By 1971, the American Ford Falcon was dead, but its Australian counterpart was still going strong. This week, the second part of our history of the Falcon down under, including the birth of the first all-Australian model, a classic one-two finish on Mount Panorama, and a shot at international movie stardom.

The Australian Ford Falcon XA, XB, XC, XC Cobra, XD, and XE

(Photo © 2011 John Cox; used with permission)

While the North American Ford Falcon quietly disappeared in 1970, its Australian counterpart went on to a long and eventful career that continues to this day. This week, we take a look at the birth of Australia's Falcon, its early evolution, and the beginnings of its storied racing career.

The 1960-1972 XK, XL, XM, XP, XR, XT, XW, and XY Falcons and Falcon GT

(Image © 1960 Ford Motor Company; used with permission, Ford Archives)

In 1956, GM's Pontiac Motor Division was close to death. Its sales were down, its market share declining, and its image at a low ebb. That summer, however, help arrived in the form of Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and John DeLorean. Together, they lifted Pontiac out of its mid-fifties doldrums and put it on track for its unprecedented success in the 1960s.

This week, we look back at the reign of Bunkie Knudsen and the birth of the legendary Wide-Track Pontiacs.

Click here to read more about Bunkie Knudsen and Pontiac's late-fifties renaissance

Originally a flashy, limited-edition image leader, by 1961, the Plymouth Fury had become a bread-and-butter big car, the mainstay of the Plymouth line. Starting in 1962, it began a bizarre odyssey, going from small to large and back to small again.

This week, we take a look at the strange incarnations of Plymouth's big cars in the sixties and seventies, including the short-lived luxury version that the ads once dubbed the "Very Important Plymouth."

Click here to read more about the 1963-1989 Plymouth Fury, Gran Fury, and VIP