Utes with solid four-wheel drive underpinnings would become an Australian staple a few years after the XY 4×4 was discontinued. The Ford Falcon XY 4X4 Uteĭespite the significant setback of missing out on the military contract Ford executives decided to stay the course and develop a production version of the car – based largely on the fact that spy shots of a prototype had been published in the media and the public reaction had been overwhelmingly positive. Sadly the XY 4×4 was never even tested by the military, they decided to stay with the rugged body-on-chassis Land Rover, but opted for the more powerful six-cylinder engine rather than the more common four-cylinder unit. In the late 1960s the Australian military was looking to acquire new four-wheel drive vehicles that would be a little more powerful than the four-cylinder Land Rovers they then had in service.ĭespite the fact that only 432 were made, Ford went all out creating advertising materials and brochures of the new XY 4×4 Ute.įord Australia got wind of this potentially lucrative new military contract and set to work developing a four-wheel drive version of their model XY ute, ute being a shortened form of “utility” which is used to describe single or double cab vehicles with a pickup or cargo tray rear in Australia and New Zealand.Īs it happened, Ford was working closely with Willys at the time, the local importer of Jeeps, supplying them with engines and other parts from their Falcon model line to ensure that spare parts availability for Australian Jeep owners would be straight forward.Īs a result of this connection Ford had access to Jeep’s highly respected drivetrain hardware – and they opted to use it on their prototype rather than develop a new system from scratch. Due to public demand 432 XY Ute chassis were converted to full 4×4 and offered for sale in 1973 after significant delays, they all sold and today the vehicle remains one of the rarest of the Australian production Fords.Ī New 4×4 For Australia’s Military.The military version of the XY 4X4 Ute would never see the light of day as the army opted to stick with more familiar body-on-chassis designs from Land Rover.The project showed a lot of promise, and there was a surge in interest in the vehicle from regular Australians after spy shots of an early prototype appeared in the press. The Ford Falcon XY 4X4 Ute was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a potential new 4×4 for the Australian armed forces.The example you see here is now being offered for sale by Blak Douglas, one of Australia’s most prominent artists and the winner of slew of awards including the prestigious Archibald Prize in 2022. This is a rare Ford Falcon XY 4×4 Ute – if you’ve never seen one before that’s entirely understandable, just 432 of them were ever made and they were exclusively sold in the Australian market.
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