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... 1979 Year In Review The 1979 Ford Falcon XD did not compromise on size like the VB Commodore had over the HZ. The Alfetta GTV6 would quickly gain Alfa a strong and deserved reputation for building arguably the worlds sweetest V6 engine. Project X605 successfully challenged the Holy Grail of the Aussie V8. The M1 remains BMW's only ever mid-engined car. Margaret Thatcher would become Britains first female PM in 1979, and is pictured here with counterpart US President Ronald Reagan. The big news for Ford fans in 1979 was the release of the XD Falcon. The XD marked the start of Ford's determined push to become market leader in Australia, a goal they ultimately achieved, but one that at the release of the XD beyond their grasp. With the smaller VB Commodore ...

... known, however, for the Valiant, which was introduced in January 1962. The Valiant was a sensation- and it arrived at just the right time. In the early 1960's Chrysler's operation had been looking shaky with its range of big American cars continually losing ground to the all conquering Holden( GM ). Simca sales had tapered off, and with the release of the Ford Falcon, Chrysler's problems became worse. The response came in early 1961 when company officials devised a plan to assemble a US-designed compact six-cylinder car in Australia. To get the new model released as soon as possible, the firm imported just over 1000 US-built R Series Valiant sedans. These were assembled in the Mile End plant in Adelaide, and when they ...

... had received quotes after their previous visit. Despite the outbreak of war, Morris contracted for 3000 engine/gearbox units from Continental, and then returned home, while Landstad stayed on to gain first-hand experience of American mass-production methods, working with Continental by day, finalising the design of the new Morris at night and spending what time remained visiting other motor manufacturers including, inevitably, Ford, where he obviously learned a great deal. Once the first Continental Red Seal engine intended for the new Morris was running successfully, Landstad returned home to Coventry. But it was little surprise that he joined WRM Motors soon afterwards, about the time that development of the new model began. By April 1915 the prototype was running. It was called the Cowley, and in two-seater ...

... Company- later to build jet engines for SAAB's fighter planes. Despite its war-time commitments, though, Volvo had not forgotten its primary interest- cars. The Volvo PV444 An entirely new design was conceived, only awTaiting the war's end to be introduced. Shown at a technical exhibition in Stockholm in 1944 was the Volvo PV444. This car, still resembling a 1948 Ford V8, was destined to become the backbone of Volvo's post-war automotive business. It featured such innovations as short-stroke ohv engine, independent front suspension and unit-built body. Certainly a classic of its kind, the PV444 was an immediate success. Volvo's car sales soared to 10,000 by 1950, and were almost doubled again in the next five ...

... GM's four-speed Hydra-Matic was in its heyday. This unit gave very quick breakaway acceleration, and your kick-down gear for passing (actually third gear) would carry you to 65 or 70 mph before the final shift into HIGH. Hydra-Matic was being adopted by several companies outside of GM (Nash, Hudson, Kaiser, Lincoln). Meanwhile, the Ford-O -Matic was being improved. This had three forward speeds from the start, but on the early versions, Ford used only the top two ratios in DRIVE range. You started in second and shifted to high. It was no trick for Ford to rework the hydraulic system to start off in low in DRIVE range and run through all three gears. This gave them just as ...