Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 4 (The only one!)
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- čas přidán 29. 07. 2023
- On this episode of Grassroots Garage we introduce you to Paul; aka “The Dentist” and his one-of-one Phase four GTHO Falcon
Throughout this special series we hope to address all the rumours around one of the most discussed vehicles in Australia.
We hope to make this an ongoing series, so please leave some positive comments; Pete has assured The Dentist that the Grassroots Community is one of positive vibes and we want to get invited back for Part 2 & 3! - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Had the pleasure of meeting Paul “ The Dentist” back in the late 80’s through an old flame who worked for him at the time. I’ll never forget the story he told me about the day he bought that XA Falcon GTHO Phase 4 from Bob Lahood. Needless to say, Paul was just as passionate back then as he is today about his GTHO 4 and it’s great to see him enjoying and sharing his unicorn with the loyal Ford fans. Kudos to you Paul!
i remember hearing that it was a dentist that owned it and he didbt want his face seen on TV , lol now thinking about it it was probably a joke because of the old advert , he's a dentist so we cant show you his face 😅
Cars worth a bomb and transporting them on those shitty old trailers.
Tell Paul to invest in a Futura trailer.
I drive an enclosed car transporter and cringe often when I see cars like these dragged along behind a ute!
Amazing to finally lay eyes on this mythical car! Can't wait for part 2...
It was a slow, safe drive out.
I agree enclosed car carrier is the dream but big $ on top of an already expensive hobby.
Paul took the cars out as a favour to the organisers who has asked for the phase IV to be present.
Some people say should be street driven more, some say should never see sunlight. Trailer out then driven around the event is a happy medium for mine 👍😂
I cringe when these cars are not driven. I’m in a very good position in my life and never think for one second that I’m better than anyone else. A high percentage of people with money and their cars believe they are just that and more and take life far to seriously. This is Ego and it’s the very thing that separates us from animals along with being consciously aware that we are conscious. It’s very sad. Drop the character and just live for today. We don’t have long to live
@@GrassRootsGarage agreed, there is a time and place for enclosed... it's not always a practical option. 👍🏻💪🏼
Guess I just wish I could transport more cool cars 🤣🤣
@steelearmstrong9616 maybe cringe was the wrong word, but I would hate to see damage come to somebody's pride and joy, that could have been avoided.
I once had a car transported on open cartage, and by the time it made the journey, parts were both missing and damaged. Broke my 20 year old heart that somebody would do that.
@@brettmorton7365 No no, I do understand and totally get it. And yes that would break my heart too. Even if compensated, it still hurts. We never want our baby’s hurt. Attachment is surrering.
I’m a Holden guy, but this is awesome to see and can’t wait for part 2
So am I but I understand the Epic-ness of what I am seeing.
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
wait till they stop making petrol......
@@dougohboy5190 wait untill they run out of children slaves to dig there cobalt for there batteries :)
@@dougohboy5190 There will still be petrol long after you and i are gone.These engines will run on other fuels anyway if suitably modified.Comments like yours always make me laugh .Why are you looking at petrol powered cars anyway .?Especially a very special one like this?Just to leave an annoying comment.
Here,in Brazil,we know this Falcon's from mad Max police cars👍🏼😎🇧🇷
Legendary movie and car's mate
@@Adam-yh9xt Mad Max 1979, filmed about 20 km from my home Victoria, Australia. My first car was XA 302 (Cleveland Head) ….
@@jpercy4811
Nice.
I had a XA GS . Absolutely loved it;
Am a Barra fan these days!
Wow , truly awesome cars , almost brings a tear to the eye , a credit to the owner and his offsiders for getting them in that condition .
And thanks for sharing these with us .
So great to watch this. I've had so many arguments over the years about this car, I hope that everyone that I've argued with has watched this. Looking forward to the next episode.
I remeber a guy at rockdale rocked up with a red xa gt ford in 1974, i was 14 years old at the time and he was telling all the guys that it was a phase 4 no one belived him so he popped the bonnet and it had xa gt ho stamped on the complience plate and everyone said it was a phase 3, none of them belived there was such a thing as a phase 4 at the time, i remeber the macedonian guys nickname it was al capone. That day was the 1st and last time i saw that car.
Fantastic pair of GTHO 's. Looking forward to part 2.
