Love the Beast - Egnore Kev beat me to it!

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:15 pm

Just in case you are interested, Clive, here is the XA, in the factory paint scheme, racing to victory in the 1973 Bathurst Hardie Ferodo 1000.

Big racing rubber.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:17 pm

Thats lovely. I'd have that any day.

How many are in the UK Sandy? To be honest, I can't say I have ever seen one but having said that I probably haven't been looking in the right places.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:18 pm

Here is Allan Moffat's 'moment' when even big rubber can let go.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:19 pm

Note the Aus Charger in the last photo.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:21 pm

The other factory Falcon broke early on ... spot the huge pool of oil under the car.

But for a while they were running together.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:23 pm

Clivey wrote:Thats lovely. I'd have that any day.

How many are in the UK Sandy? To be honest, I can't say I have ever seen one but having said that I probably haven't been looking in the right places.

http://www.aus-ford-uk.co.uk/html/members.html

Ask, and ye shall be given

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:30 pm

To be truthful, the Superbirds got lucky in the 1973 race as the leading Torana ran out of fuel and needed to be pushed into the pits, agonising to watch, allowing Moffat to blaze past and get the lead.

In 1974, John Goss won, against Moffat's big money Brut33 Falcon, and the new factory V8 Torana's in another epic which ended in the rain.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:40 pm

For 1975 and 1976, it became Formula Torana as the GMH put a lot of money into the L34's and backed the teams, whereas Ford pulled out just after the 1973 race and it was all privateers.

However, for the 1977 season, Allan Moffat formed the Moffat Ford Dealers team, pinched Colin Bond from Holden to drive the second team car, and brought Carroll Smith, a US team leader and mechanic who had worked on Ford's LeMans racing effort, over to run the team so he could concentrate in driving. The 1977 season turned into a Ford steamroller, and culminated in the Bathurst 1-2 form finish that sent shock waves through General Motors Holden.

The photos form the Channel 7 helicopter of the two big boomers cruising down the final Conrod straight inflicting the 'crushing' defeat for Holden are amongst the most famous racing images in Australia.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:44 pm

Sadly, it wasn't to last as Carroll Smith went home and Ford cancelled their 'back door' financing and homologation finagles ..

Still the 1978 racing Cobras are the best looking race cars .... ever.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:47 pm

Holden had brought out the A9X Torana, and murdered the Falcons in 1978 and in 1979, where the Moffat Falcon broke.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:52 pm

As a postscript, here is the 1981 race and Kev Bartlett's famous 'moment' in his Camaro. This is what happens when your split rim wheel, em, splits and the tyre instantly deflates.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 2:56 pm

And Channel 9 becomes Channel 6 sponsorship...

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 3:00 pm

Although, in retrospect, nowhere near as bad as Bill Brown's tumble in 1971.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 3:03 pm

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Apr 01, 09 3:06 pm

That's Bill Brown inspecting the tyre in the last photo. Cuts and bruises.