Feature story

September 11^th, 2003

25 years later, Falcon Cobra strikes back

AS THE Ford Falcon Cobra celebrates its 25th birthday, it is easy to see why this Australian-built car today enjoys almost legendary status on the local automotive scene.

The model has links with the automotive world’s most famous family. Add to this its exclusivity – only 400 of them were ever built - and the model’s bold styling that fondly recalls Australian motoring of the 1970’s when the ‘muscle car’ was king of the neighbourhood!

Tomorrow, Friday 12th September – 25 years after the last of the Falcon Cobras came off the Ford Broadmeadows assembly line – more than 50 Falcon Cobras and over 100 enthusiasts will stage a homecoming.

They will be joined by Ford Australia president, Geoff Polites and motor racing legend, Allan Moffat. Allan is synonymous with the Falcon Cobra – he debuted the first racing model at Melbourne’s Sandown International Raceway in September 1978, and then at Australia's premier Bathurst endurance race the next month.

Reflecting the passion generated by this model, Cobra owners have travelled from all Australian states and even overseas to join the celebration, including the UK and New Zealand.

Featured cars include one of only 30 racing versions of the Falcon Cobra ever built and a Falcon Cobra that has been with the same family since it was built.

Origins
The story of how the Cobra came to be built is quite unique in Australian motor vehicle manufacturing. In 1978, Ford’s XC Falcon range was coming to an end and the new XD model was almost ready. The era of the high performance GT Falcon had ended with the last of the XB models and there was no ‘hero car’ GT in the XC range.

To reclaim the ‘hero car’ image, then assistant managing director of Ford Australia, and the great grandson of the founder Henry Ford, Edsel Ford II, created the Falcon Cobra.

A great fan of the Shelby Cobra Mustang in the US, Edsel put forward the idea that Ford build a special edition in white and add the wide blue US-style racing stripes lengthwise across the car. Adding to the legend was that each car should have a numbered plaque on the dashboard.

Fitted with either the 4.9 or 5.7-litre V8 engine and manual or automatic transmissions, these striking cars had sports seats with unique trim, rear deck spoiler, quartz halogen lights, 4-wheel disc brakes, driving lights, bonnet scoops, Bathurst Globe alloy wheels and a host of other equipment. The final feature was the decal of a coiled, ready-to-strike Cobra on each side.

Released as ‘a limited edition’ with only 400 ever built, when Ford dealers saw the Cobra they ordered the lot on the spot and all 400 were snapped up just as quickly by customers.

To this day, Edsel Ford, who has been a member of FMC's Board of Directors since 1988, recalls the Falcon Cobra as one of the most outstanding memories of his time in Australia.

Australia in 1978
In 1978, the launch of the Falcon Cobra forever altered the Australian motoring scene. It is interesting to note other influences on Australia at that time:

• The deaths of Sir Robert Menzies, our longest serving Prime Minister, aged 84, and “The Wild One”, Johnny O’Keefe, aged 44.
• Hang gliding was the latest fad.
• A typical three-bedroom home in metropolitan Melbourne cost $54,000 and petrol cost 17 cents per litre.
• The Sydney Hilton was bombed during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.
• The world’s first test tube baby was born in London.
• Hit song of the year, “The Rivers of Babylon”; top three albums by Bee Gees with Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, and Night Fever.
• Most popular movies – Saturday Night Fever and Grease; TV’s Gold Logie winner, Graham Kennedy (Blankety Blanks).

More Celebrations
The Falcon Cobra’s 25th anniversary continues over coming days with the tour moving to the Ford Discovery Centre in Geelong this Saturday. Then on Sunday the Falcon Cobra will return to Sandown raceway when the group drives a lap of the racetrack at 11.15am, ahead of round nine of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It will be 25 years since Allan Moffat first raced the Cobra there on 10th September 1978.

Pet Cobras on display
The Ford Falcon Cobra 25th anniversary features over 50 immaculate cars from across Australia. Here two Cobra owners attending the anniversary explain the history of their treasured cars.

Victorian Cobra enthusiast, Mark Pividor, has been a Cobra fan for a long time. He owned his first Cobra for more than ten years before selling it to a Falcon Hardtop fan in the United States – it was the first one to be imported there.

His current car – No 019 – is one of the 30 Cobras (out of 400) that were built to Bathurst homologation specifications and is a very rare and very original car.

It was sold by Sydney Ford dealer, Alto Ford, in October 1978 and the first owner did 11,460km in the seven years he owned it. The second owner added 7,140km in five months before he resold it. The third owner, however, only drove the car a mere 2,600km in the 17 years it was in his possession.

Dale and Christine Duffin from Werribee will have their sparkling Cobra at the celebrations. When Dale bought the car it looked as though there was a bit of rust here and there and the upholstery and trim had certainly seen better days. Once he started on the restoration he realised just how bad it was. The further he went, the more he found that had to be repaired and replaced - his panel beater almost gave up on him before it was finished!