A mate of mine was lucky enough to meet Paul after flying interstate to inspect another vehicle he had available for purchase from his collection, being a Holden fan he didn't know too much about GT's, GTHO's or the Mythical Phase 4, his text msg to me went something like the below..
[my mate]
Photo of the Phase 4
[me]
"What the f&#k, what are you doing in the Dentist's Garage?!?!"
[mate]
"How did you know this guy's a Dentist??"
[me]
"EVERYONE KNOWS HE'S A DENTIST!!"
Needless to say I was Calypso green with envy ever since
The car trailer never had a stone deflector, a full enclosed lockable trailer, still won't be enough for such a classic.
Thank you Paul! & Grassroots !!! Absolutely love these GT stories, keep up the great work
Thanks mate we will pass it on to Paul 👍👍
Pity I missed seeing this beautiful car for the second time. I lived at Bathurst back when it was there for the ‘88’ GT nationals,if I remember correctly.
I still remember how good it looked and how awesome it sounded. Great video btw.
I remember that car was for sale at Lahood Motors on Parramatta Rd after Jack Brabham got rid of it. It drove a lot better than the Phase 3 which was a bit of a tank, to be honest. The (manual) sunroof was a nice touch as they were not common on Australian cars at the time. I still wonder how that 72 Bathurst would have gone with all three manufacturers racing V8s, would have been nice to see a Charger take the checkered flag :)
I agree the e55 with 340
To this day I still wonder why they never raced one with a 360 in it.
@@Jesse-B A suspension guy told me the V8s were too heavy. They wouldn't turn. I had a Phase III, if you pumped up the tyres to a million, they handled alot better.
@@ACTConcreteCutting Fair call. The Aussie charger was totally different to the American one, however, given the horsepower of the 265 inline 6, the chassis would have easily handled the v8 if the suspension was modified to suit... well I reckon so anyway. I had a mate with a 265 Charger, that thing was friggin awesome.
@@Jesse-B I'd say so. He said the race HOs were modified, so it's not as if you had to modify 200 street cars to homologate.
Great article on Australian automotive history. Great blokes too.
It's not the only Phase 4. There is a red one that was to be John Goss' race car. The cars got banned and the red one ended up at Mcloud Ford. It was bought by a bloke called Daryl Matheson. The car was registered, it had the full race roll cage in it, fuel cell and fire proof fire panel behind the back seat . It was in full race trim. I use to service it when I worked at the Fleetwing servo in Lakember. I moved on and Daryl sold it.
same car which was displayed at the Eastern Creek Muscle Car Masters a few years back HO004 plates
Yep. 👍
Long ago I believed there were only 4 or 5. Perhaps there was only 1 with HO on the compliance plate.
Had a friend that owned a red XA GT. Seems factory had lots of HO parts that found their way into XAs. Vented brake drums, 31 spline axles, rear stabiliser bar, large capacity tank, open chamber heads, possibly a Holley, headers, 15" Globes, spoilers front & rear.
It was very used. Next owner in the 80s intended to restore it.
@@aRecluse Hi, The car my friend had was to be John Goss' race car. It was supplied to Max Mcloud Ford by Ford Motor Co. Mcloud started to race prepare it but the Government banned hi performance cars. Goss wanted Mcloud to modify it to be raced it "sports sedan" class Mcloud said NO too expensive and the car sat in the back of the work shop. My mate spotted it worked out a deal with Mcloud Ford and bought it. The car was registered as GT Falcon with factory options.
Mate never added any thing to the car. It had a bond roll cage, aluminum. fire wall in the boot, fuel cell, and a holly carby to size of a school case. The motor defiantly had some work done on it. Mate bought the car in every 3 months to be greased and every 6 months to have the oil changed even though he never drove it any were.
Had the pleasure of driving it once, went like hell, Bit scary in those days. Mate said there were 4 built by the factory. His and one that was to be Allan Mofert's race car
He wasn't sure about the other two.
I believe there were three cars built as phase 4's, maybe this was the only one plated as a P4. The phase 4 options were available through 1972 and many cas were optioned up but badged as GS, most were optioned with the rear disc brakes and the alloy wheels were not available so technically not true phase 4 spec.
I'm Canadian and I'm a Ford guy . These cars are awesome 👍. I wish I had one .
You and me both!
So is Allan Moffat OBE! You have a lot in common with the great man.
