November 3^rd, 1999                  

Ford Rally - the homecoming

Ford enthusiasts from around Australia will converge on Melbourne in the last week of March 2000, to celebrate Ford Australia’s 75^th Anniversary.

Expected to attract thousands of Ford cars and light commercials, the Ford Rally will be a non-competitive touring event, with the emphasis on participation and fun.

Ford-organised convoys will leave from Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth, captained by well-known Ford celebrities and accompanied by factory mechanical support crews.

Participants will receive a Rally Pack including a specially-struck badge, a commemorative tee-shirt, a souvenir limited-edition Rally Road Book, a meal voucher, a family pass to the Ford Discovery Centre, autograph sessions with race and celebrity Ford drivers, and entry to many special Rally social events.

The Melbourne programme begins on Friday, March 31 with tours of Ford’s Broadmeadows Assembly Plant.

This will be followed on Saturday morning April 1 with breakfast on the Plant lawns and a formal welcome from senior Ford management.

The combined Rally groups will then travel in convoy to the normally top-secret Ford Proving Ground for a BBQ lunch and a driving tour of the centre’s roads, including the high-speed bowl.

On Sunday April 2, the entire Geelong waterfront will become a street party, with cars in the Ford Rally together with displays of famous Fords, forming Australia’s largest ever Ford gathering.

Special vehicles already promised for the Geelong display include a unique collection of original Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 GT HO Falcons and a genuine Le Mans-type GT 40 sports car which will be driven from Brisbane.

Ford’s motor racing heritage will also be on show, with the display of past and present racing Fords. Leading drivers will be there to meet the public and sign autographs.