My Muscle Car
XE Dick Johnson Grand Prix, HG Broughams, Mustang GT350 and a VH Charger 770.
What is it?
“A 1982 XE Ford Falcon Dick Johnson Grand Prix special edition, built by Country Dealer Team (the CDT) in Queensland and only sold by selected Ford dealerships throughout Australia.”
When did you buy it?
“I bought the Grand Prix over three years ago now from the original/ rst owners. I found it in primer and still needing more panel repairs and a ground-up restoration.”
Why did you buy it?
“I’ve always been a passionate Ford fan and car enthusiast thanks to my elder brother, Ali. When I was rst told about the Grand Prix by my mate Brendon I knew I had to have it, especially when he mentioned it was the best possible build number to have: Dick Johnson’s racing number! It’s build number 17 of only 43 ever built. Brendon had done most of the panel repairs to the car and knew the car very well as he was mates with the original owners’ son.”
What do you know about its history?
“It was purchased new from Tilfords, the Ford dealer here in Hobart. The original owner traded in his beloved XC Cobra to buy this car for his wife. There was actually a write-up at the time in The Mercury, our local paper, and there’s a picture of the salesman, the car and the new owner when they took delivery. Because he bought it for his wife to drive, that’s why he opted for the non-turbo version of the car. They kept the car from 1982 until three years ago, when I bought it. So I’m just the second owner. This has always been a Tasmanian car from day one and many people remember it from their childhood. Some were lucky enough to have been picked up and dropped off to school if they were friends with the owners’ son.”
How does it go?
“It goes well for what it is. This is the non turbo version, but I’ve had the engine fully rebuilt, including Yella Terra roller rockers, Ice Ignition, ACL race bearings, mild camshaft, extractors, lots of machine work, and running at 10:1 compression. I didn’t want to go too far with the engine modi cations as I wanted to keep the engine bay looking standard and as it came out from the factory so we were limited to only using the factory carburettor and air cleaner. The whole steering and suspension setup was replaced with new parts and the brakes were rebuilt also so it would feel and drive like a new car once again. As I said, we had to nish off the rust repairs and paint it – Zenith Blue, of course. We had to fully rebuild the wheels. The only thing that we didn’t really have to do was the interior, because it was in really good condition. It had been well looked after and is a low kays car.”
Anything you’d like to add?
“I would just like to say thank you to the previous owners for looking after this car and giving me the opportunity to restore it to its former glory. And thanks also to my friends and family for helping me throughout the restoration. There are way too many people to name but they all know who they are. I’d also like to add that I have plans to send the Grand Prix to the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania in Launceston for display so others can see the car and appreciate it as it’s the only one of its kind in the state.”
AMC had the full story on the Ford XE Falcon Dick Johnson Grand Prix Turbos (and non turbos!) in issue #82. Mohamad’s car is seen here as photographed in Tilfords showroom – again! Images by Kevin Gutteridge
What is it?
“It’s a 1966 GT350 Hertz. It’s one of 75 original manual cars. The car was never rented out, but was the Hertz dealer principal’s personal car.”
When did you buy it?
“It was purchased from a friend and I’ve known the previous owner and the car for over 20 years.”
Why did you buy it?
“For its originality and rarity. And for being a classic with worldwide appeal. It’s got a great story and is a great car to drive and enjoy.”
What do you know about its history?
“All covered in the SAAC registry (there is even a picture of the car in the registry). The previous Australian owner had it for 22 years. Before then, a series of owners in the USA after the original owner from Hertz. It’s done an original 56,000 miles and is all matching numbers. Car was originally black and gold but was painted red in the 1980s.”
How does it go?
“Matching numbers engine produces 226kW and 446Nm, matched to an original all-alloy 4-speed Borg Warner T10. It’s reasonably light and it handles well. It’s a really raw and rewarding driving experience. Reliable and a lot of fun.”
Anything you’d like to add?
