POT O’ GOLD
> WHEN BROCK MAHONEY WENT LOOKING FOR A JOHN GOSS SPECIAL XB FALCON, HE NEVER EXPECTED TO FIND IT IN THE EMERALD ISLE!
‘WILL travel for right car’ has taken on a whole new meaning for Sunshine Coast local Brock Mahoney. After finishing his show-stomping red XC coupe IN ENVY (SM, Sep ’14), Brock was keen for a project that took on more of a ‘street’ role but had genuine sports lineage – namely an XB John Goss Special.
“My dad Kevin bought the red XC brand new in ’77, but nearly traded it on a blue John Goss Special not long after,” Brock explains. “So there’s a family connection there, but I just love them regardless. My only stipulation was that it had to be the Apollo Blue version and not the Emerald Fire green; it made the pickings even slimmer, but I just prefer the blue option.”
So Brock put out the feelers for a suitable candidate. Around this time, a mutual friend introduced him to Ben Atkinson from Seven82motors on the Gold Coast – another bloke very familiar with rebuilding his dad’s old hardtop – and Brock told him of his interest in buying a Goss.
“Brock found one for sale in Sydney,” Ben says. “I happened to be road tripping back from Victoria in a ’64 Impala, so Brock got me to swing by and take a look. It was the wrong car for his plans but definitely got the Goss fire in his belly well and truly burning.”
Brock was on a mission and it wasn’t long before he found another needing inspection. “Brock sent me a screenshot of an XB wearing unusual number plates followed by the message: ‘Do you want to go to Ireland?’ I didn’t have to think about it too much!” Ben laughs.
The boys moved quickly and were soon on a flight to the Emerald Isle. They were happy with the Goss – truly a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – and the whole deal was wrapped up within a matter of days of it first being advertised.
“It was sent to Ireland a decade ago and the seller, Tom, had owned it for eight of those years,” Brock explains. “He completed a ground-up rebuild for his wedding back in 2012, and fell in love with Aussie Falcons after seeing an XA GT at Bondi Beach while on holidays many years ago. Tom’s done an amazing job with the car and knows his stuff about these hardtops – he’d put many Aussie ‘experts’ to shame.”
The 351, T5 trans and Weld wheels may not be original, but plans are afoot for the Seven82 boys to dress the motor as a factory 302, swap the rims for a set of 12-slotters and make a few other tweaks. “Once it’s home it’ll go to Ben’s shop to get some of the authenticity elements back up to scratch,” Brock says. “I already have a modified version with the XC, so a stocker will give me the best of both worlds.”
When I quizzed Brock as to whether Emerald Fire green would actually be the more appropriate colour for a now-expat Irish Goss, he was quick to nip that in the bud: “No chance; it’ll be back home soon mate, so Apollo makes it a true-blue Aussie once again!” Touché, sir, touché.