The absolute holy grail of Australian cars i think, growing up it was always the what if story. All i can add is oh,if only! Magnificent.
Congratulations Andrew your GT looks magnificent…. love the video CHEERS GERRY👍
Thanks for this, I look forward to the next episode.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very interesting and a delight to actually hear the Phase 4's exhaust note. It's not widely known but Bib Stillwell, the Victorian racing driver and entrepreneur, arranged with Keith Horner to have a "Phase IV" hardtop made for him. It was a two door body shell that went down the line and had all the Phase IV parts installed but did not have a compliance plate that labelled it a HO.
I was in a car club in Sydney in the early ‘80’s. One of the members had a hardtop that he had bought as a write off. It had a number of GTHO factory extra’s including a pretty angry 351 with big 4 barrel and widened sump etc. It was only later I read how Ford had stocked up on parts for the Phase 4 when the program was cancelled. These parts went into a number of “normal customer” cars to get rid of them.
I always imagined grandad ordering his 351 to tow the caravan and instead of asthmatic 2 barrel power he had the phase 4 engine under the bonnet :-)
@@bradkark Yes, these were the RPO83's, cars which had the full set of Phase IV bits. There were occasional V8 Fairlanes turning up with winged sumps or Fairmonts with 780cfm Holleys, big extractors and four bolt mains etc. Ford had all these expensive special parts left on their hands after the cancellation of the HO and got rid of them any way they could.
@@bradkarkLTD's got some of those motors "to slow the engines down" with the weight, a lot went in to Cop Cars.
That’s not the only one as a young apprentice at ford in Townsville I did a pre delivery on a phase 4 for a local car dealer an at the time was told that it was 1 of 4
I did see one in the mid 80s at a restoration shop in moorooka brisbane where a mate worked, everyone there said it was genuine, can't remember who owned it but it had a factory roll cage and was a red pepper 4 door.., can't remember the full story but it was same story like a test car for Howard Marsden and Ford.. that's why it didn't have a boot spoiler etc..that's the story l was told, true or not. The other thing l do remember is it sat quite high with the globe rims..not at all low, to me it was sitting higher than this green one.
To all the people who saved all of these cars, l thank you.
Agreed! 👍👍
Great video! Looking forward to Part 2.
Love the stories from the owner. I could listen to him all day. What a gentleman to give everyone the opportunity to see the one and only XA GT HO ever built.
Yes, there were 3 other red XA GT 'protypes' that were built with all the HO running gear, but they didn't have 'HO' on the compliance plate and therefore are not a HO. They are indeed special cars, but for me they are not a HO, and can never be one. Just like if you were lucky enough to have an RPO83 with all the HO bits, that also can never be a HO.
What a car! The pinnacle of all Australian muscle cars all up there on its own.
My 1975 GS 351 Falcon back in the late 80's beat anything the same size when we used to race on Princes HWY in Dandenong. Tunnel ram with 2 780 Holley's closed chamber 2v heads, manual shift FMX 3.5 geared 9inch made it near unbeatable back in the day. Many V8 cars later, even went to the dark side and owned a very very rare big block Chevelle, EH with a 350, HQ statesman with a small block 400, back to Ford (yeah I am a Ford bloke after all) XD ute with same engine like my XB, but with a vertical gate 4 speed top loader, that was a mad car as well. Then woke up to Turbo power! And out of all my very fast cars, my 93 MR2 turbo beat all of them. over 300kw at the wheels! man I whooped every car in Melbourne with the MR2, used to eat WRX's and spit them out, few Porches, many many V8 holden's, the list goes on. I am an old bloke now, lost all my toys due the GFC of 2008, but was lucky to buy a mint 4.6 Explorer, best sounded V8 around after cutting the muffler out, lifted big muddies, tons of fun, but I miss the old day V8 cars. I am not far away from being able to cash in my super, and already got my bucket list ready LOL. I think a FG Falcon super charged V8 is probably what I will get in 1 1/2 years, old bloke just can't help his speed addiction!
The good old days! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Government & police have ruined a bit of harmless fun now & killed everything in 1972 with the XU2 Torana & phase 4 GT.
@@trevorpollock3024 Thats why I loved modifying cars back in the 80's and 90's. We are lucky cars had little or no smog crap on them, get a stock V8, get a cam, manifold, carb, headers, and presto! A car that would blow any factory hottie away. Even now with computer cars, get a chip or dyno tune done, want more, turbo or super charge them.
the mr2 turbo would have been fun !
