You mighta loved all that.but i loved JACK SQUAT! im using that for sure! Onya mate

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

Use it mate!!! It is a rare and slight hidden gem in Midwestern USA slang haha

@kevkoala

2 жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker Here it's similar but "Diddly Squat!

@aussieguy3689

2 жыл бұрын

@@kevkoala Hahaha sure is and we also say " Jack Shit " ! 👍

@jono.pom-downunder

2 жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker in the UK SFA(sweet fanny Adams originally) now Sweet Fuck All

@EVOETR1

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry but us Kiwi’s say jack squat too, along with sweet f**k all and jack shit lol and diddly squat as well

Ian a few people have recommended "Love The Beast" which is an Eric Bana doco on his car and the Targa Tasmania circuit, and although I also agree that it isn't suitable for your channel it is definitely one to watch in your spare time - you definitely won't be disappointed. Whilst on the subject of Eric Bana you should also watch the Independent Aussie Film "The Castle" which he also acted in for a fairly true portrayal of Aussie Culture.

@redoz9768

2 жыл бұрын

I second this suggestion.

@lachlanbarnes8502

2 жыл бұрын

If you’re gonna watch The Castle, you HAVE to watch Chopper

@fredderf551

2 жыл бұрын

you have to love actors who think they're race car drivers​. The Nugget is funny

@MrGutfeeling

2 жыл бұрын

@@lachlanbarnes8502 TRUE!!

@HighwayRamos

2 жыл бұрын

@@fredderf551 Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were race car drivers.

The red and white car was a Holden Commodore so a full size family sedan, gives you an idea of the size of the falcon. That guy really knows where and when he's got traction!

@paspax

3 жыл бұрын

Those early Commodores were small cars. The Falcons and previous generation Holden Kingswoods were full size in Australia.

@bar187

2 жыл бұрын

@Steve P, I think it was a VB Commodore?

@fnp865

2 жыл бұрын

VH, and yeah a bit smaller than the typical full sized family car until the VN came along in 1988.

@corzahazard444

2 жыл бұрын

@@bar187 It's a VH Group 3 SS kzread.info/dash/bejne/Za6gqtZ_hZjbhrw.html

@fugawiaus

2 жыл бұрын

Compared to the yanks, falcons were considered medium cars.

The Cobra only had 400 made, and came in 2 sizes, split evenly: 351 Cleveland V8 and 302 Cleveland V8

@MrTallpoppy58

2 жыл бұрын

......have to be a 351 ?

@AdelaideGuy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Dont forget the Stillwell cobra (sedan)

@ashholliday524

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrTallpoppy58 ford australia dumped whatever stock they had to get rid of the remaining v8s and coupe chassis when the fuel crisis hit my man

@MrTallpoppy58

2 жыл бұрын

@@ashholliday524 1st, I am not your "man" 2nd, wtf are you on about ? My comment was to, the car sounded like a 351, nothing more. Who would race a 302 and never heard of an Australian 400. 3rd, I dont give a shit about what ford did or did not do. Stay on topic my darling.

@ashholliday524

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrTallpoppy58 nobody mentioned an australian 400 either. clearly a referance to the prductio

There’s a good doco of Eric Bana at Targa Tasmania called Love the Beast. It’s a good watch, probably not ideal for your content, but worth seeing.

@kevkoala

3 жыл бұрын

Just to add to that, yes, Eric did have the car repaired and it's probably the best handling XB now as a result! :D

@Phillbie

3 жыл бұрын

Lol, was coming down to recommend "Love the Beast." as you said, not one iWrocker needs to react to, but one he needs to see.

@richmanricho

2 жыл бұрын

@@Phillbie ditto, was looking for a comment mentioning it.

@xeroxene

2 жыл бұрын

+1 Definitely worth watching

@RoverIAC

2 жыл бұрын

Beast is a great movie for anyone who loves their car just that little bit to much, The Beast is basically the same as the car in this video except for slight changes to the grill and lights, same as the Mad Max car. All of them are 351.

I’m a Ford girl!! My dad had a large Ford dealership in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne. I was driven to high school,in one of these by my dad. The guys at school were so impressed!!

