Back in the XW days, a GT Falcon was surely something to aspire to. But even back then, unless you were reasonably cashed up (or in a position to keep the bank at bay) a GT was still pie-in-the-sky stuff. And, of course, even if you did manage to park a GT in the driveway, unless you were 80 years old with a perfect driving record and a note signed by both parents, insurance companies would rip you to bits with their premiums.
All of which made stuff like Fairmonts and Falcons with GS option packs so much more of a real-world proposition. You could still option up a V8 engine and a lot of good gear that went with it, but without a GT badge to be seen, so the insurance company death squads usually left you alone. Even the highway patrol was less likely to take an interest. And when you consider that an XW Fairmont V8 was a full grand-and-change cheaper than an XW Falcon GT, the argument became even more difficult to ignore.
