Summary

The Ford Motor Company of Australia commissioned the engineering firm Vivian Expositions to create a cut-away display vehicle to promote their new XA Falcon released in 1972. The XA was the first totally Australian-designed Ford car. Vivian Expositions had previously sectioned an XP Ford Falcon now held in the collection of the Powerhouse Museum.

Vivian Exposition employee Tom Fraser converted the pre-production XA supplied by Ford with a hydraulic system to open and close the doors and boot and the car was placed on a rotating turntable. It was first displayed at the 'Pace-Age' Melbourne International Motor Show at the Royal Exhibition Building in March 1972. The vehicle was subsequently modified and repainted by Vivian Expositions to become an XB Fairmont when this updated model was released in late 1973. This vehicle was towed to shows and events in Sydney and Brisbane in a custom-made trailer. It was donated to the Museum by Ford Australia in 1977. The Fairmont was the top of the XB model range which came with six-cylinder (200/250cid) or V8 (302/351cid) engines. The Fairmont had an automatic transmission only. In November 1975 an XB Fairmont became the two millionth car produced by Ford Australia.

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