@@themookshit It was a crazy little car! It was bright yellow with 19'' on it, 20 years ago having 19's on a small car was rare. The engine was rebuilt by a turbo shop in Melbourne/Preston by 2 brothers I was good friends with, they built many fast turbo cars, and at that time it was one of the fastest 2L street cars. Of all the cars I beat one still stands out the most, it was a R34 GTR, late at night on the Hwy I got next to it at the lights, kid was Indian, looked at me with that look ''nah ur not fast enough'' Lights went green and off we went, he got the jump on me due to his 4 wheel drive and amount of torque from the 6 cylinder, I was about 1 car length behind, hit second gear and got next to him, by the time I hit 3rd I was a car length in front of him, 4th gear and all he saw was my tail lights! We got to the next set of lights and he put his window down and ask to meet at the car wash up further. When he got out of his car his face said it all! He asked me WTF is in my MR2? I opened to lid in the back, as it is a mid mounted, and showed him that huge (for the time) G-reddy TDO6 turbo mounted on an after market intake, and as big a inter cooler we could stuff next to it. He then told me he was on the way home from Calder race way and he pulled a 11.9 on the 1/4 that night! Seeing I came from behind and beat him, I was doing at least low 11's. Nowadays that is common with street cars, but 20 years ago? That lookalike Japanese Ferrari of mine was at the the time a beast, I have had some serious high powered V8's before that, my 64 Chevelle with a built 454 that was rated and built around 500hp I had a few years before would not stand a chance against my MR2. Being light, on 19's mid mounted engine it would not smoke the tires if you took of right, and just launch perfectly, sure it made high 200's KW on the dyno when the engine was built on the dyno, but that was on 8 psi, on the road I turned it up to 20 psi! Imagine the grunt it made! I am nearly 60 now, been addicted to street racing since I was 18, blew my license so many times street racing, but it was an addition only some one would know that lived the same as I did. All my money I earned was put into that next project, I could never get enough of speed LOL. Now shortly after that at around 40 I got married, yeah stupid fool I was, cars became a '' your not allowed anymore'' by the then wife, but after less then 2 years I booted her out, her pretty face, great ass could not stand up against my addiction to speed LOL. That was back in 2007, I bought a 07 GT Falcon as a work car, bought a chopper and life was great again, and no wife telling me I can't street race anymore. Sadly the 2008 GFC hit, and I was nearly wiped out financially, due to being in business management for years after working as a tradesman for years, no one would hire me as I was seen as to high a skilled, so to try and safe all my toys and house, I sold my chopper, that paid the bills for a while, next the bank took the GT Falcon, followed by me selling my so loved MR2 turbo, and lost my house as well. Talk about hitting rock bottom! I was lucky my parents stepped in, I left Melbourne and I moved to a small country town, I drove a 1000$ Falcon ute for a few years, got into 4x4, built a XJ Cherokee with huge tires and lift, yeah the car bug never left, then bought a mint 4.6 Explorer, that got a lift, 33' on 20'' rims, huge bonnet scoop set up as a ram custom intake, deleted the main muffler, and all the young fellas in town turn their heads everything I put the boot into it hehe. I am not far off from cashing in my super and already got a bucket list of the last performance car I want to buy, I will be 60 then and should know better, but I am addicted to horsepower. I could write a book about the car life I lived in Melbourne, met many like minded people, spend many late nights working on cars, was lucky to have owned some very fast cars, but I will never forget my MR2 turbo, it looked great in all yellow on 19'', blew away just about everything on the street, and man at night with that external waste gate hanging so low, it threw flames out the back over few meters! I am getting older and should know better now, but I have not aged when it comes to cars, I could have bought several homes with the money I spend on cars, but F it I say, I had a great time and so many memories of times spend with cars, I would do it all over again in a heart beat and then some! Last but not least, I have been doing research on putting a single turbo on my 4.6 Explorer, it has the same engine as a Mustang of the same vintage and only has 10 thousand K's on the new engine, so seeing they do that in the US I am thinking about it, set up right with the car being all wheel drive, it could be great fun! But to close of my long winded reply, I warn all you young bucks, SPEED KILLS! HP is an addiction, it will rule your life if you get the bug, well it did with me, but damn I had a blast doing it! 😀
Grats. You're the reason the Phase 4 got canned.