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

Now That sounds fun! Lucky Girl

@Slowrex123

2 жыл бұрын

My mum and dad bought 2 brand new falcons from your dads dealership in 1984 and 1987.

@karenglenn6707

2 жыл бұрын

@@Slowrex123 oh wow!! What a coincidence. I’ve also,met,another guy on KZread whose parents bought their first ever new car from my father’s dealership..Glenn Ford on Burwood Hwy. Many people still remember the name, even after such a long time. He’s 87 next month and lives on the Gold Coast now. He sold it to Stilwell Ford, he worked for Bib Stilwell when he first started when I was a kid. I loved being driven to high school in the Cobra, my favourite car.

Bro, I think we should make you an 'honorary Aussie' and throw you a dual citizenship. You love this place and everything about it as much as we do. :)

@jasonbull5298

3 жыл бұрын

Agree 100%, I’m even learning stuff from watching all of the videos…

@devilspen4892

2 жыл бұрын

I’m sure we can find him someone to swap for. Plenty of people that don’t deserve to be here

@mjustjeanette7026

2 жыл бұрын

Was thinking the same thing.

@NeonGenesisPlatinum

2 жыл бұрын

I'll sponsor him for sure!

@watsisbuttndo829

2 жыл бұрын

He's ticking all the boxes. But at the end of the day the only requirement should be "try not to be an asshole" . Sadly a task a lot of locals fail at.

I worked on this motor. 351 Cleveland with 302 conrods (long rods) ACL pistons with shortened pin height to suit the longer rods. 2V closed chamber heads with 4V valves and modified combustion chamber to get compression rights

@racer1412

2 жыл бұрын

many many moons ago we used to use the 302 rods on the 351 cranks and by memory used hemi/Chrysler pistons as didnt have access to custom type pistons back then

@watsisbuttndo829

2 жыл бұрын

It sounds sweet.

@zwiastunburzy7188

2 жыл бұрын

You are a credit to this car and THAT sound! Man you had that thing sorted. Well done....er, do people ever call you Reg and make untoward comments about your undies? Lol. In the eighties I was blessed to own a XA Fairmont, that had the complete running gear, from front to back, including the four wheel disc brakes, 351C, Toploader and 9 inch transplanted into it from a wrecked GT. Even the shockers went in, and boy, did that car sound and drive gloriously. Had a bit of cam and head work done also. I miss that beast to this day.

G'day Ian...I am a Ford guy...got a 2008 FG XR6 and a 2001 Futura...The car is a 1978 Cobra..it's an XC model..similar to the Mad Max Interceptor but that was an XB previous model..came with both 302 and 351... Targa Tasmania is run over a week over 2500 kilometres of closed public roads..and cuts through some of our incredible and famous roads...the event itself is well known around the world..Brocky didn't pass away at Targa Tas but it was a Targa event in 2006 in Western Australia...Thanks so much again for your great videos...cheers. Rod in Tasmania...

Loving how much you're getting into everything Aus, cheers mate, you're always welcome here

@andrewforbes146

3 жыл бұрын

i will second that Harley

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

@@andrewforbes146 Hey thank you so much for your Donation earlier. I truly appreciate that and you always being here!!!

@SuperGamewarrior101

Жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker I reckon you should try reacting to one of the earlier Targa events that are now available to watch

If it looks familiar, that's the body style used for the Mad Max Intercepter.

@garrybull8704

3 жыл бұрын

it is the same model as mad max

@AussieDave69

3 жыл бұрын

@@garrybull8704 The falcon used in Mad Max was stored in the workshop where i worked never got tired of hearing it start up before location work

@paspax

3 жыл бұрын

@@garrybull8704 Max's interceptor was an XB. The bodyshell is not exactly the same on the inside, but it does look the same on the outside.

@mr.sleepy4534

2 жыл бұрын

@@paspax Except the front panels and headlamp array.

@paspax

2 жыл бұрын

@@mr.sleepy4534 .... Well, yeah, and the front bumper.

