by Peter Robinson – – –
Wheels magazine’s Steve Cropley was trusted with ferrying a new Ford Falcon XC Cobra from the company’s Broadmeadows headquarters to Bathurst for the 1978 Hardie Ferodo 1000. No, it wasn’t one of the Moffat/Bond race cars, but Cobra no. 027, one of 30 race specials, which was to be used by track marshals during the October weekend.
Steve’s Wheels (January, 1979) story spelled out the differences between the Bathurst Cobra and the ordinary road versions, most obviously the now prized bonnet hump and the infamous bulging rear wheel arches, that helped account for the significant price difference: $10,330 versus $8,705. Steve wasn’t able to run performance figures on the car, the engine only freeing up after his 1000km trip, but he estimated the standing quarter mile in 16.5seconds (Motor Manual magazine’s test car turned 15.7seconds), the engine hitting just 4800rpm or 204km/h in the high (42km/h per 1000rpm) top gear. Where Cropley got it wrong was in predicting even the Bathurst Cobra special was only “ a marginal classic”. Today, a confirmed (there are fakes) and pristine Cobra Special can sell for as much as $600,000.
Now Ross Vasse – well known as author of five brilliant books on the GT HO Falcons, including one on the legendary Phase IV – and Josh Delany have written a 404-page epic devoted solely to the Cobra. It’s a master piece of research that follows the same blueprint as the previous books in listing the factory production schedule for all 400 cars, detailing Ford’s production codes and listing all those dealers who sold Cobras. Each of the 400 cars gets half a page, describing the exact specifications, options, even later classified advertisements and photographs of the car, and the selling dealer. Some, those with a special history, get more space.
The authors don’t shy away from admitting that with the all-new XD just around the corner, Ford struggled to sell the hardtop versions of the XC Falcon. Left with 400 bodies, it was Edsel Ford II, son of Henry the Deuce, and deputy managing director of Ford Australia, who ran marketing and sales, who suggested a special edition Cobra complete with the super wide blue strips. Vehicle Program Manager Peter Gillitzer admits, “To be frank Design was not too enthusiastic, myself included, as we thought it a bit over the top – but who was going to tell Edsel?”
Edsel prevailed and the Cobras jumped off the showroom floors, generating extra profit for Ford because so many were fitted with expensive options like power steering, air conditioning and power windows. The story of the creation of the car and its Bathurst special is told in extraordinary detail, including uncovering the back story to the wider rear fenders that were crucial to the race cars’ success.
In all my decades of reading motoring books, I never discovered anything as thoroughly researched. Of its kind – a one-model history – I’ve no doubt this is the best motoring book in the world.
Criticism: The extra-long, page-wide single columns of the Preface (by Colin Bond), Foreword (by Edsel Ford II), and the Introductions by the authors, are hard to read simply because of their length. Errors: On page 62, Edsel is correctly identified as Henry Ford’s great-grandson, but on page 45, he is Henry’s grandson.
Vasse’s next book, due later this year, tells the story of the Falcon GT. Having driven and tested every GT from the 1967 XR to the 1973 XB GT, I can’t wait to read the inside story of their creation, and to discover what we missed.
The 1978 Ford Falcon XC Cobra Hardtop Register, by Ross Vasse and Josh Delany, published by VIP Automotive Solutions Pty Ltd, $275
