David Jamieson Mustang
I’ve
been meaning to write to you for some time now and the lightning rod for my contact relates to yet another fine article in issue #85 on Mustangs in Australia and the subsequent followup in issue #88 in Whaddayaknow? Both relate to the Dave Jamieson Boss 351 Mustang that made a cameo in Sandown’s 1973 ATCC round, which lives on today, I learned from issue #88, owned by Ian Bowen.
Being a member of the Mustang Owners Club of Australia – Victoria chapter, I’ve seen this car and didn’t realise its pedigree until now. Gobsmacked is all I can say. I’ve owned Mustangs, starting with a ’69 Mach1 (a cult favourite) through to my current car, a 1973 Mach 1 (see photo). My dream car was one of the big ’71 to ’73 Mustangs which I have fulfilled by finding one which has taken me years to source a good, highly-optioned, low-mileage example. This series suits my maturing outlook as these stunningly styled and well-engineered muscle cars (did say I am 56?) are where it’s at for me.
If I didn’t have the Mach 1, I would seriously consider purchasing Ian Bowen’s beautiful Boss.
Being the proud owner of one of these stunning examples from the early 1970s, I have been harbouring a thought for a very long time now and hope you and your magazine can address it. Issue #85 had a reference to an example of these Mustangs being imported by Ford Australia from the United States to be used as the basis for the XB GTs styling, including its stripe design. This story/rumour keeps on coming up and has been referenced more than once in your magazine.
I can’t stand it anymore! I would love to know what the story is behind the refined, masculine styling of the XB GT. Clearly, when you compare the 1973 Mustang Mach 1 model to the XB GT, the XB was a direct copy of what appears to be the ’73 model year’s cars. This is significant. It was the only time a Falcon GT was a direct copy of the Mustang from the general design including a flat back tunnel rear window shape with bulging rear end panels, grille shape, NACA-duct bonnet scoops right down to the stripe kit. This was a clear Ford design signature of the early 1970s on everything from the Torino, Mustang, Cyclone and Montego right down to our Falcon hardtops and Landaus. Stunning looks that coincidentally
could be hotted up so easily with those large rear panels begging for performance rubber, and enshrined in the XB Mad Max Interceptor. This was a significant step up from the mere Mustang styling cues like the Coke bottle rear doors of the earlier XR to XY Falcons.
It is significant that the last performance model series both here and in the States finally came together in a shared styling brief that Broadmeadows unashamedly copied. This is no bad thing as the big Mustang was one of the most stunning muscle cars of the era, especially when fully optioned with all the performance styling and mechanical gear and it translated so seamlessly into what many regard as a mature, refined and handsome look in the XB.
So I humbly ask if you can find out the history of the styling exercise that brought the two legendary Fords together and culminated in the stunning looking road going XB GT. Now that’s a great story that’s long been begging to be unlocked!
Robert Wiatrowski Via email
ED: Yes, Robert, there’s potentially a great story to be unlocked. The key is tracking down a surviving Ford stylist who worked on the project to interview to shed more light on this topic.