This Video made me realise how lucky I am to live in Tassie and being able to go watch this every year since I was a young feller

Hey man, I'm from NZ, enjoyed your reaction. :) I have one of these in my shed. (2-door) There were 3 models of 2-door, XA, XB, and the cobra was the last, the XC. (Mine is XA) They're most famous for being the base car for the Mad Max interceptor. Cheers dude ;)

Tassie has some of the best roads in the country. I was born and raised there, live in WA now, but I tell all my mates with motorcycles, if you want to go on a good holiday, take your bike to Tassie. A lot have now thanked me for it

@tristanmeadows

3 жыл бұрын

i spoke to a bloke that lives down there and he said they let you rip on the bikes as long as it isnt within the town area's lol

@paspax

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, a Tassie bike tour is on my bucket list.

@aflaz171

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, they put car drivers in terrible danger down there when they lean hard and cross onto the wrong side while your coming the other way with ya family onboard! Like missiles if they hit you.

@timjohnun4297

2 жыл бұрын

@@tristanmeadows never heard that one 🤷‍♂️

@andrewrose9707

2 жыл бұрын

Couldn't agree more, Tassie is God's gift to motorcyclists. Had a couple of motorcycling trips down there now and can't wait to go again (especially as we are now enduring yet another lockdown in Melbourne). The sparse population and plethora of winding, lightly trafficked roads makes it an experience never to be forgotten

You should check out "Love The Beast". Eric Bana's GT falcon. It's a fantastic watch.

@MrMerlinPower

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@tezgm99

3 жыл бұрын

Double agreed, lol

@godfroi10991

3 жыл бұрын

Triple agreed!

@mjustjeanette7026

2 жыл бұрын

Quad.

The xa to xc Falcons could also fit a heap more rubber under the rear making them look even tougher than the one in the video. I'm Holden through and through but always had a soft spot for the coupes. My favourite paint scheme hands down was privateer Murray Carter at Bathurst. Sounds like you need to make the pilgrimage to Bathurst one day. Love your passion for it 😀

@meganwilliams2962

2 жыл бұрын

I loved my XF wagon :-). Monza Red, she was.

@XxmillerniaxX

2 жыл бұрын

AS someone who owned an XB Coupe, yeah the wide tyres on the rear were great until you went around a corner at speed, then the back tried to catch up with the front.

@chrisjohnston9454

2 жыл бұрын

Ford deliberately designed the coupe (xa-xc same body just updated with each new model released) to fit 10 inch tyres for racing (re specially Bathurst, win on Sunday sell on Monday) but the bean counters (company accountants) canned the 10 inch tyres.

I'm a Holden guy till I die, but ford xb coupe is an awesome looking car,the best design ford ever did by far, pictures and video don't do the shape of this car justice,in the flesh these cars are absolutely beautiful

@4ard4

2 жыл бұрын

It's an XC bro

@adamlee9071

2 жыл бұрын

@@4ard4 yes I know it is,I'm talking about the xb

Great upload Ian fantastic mate loved it , And the red and white car he passed was a holden commodore think it was a " VH " . 👌👍

Correction to Peter Brock mention around 10:30 . Was in Western Australia. The event where Peter Brock made his fatal error was Targa West. This other Targa was a Western Australia attempt at replicating the success of Targa Tasmania with a similar event but on worse roads. Although Targa Tasmania has had too many fatalities also.

@dylanzrim3635

3 жыл бұрын

Rally driving is dangerous, death is part of the game. Saying “too many” implies that there’s a way to reduce deaths while preserving the essence of rally.. look at every other sport ever, and you’ll see that such a scenario doesn’t exist.

@lukemanion2

2 жыл бұрын

any is too many but before this year there had been 1 since 1992, this year was really unfortunate but is definately not a reflection of the overall safety through the events history

@carseyeadmire

2 жыл бұрын

The first fatality was an unfortunate one. Apparently the car landed upside down in a ravine and he drowned.