Absolutely Awesome.👍👍
The tyres are BFGoodrich with a Goodyear sticker on them. I sold Goodyears in the 70s, I had a set of fr6015s on a XYGS 302 manual. The Grand Rally tread pattern was different to those.
Something to do with Jack Brabham Ford having a sponsorship deal with Goodyear from memory
My best mates folks had the wreckers down Bailey Cresent on the Goldie and they owned for a few years, the white xy ho. White mags and interior, chained down in the garage and absolutely beautiful.
I've been lucky enough to see Bowden's GTHO PH1, GTHO PH2, GTHO PH3 and GTHO PH4. Such magnificent cars.
Thank you Paul.
Good to see the owners of these classics going out of their way to show the cars to the public and share the enjoyment - nothing worse than classic cars or classic bikes for that matter sitting idle in someone's workshop or garage gathering dust, never seeing daylight and nobody ever gets to see them or share in the enjoyment of a classic and live the nostalgia. You can't take it with you so enjoy it while you can.
Genuine Phase 3 lives around the corner from me and he had brake master cylinder and a few other issues from his sitting around not being driven. No offence, but I've got no sympathy haha, drive the fuckin things.
Being a Ford man and having owned many including an XW GT Cleveland this was a very special video. Thank you.
I thought XW GT with a Cleveland is a Phase 2 HO.
Perhaps only some of the later XWs with a Cleveland were HOs. Alan Moffatt became 'a household name' in the XW.
@@aRecluse yes, I had a very special one and only found out 15 years after I sold it.
Ford guy in Geelong was pretty certain it was a phase 1 1/2.
Was a beautiful car, Reef Green and Black trim.
Many fun times were had.
Regards Steve.
The music of the dual exhausts reversing off the trailer is my highlight!!! ❤❤
sooooooo epic
Makes me proud. Just a owner X a Fairmont mine had 1972 printed on the sump on mine just starting to pull it apart now
Would of love to see it doing a real road trip video. Once in a lifetime just to see the owner driving it across Australia and enjoying it. Go the GTHO
🇦🇺😎👍I read about this classic in the Street Ford mag years ago. Great car 😎👍
Thanks for the vids. Back in the early 1970s I recall attending the Melbourne Motor Show at the Exhibition Buildings where Ford was displaying the new XA GT. Two models were on show, one Red with Black trim, the other Yellow with Black trim. Both looked awesome but there was something extra special about the Red one. Hard to get my head around the Green one here. No doubt, it would command a hefty price. But a Red one would still be worth more in my book.
This is fabulous, I used to own an XC, and I wonder how much more credible it would have been with a 351. Fantastic car.
Worked selling cars back in the 70s/80s.at the end of the xb ford did a mini clean out of various left over parts. Did not tell anyone,but all details were on the compliance plate of the cars they built.we had one through our yard.black..pure white interior..factory metal sunroof..auto..had to replace the muffler and that’s when we discovered it was a Xb phase 4 gt..drove lovely..Gary c
Nice to see Grumpy Dean with a smile on his dial, albeit momentarily. Also good to see him getting some long overdue credit.
AWESOME cars REAL cars NO driver aids, NO PS, or ABS just a fantastic looking car 351ci Cleveland V8 GRUNT!!!!!!!!!!!
I like this shape of Falcon.
Same 👌
Ral Australian History there. Crefdit to all concerned. Fortunately (or not) I am old enough to remember the Ford / Mini duels at Bathurst, (Bathurst 500) . What a Sunday morning they were!! Unforgettable.
Wow. I cannot believe they were towed on ordinary old car trailers.
The Phase 4 especially ( can't believe i didnt care about a phase 3)
They sound amazing, thanks for sharing
The cool part about that is, he said it's not about the money he just wants people to be able to see the cars.
Legend in my books.
Thank you.
I know the Phase 3 is the glory car of the time, but I've got to say, the XA GT Phase 4 is my favourite. I just love that car and it looks spectacular in green. Nice one!
Beautiful car. How cool it would have been to see the factory XA Falcon race cars take the grid in 1972
Amazing.