“Even though there were around 1000 1966 Hertz GT350s made, what makes this car so rare is that it was one of the rst 75 made which were original 4-speed manuals. Hertz changed their order to automatic cars after the
rst shipment as the manual cars were being rented and raced and getting returned damaged, so as a measure to discourage racing of the rental cars, they ordered the remaining 925 cars with an automatic gearbox. This is the only original manual 1966 Hertz car in Australia, and probably one of only a handful left worldwide. They rarely come up for sale in the US, but when they do they fetch over $USD100K more than their auto or manual converted counterparts. Also being an early 1966 car built and delivered in late 1965, it retains many of the parts of the hyper expense 1965 GT350, including the override traction bars and hollow Shelby lettering on the engine block, the same features as the 1966 ‘carryover’ GT350s. One of which just sold for $USD440K at auction in the US.”
To have a closer look at Andrew’s magni cent Mustang, he frequents Autobrunch – with Cars and Coffee provided by the local Lions Club – held by the North Shore Sporting Car Club in Sydney on the rst Sunday of each month at St Ives Showground.
What is it?
“The car started life as a New Zealand new 1972 VH Valiant Charger 770 625 auto built by Todd Motors in Porirua, NZ. The colour was Russet Bronze. It now sports a worked 340ci Dodge V8 with a Torque ight 727 shift-kitted auto trans with a LSD with Steelie Gears.”
When did you buy it?
“I purchased it in 2017 after a long search for a good clean, rust free Charger. I’d almost given up on nding one and then this one was described to me by a fellow Charger owner at a local Caffeine & Classics meet. I rang the owner who explained the car to me and I drove out straight away to look at it.”
Why did you buy it?
“When I was at high school I worked at a Chrysler dealership after school. Every day at about 4.30pm, the Service Manager would say to me “we need to deliver these cars back to their owners”. Every day I would nearly get my hand on the door handle of a Charger and he would say to me, ‘No, you take that Hillman Hunter.’ After leaving school I went to work at the same dealership fulltime and the same thing carried on for about a year before I nally got to drive a Charger.
“As a teenager I was getting heavily involved in motorsport and the Chargers were winning NZ long distance races with the likes of Jim Richards and Leo Leonard, among others. This reinforced my admiration for the Charger.
“I have owned a lot of high performance cars, including an XU-1 Torana, 1970 Z28 Chev Camaro and various HDT Commodores from VH through to VL, but I always remembered the rst time I drove a Charger.
“I currently own a number of high performance BMWs – M2, M3 CSL and Alpina B5, but I still had a hankering for another Australian muscle car, so a Charger it had to be.” What do you know about its history?
“As mentioned earlier, it was sold new as a 1972 VH Valiant Charger 770 625. Chargers, particularly the E38 and E49 series were very successful in New Zealand motorsport, far more so than in Australia. My Charger was no exception. Early on in its life it was used for drag racing. The 265 wasn’t up to it, so it got transplanted with the worked 340 and Torque ight and then had a reasonably long history as a drag racer.
“About 17 years ago, the car was retired from drag racing and was rebuilt, both mechanically and bodily. During its restoration it was painted metallic green (a Mazda colour!). The seats were reupholstered, new carpets were added and it emerged as a pristine Aussie muscle car.
“In my ownership I have added the blackouts and stripes, as it was a bit too green, along with the jellybean 14 x 8” wheels to bring it back, to my eyes at least, the correct look for a Charger.”
How does it go?
“I love driving the car. It obviously has a ton of grunt. The Torque ight 727 is beautifully smooth and is a joy to use manually with the shift kit. The car has Koni shocks and new suspension bushes and handles extremely well for an old muscle car. It also sounds beautiful with the stainless steel headers and the dual exhaust system.”
Anything you’d like to add?
“The Charger is a keeper, as far as I’m concerned. One thing I would like to do and it may be a retirement project, is a full panel and paint in ‘Limelight.’ I believe this is one of the best colours on a Valiant Charger.
It’s a great cruiser and I love driving it and going to shows. It gets a lot of looks and people are always tooting or giving me the ‘thumbs up’ when I’m out driving.”