Hi Ian. Peter Brock was my favourite driver. On 8 September 2006, while driving in the Targa West '06 rally, Brock was 3 kilometres from the finish of the second stage of the race at Gidgegannup, about 40 km from Perth, Western Australia, when he skidded off a downhill left-hand bend on Clenton Road for over 50 metres in his 2001 Daytona sportscar and hit a tree sideways, in the driver's door. The 61-year-old Brock died within a couple of minutes of the impact. His co-driver, Mick Hone, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. Watch the Bathurst 500 highlights from 1972 and the 1st 1000 in '73. Then '74 etc. When you get to 1983, I recommend you try and watch the full race, (and watch the qualifying top 11 video first). You have already seen Dick Johnson's crash in qualifying for the 1983 race.

I reside in New Zealand, and regularly NZ and Aus cars move between our two countries for race events . Occasionally, we team up with the Aussies, and take cars to large race meetings in USA. As a rule we surprise the heck out of Americans, because we tend to drive so hard. Glad you enjoy our stuff.

@truthseeker7322

2 жыл бұрын

Truth there mate.

@johnmoyle4195

2 жыл бұрын

New Zealanders are our best mates in the world. We love teasing them, but we adore them.

@TheGrayWarbler

2 жыл бұрын

@@johnmoyle4195 Right back at ya mate!

Ahhh that entire running gear! 351C,Toploader, 9'' Diff...Enough said!

@watsisbuttndo829

2 жыл бұрын

That driveline used to be able to be aquired for a couple of grand in the early eighties. I miss the days you could beat the shit out of a cleveland and not worry about blowing it up.

See's a Commodore, "What's that?" Lol. Love it! It's like he's looking at some fine art, then someone slips a dog turd in there. Hahaha!

@JohnSmith-rw8uh

2 жыл бұрын

The Cobra - the ugliest and tackiest of all the Falcon coupes failed dimally at Bathurst that year. Poetic justice

G'day again Ian, back in the day ( around 40 year's ago) I had an LJ Tarana 1300 go to work ride, & an XB Ford Falcon 500, 302 with a 30/70 cam & a Hollie 4 barrel duell pumper on top, T- bar auto, weekend ride.. there are times I miss em..

Awesome bud, so good to see, that's the most air time live w/sound! of the Cobra I've had the pleasure of watching, well done, Wrock on 🏁

Watch the Eric Bana doco, ‘Love the Beast’. It’s about a 2 door Falcon like this he rebuilt for the same, Targa Tasmania. This car doesn’t look balanced, rear tyres way to skinny, front end way too high, but that’s looks, it’s probably set up for the stint and looks are secondary.

@johnphaceas7434

2 жыл бұрын

The Beast is such a great doco. Bana's coupe was definitely better balanced than this one, right up til he went off the road and into the trees. Unfortunately. This Cobra is probably all stock, so 70s ride height, tyres etc. Bana's was modified as much as he could get away with under the rules of his class of racing.

This year's Targa Tas Condolences to those that lost loved ones. Such a great race

@carseyeadmire

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it was a sad event this year.

@glennvandenberg3912

2 жыл бұрын

How many lost thier lives?

@hainesy67

2 жыл бұрын

@@glennvandenberg3912 2 drivers, such an iconic event now has a pretty big shadow over it continuing. So sad for families, in saying that they it was their passion.

@carseyeadmire

2 жыл бұрын

@@glennvandenberg3912 it was 3. 1 in 1 accident where the car landed upside down in a ravine and another on the last day where the car hit a tree and killed the driver and navigator Any relationship to a Jamie?

@hainesy67

2 жыл бұрын

@UCzC9Capm1BTivgd0onU379Q It was Targa West, which is in Perth where Brock passed Mate😥

Loving your reactions to our classic beasts. The red and white car that the Falcon passed was an early Holden Commodore, a few years newer than the falcon (about 1979-1984). I'm pretty new to your channel but I'm loving it already. Keep it going mate!!

I'm super impressed with the camera work. I know this is played out over the span of a number of days. But hats off to the cinematic feel of it. Australians still know how to shoot cars the old fashioned way. And not that Fast and Furycrap way of faking it.

I'm from the coastal rural towns south of Sydney and the scenery looks just like this. Check out a place called Kiama..