The legend. 👍
Thank you very much for not playing background music when rumbling
It also reminds me of gold on trailer when it was getting towed
Nothing beats the Rumble!!!!!!
It's beautiful
Dude from the US here...
Everyone's seen "Mad Max", and the Falcons are legendary, but over time I've come to really appreciate the 4-door version more than the 2-door. It isn't every day you see a muscle car with 4 doors, but you guys got it right. ;}
Mate thanks so for the comment 💪💪💪💪
I think Ford Australia made a huge mistake marketing the two door models as Falcons. It Those models should have had a different moniker or been simply called Ford Coupes! Ford should have done that right from the start with the XM model released here in Australia in 1964. To most people in Australia, Falcon equates to four door motor vehicles. And Yes, I know there were also Falcon Utes.
Not sure if Paul knows this (probably does) but Arch Frayley is famous in Townsville as the US Mil Official Photographer to General Douglas McArthur. His photos are on display at Tsv Airport. After WW11 Arch moved to Townsville from South Carolina to catch up with his war girlfriend. They married and had a son, Arch Frayley Jnr who was the original buyer of the Phase 4.
My understating is John Hemphill was first owner
@@GrassRootsGarage I found a story on the net that was a magazine article about John Hemphill's car, that went into a lot of detail about his car and that it was the original production phase 4, the article described how he had it painted Zircon Green and how he had Fred Gibson modify the engine, John basically went out of his way to hide the ID of the car by painting it and I believe the car ended its life in a remote location, I also believe it was being tracked by people that knew the car, I think it would be great if some clarification was given as to how this story came about and If anybody knows what happened to the Hemphill car and how the confusion arose.
I am convinced that I had seen the J.H. car in north qld in the 80s up close, it had that very distinct high gearing sound being a manual, identical to the dentist's car sound.
There was more than ONE made.
that phase 4 is beautiful , he has a whole car and i think im lucky just having a set of those 1972 15inch flat lip bathurst globes in the shed
Nobody will look at a new mustang if that thing is on show
Props to the hoey for keeping it company 👏
Liked shared and subscribed because wow!
That XY looks gorgeous in blue.
💪😎👍
NICE ONE ...
I owned a 4 door XA GT 351 in 1986 ...
I was only 19 😁 ( Great song too )
Great car !!!
Especially on Idle ... The Sound !!!
Bubbling away with a few pops ....
Highly Reliable !!!
Tonnes of Torque ...
3 rd gear was Incredible ... It would keep pulling and then you had 4 th .... Adiyos
Top loader and 9 inch LSD Diff ...
Watch Out cause they are lethal in the wrong hands ...
Love the Video of these Classic Ozy Might 💪
Keep Up the Good Work 👍🦘🏁
I had the same colour XA GT in 1986 too. Loved it, but bought a house with such a shit, bumpy, pot-holed road I couldn't get the car home. Had to sell it. For 7 grand. 😢
@@stackymc65 Bummer Bro... At least U got to Experience the machine 😁
i remember getting an original xa falcon gt four door that had 4v headed original engine numbers with a top loader at one workshop i worked at . it more than likely was a get rid of these motors without the government knowng lol . i also seen a vj charger with an E49 compliance plate blue in colour and no stripes ..the good old days sneeking away the super car scare
Yes we are lucky people snuck them out 👍👍
Did it have the "eared sump' ??
That E49 was owned by a work mate back in the 70s he had ordered it with no stripes from the factory, had a ride in it in 1979 the car was brand new he sold it to someone in Leichhardt Sydney.
@@clevo351 He used to be good friend with my uncle Des Robinson remember driving to Jenolan caves together in both the E49's .. From memory his name was Tom Cutler .
Guarantee the VJ Charger was an E48 - the 250hp 6 pack motor in the VJ series Chargers - both in XL and 770 spec - there was never an R/T model in the VJ series so no R/T stripes. Note the E48 engines were also fitted to Ranger and Regal sedans. About 150 all up from memory.
Agree with Brett Morton. I'm amazed these cars are not at least covered with something to prevent stone chips/road grime.
The absolute holy grail that could have been, all thanks to Peter Wherrett, who was columnist for the Sydney Morning Hearld, where he gave the Phase 3 the term "widow maker" which forced the government to inturn force Ford Australia to cancel the Phase 4 program. 😔
It wasn't Peter Wherrett it was Evan Green
Wrong.