The restoration took more than 12 months plus thousands of hours of work and a considerable number of dollars but, as Dale and Christine say when they see their beautiful car on show - “It was all worth it”.

Keith Trotter didn’t have to restore his Cobra – he bought it brand new on October 20, 1978. He saw the announcement in the paper, rushed to his Ford dealer and ordered a Bathurst Special Cobra – he was second on the list!

Being a fanatical petrol head, Keith decided to slightly modify his Cobra after a year or so. It now boasts a fully worked Phase III GTHO 351CID that pumps out 460bhp and develops 624Nm of torque! All this power is driven through a top-loader gearbox and Ford 9” differential.

It’s easy to pick Keith’s Cobra from any angle with its super wide tyres on special alloy wheels plus the fact that the number plate is KOBRA – the ‘K’ stands for Keith and his wife Kerri. Kerri, naturally enough, has her own Falcon Cobra that Keith bought her for their first wedding anniversary.

Memories of the Falcon Cobra from Edsel Ford II
Edsel B. Ford II -- the great grandson of Ford founder, Henry Ford -- was assistant managing director of Ford Australia for three years during the late 1970's when he created the Falcon Cobra.

Mr Ford has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company since 1988. As a consultant, he is active in company affairs and corporate dealer relations.

He recorded the following message for participants in the Falcon Cobra 25th anniversary:

"Hi to all you Cobra fans down under.

Talking to you today brings back great memories for me from the time I spent at Ford Australia. They were exciting times for Ford as we were closing in on Holden for market leadership and we were coming to the end of the terrific XA to XC series of Falcons.

The Cobra was one of the outstanding memories I have of my time at Ford Australia. We were in the final stages of the new XD Falcon and looking for a suitable programme to farewell the XC.

Now, I had always been impressed by the Shelby Mustangs with their US racing colours and the Cobra snake decals so I suggested that we do a special hardtop – the Cobra Falcon.

There were some people in Ford marketing & sales who thought this might be just a bit too much for Australian buyers but they went ahead with it anyway. Perhaps it was because my name was the same one that was over the door or I was just a good salesman but I got my way!

When the dealers saw the Cobra they bought the lot – and so did the public. Those cars just drove out of the showrooms all over the country. Little did we realise that they were to become something of an icon in Australian motoring history.

Really, it doesn’t seem like 25 years since those great cars rolled off the assembly line at Broadmeadows – time sure does fly. During the 100th Anniversary celebrations here in Detroit I was thrilled to see so many Falcon hardtops and a few Cobras amongst the thousands of Fords. They really did bring back a lot of memories.

I must thank all of you for the way you have preserved what, for me, is a very special part of my career with Ford. The Falcon Cobra really was a highlight of my days at Ford Australia and I'm looking forward very much to seeing the photographs and video of today’s celebration.

Congratulations to you all - may you have a great day. And long may those wonderful Cobras continue on the road."

FALCON XC COBRA – SPECIFICATIONS

Allan Moffat – Career Profile
Allan Moffat is truly one of Australia’s motor sports legends. He established new levels of professionalism for the sport in this country, as he led Ford’s official attack in the late 1960’s and early 70’s. During this period he won Bathurst in 1970, ’71 and '73, as well as the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1973.

After Ford’s official withdrawal from racing, Moffat continued to fly the Blue Oval’s flag winning the Australian Touring Car Championship again in 1976 and ’77. 1977 will also be remembered for the famous one-two win for his Falcon team when he was teamed with the great Belgian Jackie Ickx.

Moffat switched to Mazda in the early 1980's, winning the Touring Car title in 1983 and the endurance championship the following year.

The end of the Group C era saw Moffat sit out the 1985 season, before a return with former arch-rival Peter Brock and the Holden Dealer Team in 1986. In 1987 he took victory in the opening round of the World Touring Car Championship at Monza in Italy.

For Bathurst that year his Ford Sierra took pole against the world’s best teams.

In 1988 and ’89, Moffat’s Sierra was a strong performer winning pole at both Sandown and Bathurst. With German ace Klaus Niedzwiedz and the late Gregg Hansford joining Moffat aboard the Sierra in 1988, he came painfully close to winning before late mechanical dramas.

1989 saw the team finish runner-up to fellow Ford stars Dick Johnson and John Bowe, but he did etch his final victory that year in the Fuji 500 in Japan.

As well as his numerous Australian titles, Moffat has taken saloon car championships in the USA, an outright win at the famous Sebring 12 Hour, Le Mans, Daytona and Spa 24-Hour class wins as well as being named an OBE in 1978 for exceptional services to motor sport. 

Allan Moffatt - Career Highlights

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