ALMOST CERTAINLY THE MOST DEFINITIVE history ever written on the Ford Falcon XY GT-HO, charting the history of each of the 300 ‘Bathurst specials’ built in 1971, is the highlight ‘Charity Lot’ of Shannons Timed Online Memorabilia auction from March 31-April 5.
With a foreword by four-times Bathurst 1000 winner Allan Moffat, who dominated the 1971 ‘Great Race’ in his factory-entered GT-HO, race number 65E, the book by respected GT-HO historian Ross Vasse is No. 001 of 300 books documenting each of Australia’s greatest supercars, all built offsite at Ford’s famous Broadmeadows Lot 6 ‘skunkworks’. Being the first of a numbered run of 300 makes this particular book even more collectable.
Offered with ‘no reserve’, the book is expected to attract bids of up to $10,000 – about 100 times less than a pristine GT-HO Phase III Falcon might bring today – but Moffat’s endorsement may drive its price higher. Proceeds of the book’s sale will aid Dementia Australia.
Based on the newly-introduced Falcon XY GT, the HO (‘Handling Option’) Phase III was inspired developed by a small team under the late American Al Turner to return the ‘Blue Oval’ to the winners’ circle in Australia.
With its fully functional ‘shaker’ bonnet air intake to its unique front and rear spoilers and hand-built 5.7 litre V8 engine, it was an immediate winner, with the first seven rows of the 1971 Bathurst 1000 dominated by the models, with the first three places taken by the new Falcons.
After being stolen from Turner’s home, his GT-HO company car was given to Allan Moffat to use as spare parts for his then-current Falcon GT-HO race car. When the race car suffered heavy frontal damage in a crash at Adelaide Raceway, the ex-Turner car was used as a parts bin to repair it in time for the following Oran Park round.
Posing in Shannons’ Melbourne showroom with the GT-HO Phase III book was a nostalgic occasion for Moffat, whose name has been synonymous with Ford since the young Canadian initially raced his famous ‘Coca-Cola’ Trans Am Mustang in 1969, bringing back special memories.
The GT-HO book is amongst more than 300 lots on offer in Shannons Timed Online Memorabilia Auction from 31 March – April 5.