Don Gray is the proud owner of the ex-John Goss GT-HO Phase III XY Falcon that was raced successfully in Australia and New Zealand. Photo / Dean Taylor
Disclaimer: I own a fairly nice 1971 Ford Falcon XY, so I'm already a bit biased when it comes to this story. But my slightly modified Falcon 500 comes nowhere near this 'holy grail' True Blue model that lives in the rural area of Pirongia.
This is the Ford Falcon XY GT-HO Phase III that took Aussie racing legend John Goss to the top of the South Pacific Touring Car Series in 1972 and was one of the most successful XY Falcon ever raced.
And todayis the 50th anniversary of its first major win – the 1972 Sandown 250.
Goss, racing for McLeod Ford, and Fred Gibson, racing for Ford Motor Co. in another Phase III, were the only two drivers to complete the 130 laps/250 miles (402km).
Third was Murray Carter in another Phase III, four laps behind, the Ford trifecta heading five Holden LJ GTR XU1 Toranas.
How the car ended up in Pirongia, wearing the 1972 period correct colour, wheels, trim and decals, is a story of being in the right place at the right time.
The owner and restorer is Don Gray, a semi-retired farmer and true Ford fan.
He already had a nice and original XY GT in the shed, purchased in 1981 from Fairview Ford in Hamilton for the princely sum of $20,000. And next door is another gem – a Ford 1500GT Cortina.
He didn't plan on adding another XY GT, but when he learnt about the ex-John Goss car sitting in a rather dilapidated shed in the Hawkes Bay his interest was aroused.
If we go back to the racing days, Goss completed the 1972 season in the XY and it was sold to a Kiwi working for McLeod Ford.
Norris Miles was going to buy a new XA Phase IV – but that project was scrapped, so he purchased the successful race car.
He campaigned the car, but rolled it at Amaroo Park. The car was repaired (a new roof judging by repairs Don found during the restoration) and Norris returned to New Zealand and brought the car with him.
Race duties resumed – the first outing being at Baypark in the Glenvale 200 with an up-and-comer in the co-driver seat – Jim Richards.
The GT-HO passed through another three sets of hands in the 70s – Ernie Salter of Tairua, then Brian Bowater of Patumahoe, who became a regular on nearby Meremere Dragway, then Hawkes Bay resident (not the All Black) Norm Hewitt, who continued to drag race the Falcon and also raced it on the track.
In 1981 life for the race-bred GT-HO changed dramatically.
It was sold off in the Hawkes bay, and the new owner decided to restore the car, but also hide all signs of racing heritage.
As Don explains, "In the 80s a car that had been raced was less desirable".
The new owner rented a dilapidated shed to house his project, and although he started with a hiss and roar, it seemed he lost momentum after some time and the car and its original bits and pieces sat in the shed – for 33 years.
By the time a drop cloth had been thrown over the Falcon, the new paint work had deteriorated.
A few relatives and some locals knew of the GT-HO, but it basically remained a hidden treasure.
One of those in the know was the late David Samuel of Te Awamutu. He had got to know Don and told him of the GT-HO under a cloth in a rented shed.
On a trip to the Hawkes Bay he even took a photo of the Ford's ID plate to confirm it was genuine. Then Don became interested.
The usual approach was made, but the owner had been asked plenty of times and wasn't going to sell.
But Don kept in touch and visited the owner now and then and kept an eye on the car.
It was one such trip in 2014 that changed everything.
Don and his wife Christine had to go to Hastings and decided to call in to see the Falcon owner.
Nothing was planned, but by the end of the day they owned it.
During that week the woman who owned the property with the shed where the car was stored had sold and was going to a retirement village. She wanted the car gone, and the owner had nowhere to house it.
Don summed up the situation and offered a solution.
He was back the next day with the trailer and the GT-HO was dragged out into the light of day.
Back home Don did some more research to confirm the Falcon's racing pedigree, and with that confirmed, he decided a return to the 1972 look was most appropriate.
That year new 15" Globe alloy wheels had been added and the front and rear spoilers removed – unusually because it gave better handling.
The body was in pretty good condition, but everything else needed work.
It was put right and re-painted Ford True Blue.
All the special HO parts had been retained, so original heavy duty sway bars and long-range fuel tank were refurbished and used, as was the factory modified Holley carburettor.
The engine was prepared by well-known engine builder Ron Chatfield of Ōtorohanga's Motor Preparations and dyno tuned to produce the correct 350-360bhp.
The four speed top loader didn't need a lot of work either and was put back into service.
Even the seats are original, as used for race and road.
Turning the GT-HO from road to race was achieved with period correct reproduction signage and decals – modelled on an actual 1:18 Biante scale model of the Goss Falcon.
All the main signwriting, such as the sponsors and race number, were hand painted by Ange Mason, then owner of Alexandra Images in Te Awamutu.
The fully restored Goss GT-HO was shown to the public in January, 2018 at The Legends of Bathurst meeting at Hampton Downs.
There to see his car was John Goss – and he took the freshly built car for a few laps and proved it still had what it takes.
John gave Don a few tips of some changes that might improve the car – some have been done and some are still on the to-do list.
Don says for a car built for racing, it is pretty good on the open road.
He enjoys the GT-HO when he can. She's no trailer queen – Don says it is great for a trip and once she's been fired up you have to give her a good run.
I certainly enjoyed a ride in the GT-HO around some of Pirongia's windy roads. These big (by NZ and Oz standards), old cars can handle remarkably well when the suspension is finessed and the package is put together correctly.
They stop quite well too, although to drive one like the racers of the 70s around a track like Bathurst takes more bottle than I could muster.
But best of all was the soundtrack – the 351 Cleveland bursts into life and simply wants to rev, throwing a fantastic soundtrack out of the exhausts.
Top gear isn't needed around the rural roads as the V8 is designed to rev.
Even third gear is optional.
Don plans on a rear end ratio change to open her up even more. That would be delicious.
A potential low-system is set to form on the northeast coast of New Zealand.