HARDTOP ANNIVERSARY
It was Falcon coupes a-go-go at Mt Panorama for the 40th anniversary of a historic Bathurst win
MOUNTAIN 'TOPS 150 FALCON HARDTOPS CONVERGE UPON MOUNT PANORAMA TO COMMEMORATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF AN HISTORIC BATHURST WIN
IF YOU’RE a car guy or girl, odds are that your world stops for one weekend each year for the Bathurst 1000. It’s a time for hanging with mates and sinking a few cold ones in front of the TV – or better yet, on the Mountain itself.
For Ford fans, not many Bathurst moments rank as highly, or burn as brightly in the memory as the Moffat Ford Dealers team 1-2 win in 1977 in their XC Falcon hardtops. It was a decisive victory, with the third-placed Torana of privateer Peter Janson a lap behind. But the win wasn’t without a little controversy, thanks to Allan Moffat pulling rank as team owner. Despite his car suffering a lack of brakes and increasing lap times, Moffat instructed Bond to stay behind him in second place in the #2 car as they rolled across the finish line together. In subsequent years, Moffat has been quoted as saying he has no regrets over the decision to keep the faster Bond back. For his part, Bond has said that he wishes he’d broken rank and powered on for the win.
Regardless, it was an iconic moment in Australian racing, and it has been bringing Falcon coupe owners together every two years since 2007 for the Hardtop Anniversary.
The 2017 Hardtop Anniversary was particularly special in that it celebrated not only the 40th anniversary of that Bathurst win, but also a decade of the event itself. Traditionally held in Echuca in Victoria, the 2017 event moved to its spiritual home, Mount Panorama. This meant a change in dates and activities, but the new location also helped attract additional entrants. Around 150 XA/XB/XC coupes converged upon the Mount, coming from
IT DIDN’T SEEM TO MATTER WHERE YOU WENT AROUND BATHURST, FALCON COUPES WERE EVERYWHERE
every state in the nation – about 35 more vehicles than the 2015 event.
After entrants’ registration, the first official activity of the weekend was a parade lap around the track. Naturally, a few eager owners had already spent some time cruising the Mountain beforehand, including our 2016 Street Machine Of The Year winner, West Australian Chris Bitmead’s XBOSS.
We had Chris doing some laps for our cameras, and he also handed the keys to each of his crew members throughout the weekend for a few laps of their own. It was the first real cruising the car had done since some test drives during the build, and everyone seemed pretty stoked with the result.
It didn’t seem to matter where you went around Bathurst – hotel car parks, CBD shopping or on the street – Falcon coupes were everywhere. While activities on a closed track weren’t possible, the weekend was still pretty full for those entered. Friday afternoon included a visit to the National Motor Racing Museum and a Q&A session with members of the Moffat Ford Dealers team. The museum has played host to Moffat’s original #1 car for the past few decades. Saturday saw entrants out and about visiting local attractions and an informal dinner later in the evening.
But for both entrants and spectators, Sunday was definitely the highlight of the weekend. On a beautiful spring morning, all 150 coupes
assembled in pit lane, completely filling it from one end to the other. Parked close together and with all available space around them full of punters, it looked as if all the Falcon coupes in the world had made the journey.
Two signing sessions took place in one of the pit garages, and the line quickly stretched out and around the main building as Ford fans assembled with their air cleaner covers, glovebox lids, model cars and other collectibles to be autographed. Members of the Moffat Ford Dealers team, including Colin Bond and Alan Moffat himself, were on hand and must have signed several hundred pieces each. Racing veteran Murray Carter was also in attendance, as was Fred Gibson, who raced competitively from the 60s to the 80s and is the name behind Gibson Motorsport.
It’ll surely be hard to beat this year’s Hardtop Anniversary at Bathurst, but we’re sure the organisers at the Ford Coupe Club of Australia will have something great lined up in time for the 2019 event.
MEMBERS OF THE MOFFAT FORD DEALERS TEAM, INCLUDING COLIN BOND AND ALAN MOFFAT HIMSELF, WERE ON HAND