Story
1968 Ford Falcon GT
The XT Falcon GT developed Ford Australia's four-door performance formula with a larger 302 Windsor, a first-time automatic option, limited-slip rear axle, wider wheels, lower suspension, heavier dampers, twin driving lamps, and a broader paint range. Manual and automatic cars belong on one XT GT family page; ordinary XT Falcons, replicas, rally cars, and later GT generations do not.
302 Windsor and two transmissions
The 302-cid Windsor used a 4.00-inch bore, 3.00-inch stroke, 10.0:1 compression, hydraulic lifters, and an Autolite 4300 four-barrel carburetor reported at 441 cfm. Ford advertised 230 gross bhp at 4,800 rpm and 310 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm. Buyers could select the fully synchronized four-speed manual or the three-speed C4 SelectShift automatic. The data plate, case, controls, console, axle, dates, and records must agree on one car.
Limited slip, discs, and GT suspension
The reviewed road specification identifies an eight-inch removable-carrier rear axle with a 3.00:1 limited-slip differential. Independent front suspension used wishbones, coils, heavy-duty dampers, and an anti-roll bar; the live rear axle rode on semi-elliptic leaves. A dual hydraulic system fed power-assisted 11-inch front discs and 10-inch rear drums. Six-inch-wide 14-inch wheels retained 185-section tires.
Expanded appearance choices
The XT introduced twin grille-mounted driving lamps that became a recurring Falcon GT cue. Full-length side stripes were available in white or red, depending on configuration. Ford-derived records name Candy Apple Red, Zircon Green, GT Gold, GT Silver, Polar White, Springtime Yellow, Jet Black, Frosted Pewter, Starlight Blue, and Vintage Burgundy for 1968 production. The known paint rows do not account for every car, so this page does not turn incomplete counts into rarity claims.
Inside, front bucket seats, a center console, floor controls, GT steering wheel, full gauges, a 140-mph speedometer, and 6,000-rpm tachometer supported either transmission path. Trim code, material, date, and restoration evidence remain car-specific.
Production and competition history
Reviewed references agree on 1,415 XT GTs built from February 1968 through June 1969, with 1,135 assigned to 1968 and 280 to 1969. The Ford-derived paint summary is incomplete relative to those totals. Three specially prepared XT GTs finished third, sixth, and eighth in the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon and won team and manufacturer honors, but rally preparation is period history rather than normal showroom equipment.
Authenticating one XT GT
Start with the Australian JG33 GT-sedan prefix, model 18838, body 54H, date coding, and W engine code, then obtain Ford or recognized GT verification tied to the chassis. Reconcile the shell, stampings, data plate, title, engine, Autolite induction, L manual or O automatic, limited-slip axle, brakes, suspension, steering, wheels, paint, stripe, cabin, component dates, and restoration file. Driving lamps, stripes, badges, or a 302 by themselves are not proof.
Native Australian values
The reviewed club history reports a new price of A$4,050, and Australian auction material provides later market context. Because the structured pricing contract currently supports USD and CAD rather than AUD, those amounts remain cited typed gaps instead of being mislabeled or converted without a dated exchange-rate contract.