Evan Green wrote an article for the Sydney Morning Herald in 1972 that was supposed to be a middle paper stuffer. They ran it front page when the lead article couldn't be run and the rest is history (easily googled).
Peter Wherrett was the host of the ABC motoring show Torque. A very popular show where he certainly wasn't afraid to shit can the big three's racing offerings and called them out as unusable for everyday driving and too powerful for everday drivers, given the shit brakes and tyres compared to the power being offered. The most popular car around in these times were 140 odd horsepower six cylinders lucky to do 100mph. So to give this label to Wherrett is very unfair. There are some great episodes of Torque up on CZcams, well worth watching for Australian motoring history.
My apologies, I sit corrected.
@@onedayiwillmakesomecontent I agree, he was always spot on! a lot of those old cars handled like buckets of Sh 1 T.
@@gogogeedus Nah he was just a girly man! zagria.blogspot.com/2011/02/pip-wherrett-1936-2009-motorsports.html
Hay Paul I really appreciate what you have with the phase 4. You are a very lucky custodian. I hope we can catch up sometime. I would like like to see the car and hear your stories.
My good mate has a mint condition gold Gt Falcon that he needs to show more often..
About 1980 i was trying to toss up between a 1966 chev or a genuine HT GTS 350 Bathurst Monaro.
I went with the chev as the custom paint on the Monaro put me off.
Nowadays the chev is worth around thirty grand the Monaro would be north of 200.
The 1 of 1 phase four would probably hit well over 1,000,000 Au dollars .
Good to see Ozzie muscle cars getting the recognition they deserve.
The difference between the III and the IV is the crossflow radiator which is why the XY never had the head gasket problems that the XA experienced. The XY also had a unique thermostat called a bucket thermostat which allowed the brass block under the the original thermostat location to block off the internal bypass built into the front of the engine. Take that original thermostat out and replace it with a current version and you will experience problems.
Its great to see that phase 4 being cared for by such an enthusiast. Shame there are people out there that would try to steal the compliance plate when they wouldn't be able to use it anyway. That's why i stopped doing up a Gt years ago because of that sort of thing in that industry.
W O W, 'nuff said !!
I love watching rich dentists, accountants and lawyers indulging in hoon culture.
Thankyou
WoW! This is the only XAGT phase IV HO with a birth certificate. The car is priceless!! ''Greeen is noice''
Awesome to see. I've heard of Phase 3's for a long time - they are legendary. Didn't know Phase 4's existed until recently. I know someone who restored a Ford RPO - I wonder what that would be worth?
No plural on Phase 4. It's a one-off!
Ford Falcon XA GT RPO
“Chicken Coupe “
Carsales has a barn find article, from memory I think it sold for approximately 300 k
My first car a HQ Monaro but I always secretly admired the XA and wished mine was an XA
I love how everyone in the background just stopped what they were doing and stared, when the Phase 4 entered the event.
I've seen a dark green one,was in it pulling hard about 1979
Andrew is my mechanic. No idea he was tied up in this. Good work mate.
Absolutely Gorgeous 😍 ❤️
sooooo good!!! you should see it in real life
I love the look of XA, but my favourite was XC, 1978, the front end look better, I felt
When is Part 2 coming out, loved it.
Hopefully next week
Bruce Hodgson, lead Ford factory rally driver at the time, was given one by the factory. It was registered in NSW, so presumably also had a compliance plate. He rallied it for a while but it wasn't ideal ! He sold the engine which went into a ski race boat. I dont know what happened to the chassis or the engine after that.
I saw that car a few times when doing stage controls. VIN plates as such did not exist at that time only being introduced it the early 70's when ADR's first became a thing. Prior to that a simple chassis plate with a unique number on it was used as an identity for each car.
Phase 4 " love the backstory !"
cool!
I live in NSW Australia and I have a friend who has a Genuine XA GTHO. RED AND BLACK
There were 4 Phase 4's let loose . This green one,road regd.A red one in near race trim,privately owned & one race car that's in the Bowden collection. The fourth car was owned by Ron Hodgson & destroyed in a rally. The green car seen here is the only one with a compliance plate.
Thank you for the comments
We discuss this in part 2, the three other GTHO’s were delivered to Lot 6 as GT’s. The GT parts were removed and GTHO parts installed. As you noted they have GT(and 4 dots) on compliance plate.
