Ford caused a stir at the Melbourne Motor Show in 1969 when it displayed the XT Falcon ‘Super Roo’ coupe concept.
A product of Bill Brown’s time ahead of the Ford Australia, which also included the ’70,000 Mile Durability Run’ in 1965 around the company’s You Yangs Proving Ground to prove the ruggedness of its XP Falcon.
The ‘Super Roo’ showcased the changing of the guard of Australian manufacturing as performance variants came to the fore alongside the rise of the annual production endurance race at Bathurst.
Based on a US-sourced Futura two-door body uprated to GT specifications, the ‘Super Roo’ was the creation of Al Turner and Jack Telnack. Although on the outside it appeared to be a regular GT front and rear, the coupe featured a vinyl roof, spoilers, a ‘shaker’ air intake, while bold stripes along the side further added to its mystique.
The ‘shaker’ air intake hinted at the mighty 427 cubic inch engine taking inspiration from the Mach 1 Mustang of the day. So did the rear spoiler, buckets seats resplendent in brown and gold as a hurst shifter switched the performance theme to the interior.
Chunky tyres and chrome hubcaps mated with the Yellow Bronze exterior made sure the concept was unmissable at the show.
Although the media and public alike were convinced it would go into production mainly due to Holden’s recent launch of the Monaro and Valiant releasing its two-door Charger, Ford didn’t press go on a coupe until the XA in 1973.
However, there were plenty of features from ‘Super Roo’ that came to fruition such as the rear spoiler and the latter front air dam being used on the XY GT-HOs as did the ‘shaker’. The GT striping and ‘Super Roo’ logo were used on the XW model prior to the XY, but this wasn’t just limited to the Falcon as Capris also wore the insignia.
Where it is now remains a mystery.