In 1980, thousands of fans watched Bathurst with great interest as a relatively unheard of driver took the early lead. 16 laps in, and Dick Johnson’s name was being repeated by the Channel 7 commentary team over and over. How long could this comparative unknown in his XD Falcon keep ahead of crowd favourite Peter Brock in his Torana?

One of those watching the coverage was young Aucklander Frank Malcon. While still many years away from being able to get his driver’s licence, he liked what he saw unfolding on the screen in front of him.

But then, as for most viewing that day, suddenly that enjoyment was rudely interrupted as a random split-second incident occurred that would both colour the legacy of Bathurst and landmark Dick Johnson’s nascent racing career. As a large boulder rolled from the unfenced spectator area above the track it came right into the racing line in front of Johnson’s car. With nowhere to go, hitting the concrete wall was the only option, and just like that, his car and his hopes of winning the event were destroyed.

That incident left a lasting impression on young Frank, one that many years later would see him get the urge to build a (more…)

After eight years, two paint jobs, three interiors and countless motor combinations, Brendan Patrick is finally satisfied with his XR. For now, at least.

The XR has the prestigious honour of being the first Aussie Falcon to be offered with a V8 engine. Of course, the 200hp 289ci Windsor it came out with is nowhere near as impressive as the 397ci SVO block residing in the engine bay of Brendan Patrick’s TUF XR Ford Fairmont.

Another honour bestowed on the XR Falcon was winning the Wheels Car of the Year award, the second year running for Ford ” the first being with the XP Falcon.

The XR was Aussie designed (don’t hold that against it) but was still based on the American Falcons and inspired by the American Mustangs. Having a very different appearance to previous Falcons, the XR has a long nose and short tail with a distinctive kick-up at the back of the rear doors, known as the ‘Coke Bottle’ hip.

’60s Beckoning

Brendan got into classic cars in the early ’90s, and his first V8 was a tidy XT Falcon. Moving on from that he had a few XD Falcons until the ’60s beckoned to him again, and he purchased his first XR, which he “played around with” for a while.

In 2002 an XR Fairmont came up on Trade Me. It sparked a plan in Brendan’s mind to buy it and use it as a donor for his current ride. As we all know the best plans can run amok, and upon purchasing the XR Fairmont rolling body, Brendan decided it was too good to hack up. He abruptly sold the Falcon in favour of the Fairmont.

Unimpressive Start

A quick repaint was on the agenda for the new purchase, and when he found a young fella to do it for him as a cashy it seemed too good to be true ” which, of course, it was. On return from holiday, expecting to see a beautifully painted new car, Brendan was less than impressed. To put it nicely, the job was very average. Since Brendan had already paid up front and the guy was nowhere to be seen, he was gutted. Brendan decided that the paint job would have to do for the time being, and set about getting a mild 302 Windsor and four-speed manual built for it. Unfortunately, the newly built motor only lasted 500km before the crank tried to escape through the block.

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The November issue of NZV8 has just hit the shelves, so grab a copy today.

In this month’s issue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford Falcon we’re featuring an awesome Falcon XB Coupe, with carbon fibre bodywork and a 410kW 408ci engine this is one of the meanest cover cars we’ve ever had. We also have a beautifully detailed XM Falcon deluxe featured and a tough XR Fairmont with a 397i stroker motor. We have an event report from the annual Father’s Day Drags and we also went across the ditch to attend Greazefest – a massive rockabilly festival. We continue our ‘Dare to be different’ series on thinking outside the square with your next project car and we continue our Falcon special with a look back at all the different models which have made it a motoring icon.

All this plus the usual advice and technical information, readers’ rides and competitions to keep you up to date with all that’s happening on the NZ V8 scene. Pick up a copy now before they sell out!

Click here to subscribe to NZV8 magazine.

What could be better for father and son bonding sessions than building a few old cars?

Good old swap meets. Remember the days before TradeMe, when if you wanted to hunt out a bargain or sell your wares, you waited until the annual swap meet?

Before crochet and jam replaced car parts and good yarns, the swap meet was the only place to buy those hard-to-find bits. These days it seems conversation has been taken over by email and texts, or should that be txtz? And not only has the English language turned to custard, the good old-fashioned swap meet appears to have too.

There are a few exceptions, however, such as the recent Rotorua swap meet and a few that have a strict ‘car parts only’ rule. It was at one of these events three years ago that young Quinton (Sid) Cotterell picked himself up a bargain. Until that fateful day the 1966 Ford Fairmont Sid fell in love with had been used and abused as a daily driver. Once it reached Sid’s hands, that would all change.

Good Influences

Ever since helping has dad build a MkII Ford Zephyr, Sid has been hooked on older cars. Having such a passion at a young age is refreshing in this generation of plastic cars. As with many builds, Sid intended just to give the old girl a tidy-up to make a bit more of an impression on the street. That tidy-up soon blew out into a solid 12-month, ground-up rebuild with stunning results.

As Sid had helped dad, it was dad’s turn to help Sid strip the car back to a shell so it could be delivered to Colour Strip services for a full bead blast. Once blasted, it appeared the shell wasn’t in bad nick, despite nearly 40 years of street use. Before the spray guns were fired into life, Sid decided to remove some of the vehicle’s chrome and badges.

To stop the myriad questions from passers by querying what the vehicle was, he wisely chose to keep both front and rear Ford badges in place. The hole filling and smoothing treatment has been continued into the engine bay, where you will now not find a single unused hole.

The clean and tidy look has been enhanced by the relocation of the battery to the boot, and a PBR brake boost is hidden away out of sight under the guard.

With such a straight shell, Sid knew it would have been an injustice not to finish the vehicle to an equally high standard. With this in mind he took it to Dale and the team at Cambridge Panelworks, where it was expertly treated to a new suit of PPG Apache gold paint. The resulting look attained by the colour and smoothing is far more modern than that of the standard car, and almost defies the fact the vehicle is perhaps a little over the hill.