Cheers
Pete
There’s another existing phase 4, Leo Geoghegan worked on it in his Ryde workshop in the 80’s (I was employed at a workshop nearby)
Proof??
@@falcon0351our steering & auto electrical workshop all had a look at it, it was red. We would wash, clean and test alternators, distributors and starter motors for various GT falcons when he restored motors. but, we had to keep the patina of looking like they were untouched.
So was it a different colour originally? Would love to see the other cars he has also!
I have been in a Phase 3 (as a passenger) going sideways around Warwick farm in 1972. I frankly can't remember ever seeing a Phase 4. God those cars were the business. I had the brakes on a 327 Monaro fail on me coming into Creek Corner at WF. I was funny about brakes after that.
Yeah because they're not ventilated and are quite skinny. Even the ones on our HT 350 Bathurst. HQ brakes are a necessary upgrade imo regardless of originality. Brakes were shithouse from the start and during Bathurst.
Didn't the Torana xu-1's have the brakes from the Monaro, probably why they did ok at Bathurst.
I learnt to drive in a XW falcon 500 with 3 on the tree with the 3.6litre 6 cylinder motor. Blue motor. It had a top speed of 103 mph or i know someone that wond her out an thats what she peaked at. I never did that to her. These cars take me back.i loved that car so beautiful to drive if i could of afforded to buy her off mum an restore her i would off. I even remember her number plate. UGW 524 i hope she went toa good home the family loved that car she looked after us for about 28 years. Or something like that. Lady was her name.
I drive a SS now.
No way I'd transport that on a basic tandem trailer. We lost a car on one. Too valuable for that.
Yes was a slow safe drive to & from
Sorry here in north Queensland we know the xy xw GTHOs as hoeys
Back in the 80s, Street Machine magazine did an article in the last six Phase 4s in existence, as there were a known 8 snuck out of the factory. I know of the orange one around the Coomera area, which has featured in a number of magazines over the years, and the purple one which was totalled in a rally. If this is one of one, what happened to the others mentioned quite prominently in mainstream literature?
Exactly, it might be one of a kind for it's specs, but there were more. I believe the Bowden garage in QLD has one still.
Did Bruce Hodson total his car? I was doing a control on IIRC the Snowy mountains rally and Bruce arrives in this huge Falcon and I always wondered what made him think it was a good idea to rally a car that big. I never found out how he came to be driving it but then Bruce always did things a bit differently to others.
@duster8100 Bruce's was the orangey red one. I'm not sure if he's totalled that one, but the purple one was done in by 1984.
green, green is good 😄
If you look at the boot spoiler on the Phase 3, it is angled backwards. It must create a lot of lift.
With the angle of the air coming over the roof and bending down, maybe it doesn't.
Original red wall tyres were Dunlop Aquajet tyres great tyres. In the wet, brilliant.
I had 289 powered XR Ute back in the early 1970’s and I put Dunlop aqua jets on it and yeah they were good in the day in wet weather but remember they wore out super quick though, actually Dunlop had red wall tyres that they called “Dunlop Sovereigns” when I worked for a Holden dealer these were on the LC GTR Torsnas
Had same year same colour but with black interior had bull nose top loader a Detroit locker and just a few number's off that one sold it in Perth 25 years ago for $14000 apparently belonged to Bob Jane.
Thats my uncle who towed the cars lol tell Andy i said hi (well ik he works on the car)
Also love the documentary you did on bayley’s torana my personal favourite video because his my cousin
Thanks mate I will do! 👍👍
@@GrassRootsGarageif asks who it is say its Will
Too easy thanks Will
I’m jealous 😂
White interior ... nice
Should have put the in front of doors 3 & 4. Was at the carshow at Warrick Farm when the deadbeat dad & his son tried to pry the compliance plate off the Phase 4. It still has the damage to this day. They bid a hasty retreat when busted.
Just shows you, to this day, some people still can't respect other people's property. Very frustrating indeed.
Seriously, what fkwits would even try and do that 🙄
What the hell would they have done with it anyway ?
I hope those two losers got the Karma they deserved. Scumbags.
@@JAStheACE For sure. It took 33 years for Paul to show the car again.
1 word. WOW
Just beautiful. If only the average aussie knew what is being showcased here.
What! No engine bay or innteriori pics :o