed to the commonly used ‘Panel Van’. Released in 1961, the panel van shared its roofline with the station wagon, which put it at a disadvantage compared with Holden vans, which had high roofs. However, the Falcon had a more versatile tailgate with a wind-down window.

Trax introduced the Falcon in 1997 in two very Aussie-sounding colours: Koala Grey and Wattle Bark Tan. In 2001 it was produced in white with the livery of Kangaroo Petroleum. After a long gap it was reissued in 2010 with another commercial livery of white with Esso logos.

1961 FORD XK FALCON UTILITYThe fourth body style was the coupe-utility, a car-based pick-up known in Australia as a utility or ‘ute’. The Falcon utility was the same as the other cars up to the B-pillars, which in this case were thick units to support the short roof and rear window.The Trax XK Utility was first released in 1997 in two colours: Botany Green and Merino White. It had a plastic insert in the centre which comprised the front of the pick-up bed and cab rear window. Below the non-opening tailgate were a pair of black half-bumpers. A third version was released in 2001; this was painted bright blue and in the livery of Neptune Oil.

1962 FORD XL FALCON SQUIRE WAGONIn 1962, the XK Falcon was superseded by the XL model. While visually quite similar to the XK, the XL was fitted with stronger suspension and ball joints, plus improved transmission. Cosmetic changes were limited to a new convex grille and indicators mounted in the front bumpers. There were also two new models that replaced the Falcon Deluxe as the flagship model: the Futura sedan, which had a much more luxurious interior, and the Squire Wagon, which also had a lavish interior, plus American-style fake wood side panelling. The wood panelling – actually made of fibreglass – did not catch on with Aussies, and only around 700 Squires were sold, making it a very rare car today.

The first XL Falcon produced by Trax was the Squire Wagon, in 2001, and the initial colour was Merino White. It used the same components as the XK wagon, but with a new grille piece. This was a truly excellent model, and proved very popular with collectors. The wood panelling was tampo-printed, but to a very high standard. The outer edging of the panels was in a blonde wood finish, and included the silver rivets around the frame. The inner section was in medium wood with dark brown ‘planking’ and even had fake woodgraining. The panelling continued around the tailgate. Additional trim included a fake air intake on the bonnet, small fins on the fenders, ‘Falcon Squire’ badges behind the wheel arches, and chrome strips on the rear flanks. The wheels were fitted with whitewall tyres.

This model sold extremely well, and between 2004 and 2013 there were three more versions produced: Raven Black, Koala Grey and Waratah Red. The black model was particularly striking and is extremely sought-after. Surprisingly, Trax only ever modelled the Squire version of the XK wagon. The standard and Deluxe wagons were never attempted, even though no extra tooling was required to produce them.

1962 FORD XL FALCON UTILITY

The replacement for the XK utility was the XL model, which had heavy modifications to make it a viable workhorse on rugged Australian roads. The only cosmetic change was a new grille. Again, Trax was able to transform the XK Utility casting into an XL with a new grille component. Released in 2005, the first release was in Raven Black, an extremely rare colour choice on the real car, with a light grey interior. After a long gap, a second XL utility was released in 2013, this time in pale Reef Blue.

1962 FORD XL FALCON PANEL VANThe panel van range was also re-launched in 1962, and the van also benefitted from mechanical upgrades and a new-look grille. First produced on 2006, the Trax model was painted a very attractive shade of dark Brewster Green. A second version in 2013 was painted Waratah Red, a very rare paint scheme for the commercial vehicles.

Surprisingly, Trax never issued a model of the XL Falcon sedan, or its up-scale counterpart, the Falcon Futura. Unlike the other three body styles, the 1962 XK sedan had a different roofline, which was a flat roof with thick, angled C-pillars inspired by the Ford Thunderbird. This would not be possible using the XK sedan casting, with its rounded roof profile, and would require a new body casting, which Trax did not get around to producing.

1964 FORD XM FALCON FUTURA HARDTOPIn 1964, Ford replaced the XL Falcon with the improved XM model. In addition to numerous mechanical improvements, including much tougher suspension and improved windscreen wipers, the XM Falcon had several cosmetic changes which made it look significantly different to 1964 American Ford Falcons. The XM had a new front end, with a inward-slanting grille that had a thick chrome surround. The circular rear lights were moved higher up to the tail-fin position to make them more visible.

As well as the existing four bodystyles, there was a completely new model this year: a hardtop coupe. This American-influenced model had side windows that retracted completely, giving the feeling of being in a convertible with the top up. The Hardtop was available in Falcon Deluxe and Futura versions, the latter with flashy bucket seats. Available engines included the 2.8 litre ‘Pursuit’ and the 3.3 ‘Super Pursuit’, which was Australia’s first muscle car.

Unlike the pattern for the previous model Falcons, Trax only made a model of the hardtop; there were no diecast sedans, wagons, vans or utilities. Released in 2003, the XM Falcon Futura Hardtop was an excellent model. Finished in either Arctic White or metallic Silver Blue, it was an excellent replica of the real thing, with a fine mesh grille and thick chrome surround, turbine-style wheel covers with whitewall tyres, plus comfy-looking front bucket seats. There were twin chrome strips along the side, signifying it was a Futura, as did the ‘Futura’ lettering on the boot. A third version was issued in 2006, painted in the attractive shade of Turquoise Mist. Trax did not produced the Falcon Deluxe variant.

1965 FORD XP FALCON FUTURA HARDTOPThe final iteration of the first-generation Australian Falcon was code-named the XP, and featured a stronger steel subframe, which made it more reliable, particularly for commercial users. While largely similar to the XM, the XP had a new front end, with a straighter, slimmer grille, thick headlight bezels and the bonnet leading edge forming a ‘lip’ over the grille. Again, Trax only modelled the Futura hardtop. First released in 2005, it was produced in two stunning colours: Satin Red and Sunlit Beige. A third version was released in 2007 in Raven Black with a red interior, followed by a final issue in 2013, which was Velvet Green Matallic, fitted with a sun-visor.

Trax models are only sold via mail order, and are largely aimed at the Australian and New Zealand markets, which were familiar with the real cars. Very few were sold to other countries, despite Trax cars selling for the very reasonable price of AUD$33.00. The exceptions were the XK and XL Falcons, which attracted numerous orders from the USA; due no doubt to the lack of diecast Falcons from other manufacturers – the Squire wagon proving particularly popular.

Trax changed its business model in 2014, and stopped producing diecast vehicles in favour of low-volume, high-priced resin models. No further diecast Falcons were produced, making it impossible to complete a collection of all body styles of first-generation Falcons. However, the models produced represent a great cross-section of the early versions of one of Australia’s all-time iconic cars.

This is an original post for Mike Pigott’s Diecast Toys and Models.

Text and model photos (C) Mike Pigott 2020.