1978 FORD XC COBRA
LAST RUN OF THE BIG COUPE, WITH ALL THE EXTRAS
IN CASE you’re getting a sudden sense of déjà vu, yes, we did cover one of these not so long ago. In fact Cobra hardtop number 400 (the final one) featured on our cover last April (issue 438). That was the remarkable story of Damien Lowry and his encounter with legendary street machine builder Howard Astill to complete the resto. (Look for it at tradeuniquecars.com.au.)
Needled or encouraged (maybe both!) by the success of the Holden Monaro, and then the Charger, local Ford execs were no doubt keen to see their coupe join the fray. In any case, the hardtop was far more about image than it was volume. Ford Australia, like the others, wanted a sexy coupe in the showroom. It helped get people through the door to dream a little, even if they in reality bought a family wagon.
Without question, its golden moment was the one-two finish by Allan
“THIS IS BUILD NUMBER 140 AND IT SEEMS THE ORIGINAL OWNER WAS KEEN TO LOAD IT UP WITH ALL THE GEAR”
Moffat and Colin Bond at Bathurst in 1977. Even that was not enough to propel it to runaway success, so build numbers were never huge.
The final iteration was this, the Cobra, dreamed up by the motor company (and scion Edsel Ford II) as a way of making good use of the final stock of shells. Numbers were more or less evenly split between 4.9 and 5.8lt V8 powerplants with a wide range of options available.
This is build number 140 and it seems the original owner was keen to load it up with all the gear. That means it has the big engine, auto, the 9-inch LSD rear, air-con, power windows – you name it. We’re told it underwent a complete resto around four years ago and still looks fresh.
Australian Muscle Car Sales has this one and its priced at $225,000. See