1968 Ford XT Falcon GT: London to Sydney

Today on Car Rave I have something a little different. Its a 1968 Ford XT Falcon GT Rally Car, and its probably one of the more odder cars I have every written about. Which is why I love it so much.

If you are after a unique Australian Muscle Car, it doesnt come much more unique than this. Whilst many opt to restore their early GT’s and preciously peddle them around to car shows, this example has been built to be thrashed. Infact, this one has been built to drive more than halfway around the world. Most owners don’t even drive their GT’s in the rain!

This 1968 XT Ford Falcon GT was originally built in Adelaide in 1991, to compete in the 1993 London to Sydney Marathon. The 1993 race commemorated the 25th anniversary of the original marathon in 1968, in which Ford Australia entered three XT GT’s. Whilst not winning the 1968 Marathon, Ford managed to place their GT’s 3rd, 6th and 8th respectively. This helped to solidify the still fairly new GT’s reputation as a tough and well engineered performance car, despite the fact that the winner of the Marathon was driving a Hillman Hunter (what?).

If you’re not familiar with the original 1968 London to Sydney Marathon, it was a pretty epic undertaking. The brainchild of Sir Max Aitken, proprietor of the Daily Express and two of his editorial executives, Jocelyn Stevens and Tommy Sopwith, the race was designed to help raise the UK’s spirits during an economic downturn and boost export sales of British cars.

The original marathon travelled from London to Delhi, passing through countries such as Paris, Bulgaria, Iran, Afghanistan and West Pakistan along the way. From the Delhi, the cars were loaded onto a ship and sent to Fremantle, where they set off for Sydney. Considering that most of the cars were based on humble family sedans (except one lone Land Rover), this was a huge undertaking. So much so that from the 98 cars that started, only 56 crossed the finish line in Sydney.

Despite the DNF’s, the 1968 marathon was a resounding success and went down in history as one of the greatest car races ever ran. In 1993, 25 years on from the first race, Nick Brittan (a competitor in the original 1968 race) organised a re-run of the original race. There were a few changes, mainly the diversion around Iran and Afghanistan (which had become unstable since 1968) and the cars being flown to Australia rather than .

It was that 1993 race that spawned this XT GT build, a nod to the original trio that originally competed in 1968. It went on to compete in countless Targa Tasmania’s plus a host of other Australian rallies. In fact, in 2000 it even competed in the Sydney to London race again. I challenge you to find a more travelled Ford GT, or even 1960’s car currently for sale. This thing has lived.

So if the idea of pedalling a 51 year old car around Australia, or potentially even the globe, gets you excited, then step up and take ownership of this beast. It no doubt has a lot of fun left in it!

Find this 1968 Ford XT Falcon GT for sale on my105.com for $70k.

1968 Ford XT Falcon GT: In the owners own words

1968 Falcon XT GT initially built for the 1993 London Sydney and has completed many Targa style and endurance rallies since.
CAMS logbook
All rally accessories
302 Windsor with Eidelbrock Heads
MSD Ignition / 600 Holley
120L fuel cell / twin Holley pumps
Top loader and tru track 9in LSD
Willwood disc brakes front / rear
MCA remote canister suspension
Superb handing car for gravel or tarmac
Spares parts list and further details on application