AUSSIE GRUNT!
50 YEARS OF V8 FALCON GT
On Sunday October 1, 1967, Ford Australia, Fred Gibson and Harry Firth made history together, when they claimed the first ever Bathurst victor y for Falcon.
Of equal significance: it was the first Bathurst win by a V8 (the 289ci) and the model was the first-ever local Falcon GT, the XR. It changed the face of Australia’s biggest race forever, but it was far from a straightfor ward victor y.
At the end of the 500 gruelling miles the chequered f lag was actually waved at Pete Geoghegan in a sister XR GT, because of a lap scoring blunder by the race timekeepers. Firth then protested the result.
Early on Geoghegan almost ran out of fuel coming past the pits. He couldn’t dive in as he would be disqualified. Instead, he drove into the back of the pits via an entry on Mountain Straight, lobbed back on pitlane and crossed the finish line, located before his pit bay and was credited with the extra lap.
A full week went by before Gibson and Firth were declared the official winners and it ignited a simmering feud between Firth and the Geoghegans.
Firth was already a Bathurst race winner and in 1966, piloting a Mini Cooper S, Gibson had finished second outright.
The XR GT came about because the charismatic head of Ford Australia,
"I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND HARRY, IN HIS PYJAMAS, INVITED ME IN"
American Bill Bourke wasn’t content with offering a V8 option in the XR – he wanted to offer buyers something special that would prove itself on the race tracks of Australia.
Only 596 were ever made and all in GT Gold, though a handful were painted silver for Bathurst race sponsor, Gallaher Tobacco and the Gibson Firth car was Iv y Green.
On the eve of this year’s Bathurst race and the 50th anniversary of his and Falcon’s great triumph, Unique Cars sat down with Fred Gibson and wound the clock back to 1967.
Unique Cars: So how did the drive with Ford come about?
Fred Gibson: Frank Matich was supposed to drive with Harry (Firth) at Bathurst that year. But he couldn’t get back from the States where he was competing in the CanAm series. I knew Frank well as I raced against him in the Elfin 400 sportscar and bought race tyres from him.
So Frank suggested to Ford that they should ask me to drive and Max Ward from Ford PR rang me at my business, Road and Track in Randwick (NSW) and asked if I was interested in driving with Harry Firth at Bathurst.
I asked what was next and Wardy said, “Meet Harry at Bathurst on Friday evening.”
I said, “Hang on a minute, I haven’t driven one
of these things. They’re a big car.”
Ward arranged for Gibson to drive a press car. So Gibson’s introduction to the XR GT was a drive around the block and down to Coogee Beach and back. Armed with about five XR GT miles under his belt, Gibson headed to Bathurst.
UC: What was it like meeting Harry for the first time?
FG: I arrived at the motel and knocked on the door and Harry, in his pyjamas, invited me in. I had never met him before and told him it was a pleasure to drive with him. His reckoning was that if Frank had recommended me I must be half a chance. We spoke about the car and I asked him what chance did we have. He said, 'There’s no substitute for cubic capacity at Bathurst, Cock. The Alfa Romeos will go alright, but we’ll have more competition from Pete and Leo Geoghegan and Bob Jane in the other two factory Falcons.'
While Firth prepped all three Ford factory race cars, he handed the Geoghegan and Jane cars over so they could do final tweaking to their liking, run the tyres they wanted etc.
FG: Saturday was practice day. I had a run, Harry had a run and we were on the pace.
Then Harry put me in the car for qualif ying
which I thought was a pretty big deal. Any way, I got baulked on my best lap and Pete Geoghegan beat me by 1,000th of a second for pole.
I thought that was pretty special against Pete and he came over and congratulated me on the lap.
Then I ended up starting the race which was another surprise. So I led the race and Harry wandered out to the painted line separating pitlane and the track and pointed sideways with his thumb. I thought what does that mean? Maybe he wants me to go faster… So I went faster, then he came out again, same sign. Shit, he wants me to go faster again. So I went faster again. A few laps later he came out again and gave me the thumbs up as I was circulating at the pace he wanted. He was right about the Alfas; they were quick but their wheel nuts kept coming loose so they had to keep pitting.
Then came the pitstops, which were nothing like today. A two-minute pitstop was considered lightning fast! We had to use the standard wheel brace and jack supplied with the car. Our mechanics wore white overalls so looked professional. Refuelling consisted of taking off the filler cap and upending a five-gallon fuel drum with a plastic hose attached to it. As one drum emptied you’d add another one and when it started pouring out the filler neck you’d stop and put the cap back on. And the filler cap was on the back guard above the rear wheel and hot brakes. If the bloke changing the wheel hadn’t finished he’d end up getting soaked in fuel.
Any way, after Harry’s stint I got back in the car and finished the race.
UC: But you weren’t declared the winners?
FG: Harry was pissed off big time when they gave the Geoghegans the chequered f lag. He knew they hadn’t won and they knew they hadn’t won.
Harry’s lap scorers knew what’s what. Harry was dark because they didn’t present the trophy to us until a week later after he protested the result and explained why. Then the ARDC saw their error.
Our car was a jet the whole day.