PHASE III MARKET GUIDE

MORE HAS been written about this car than any vehicle in Australian automotive history yet hardly any of us will ever ride in, let alone own, a GTHO Phase III.

It is the ultimate aspirational purchase; the model with undisputed pole position on thousands of 'when I win the Lotto' lists. Officially there were 300 Phase III GTHO Falcons built. The car's existence was confirmed via a simple Technical Memo issued to dealers and detailing the differences between Phase IIIs and the basic Falcon GT.

As a racing car the Phase III really didn't accomplish all that much. Bathurst dominance in 1971 and the 1973 Touring Car title (as an Improved Production car) were significant results but skimpy when compared to the achievements of the A9X Torana or even Ford's own XA-XB Hardtop. Race-circuit heroics are just one aspect of the Phase III's mystique and market appeal. Based on verifiable top speed it was for a time the fastest four-door car in the world. At $5200 new it wasn't a cheap but well within the means of locals who might otherwise have bought a V8 Benz or imported US performance car. If you could get one at all.

Add to those factors the sound of that free-revving Cleveland V8 and the 'shaker' air intake (which only the XY GT and its derivative would ever offer in this country) and you have a collectible of mighty proportions. Discussing how a Phase III might perform if asked to adopt the role of regular transport is pretty much irrelevant. They would undoubtedly rate as the coolest car ever in the school drop-off zone but people aren't going to buy them for that. For good or ill, these are cars that will sit for the vast proportion of their future lives in darkened garages and sheds, probably covered by a dust-sheet. The only time their pristine paint might be exposed to light is when a proud owner says (often for the umpteenth time) "Have I shown you the car yet?"