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

I can't wait to see the areas around and outside of Sydney! Heard so far it is cool!

@CyrusCageSCWS

2 жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker Thanks dude! It's really refreshing to see an American take such an honest interest in our culture. I would also recommend a video on Nimbin.. It's our historical marijuana capitol. Oh and a TV show called Fat Pizza.. Preferably season 3. It's the best. Enjoy 🤘💚

@godfroi10991

2 жыл бұрын

That whole area, from the Gong down to Eden is spectacular! Tathra/Bournda has to be my fav, though I do love Thirroul/Austinmer.

@CyrusCageSCWS

2 жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker Here's a wild episode of Fat Pizza, a local Sydney comedy show centred around the ethnic community. It's awesome. I grew up on this stuff. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mY2fs6uAepyuabw.html

@adamlee9071

2 жыл бұрын

Hey mate I'm in Shellharbour how ya goin', Yeah Ian he is right,it is beautiful down south of Sydney

Mate you need to do one on the GT-HO PHASE 3. About tuff they were and were the fastest 4 door production car in the world plus how much one cost to buy now.

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

That is forsure coming soon!!!!

@NPC-fl3gq

2 жыл бұрын

I'm a holden man... but yup, the phase III was an outstanding aussie muscle car. Right up there with 427 HQ monaros and the classic VH/VK commodores (like the VK group A).

@Grumpy_CBG

2 жыл бұрын

@@NPC-fl3gq 327 monaros, still had nothing on the 265 powered E49 Chargers, and as far as right up there, both the phase 3 and E49 ran 14.4 off the showroom floor in 1971, closest Holden ever got was the Brock specials in 1985 with a 15.3 1/4 mile time. Brock proving you didn't need the fastest car to dominate.

@NPC-fl3gq

2 жыл бұрын

@@Grumpy_CBG Sorry, that was a typo. (427 instead of 327) And yeah, to finish first, first you have to finish!!

@Grant82gc

2 жыл бұрын

Before I was born My dad actually had a GTHO phase 3, an E48 and a E49 charger. Oh and a sandman panelvan with a heap of work done to it. When I was young he had a worked 308 Holden one tonner (flatbed) which got me into cars. We then later built the first road registered 13b turbo S3 RX7 in Australia, it had the full group Alan mofft 3 body kit on it. I'm almost 40 now and my love for cars still ingrained in me.

Just a matter of interest, the XC Cobra was the last of the Superbird Falcon coupes (XA, XB and XC Models) and came with either the 302 or 351 Australian made Cleveland engine. It was my teenage dream car. That red and white car that you saw it passing was a later model Holden Commodore (either a VC or a VH Model, I couldn't quite make out the grille) which was a car made famous by Peter Brock and a car that basically took over the muscle car mantle in Australia from the Superbird Falcons in the early 80s when Ford had reverted to making sedans only.

It’s a pleasant surprise to see someone making videos of my home state. I spectate Targa Tasmania every year, following the cars around all the stages in my Toyota Supra. It really makes me appreciate the beauty of my state to hear you talk about it, to me it’s just so normal. It’s a small isolated part of the world, and for that reason alone I love it. Sadly it’s starting to get busy, especially these past couple years. Its becoming increasingly difficult to afford land or a house.

we don’t really associate Ford America and Ford Australia as the same brand here. A lot of us think of them as seperate brands pretty much due to them almost acting as seperate brands when ford aus was still around.

@andrewg2618

2 жыл бұрын

Very true...but even though from the XAs onwards the Falcons were designed in Australia, they all required sign off from Detroit.

@Tomoslb1

2 жыл бұрын

@@andrewg2618 Not like the Fords today, European re-brands at least they are made in Germany.

@fnp865

2 жыл бұрын

So true. There's been a few points when was suggested replacing the Falcon with the soggy Taurus with it's front wheel drive-ness, and the volume of outrage cannot be overstated.

@Tomoslb1

2 жыл бұрын

@@fnp865 And sadly Holden went that same way in it's last years with the Insignia rebrand wagons and sedans. I only saw one wagon on the road and I used to drive from the Northern beaches to western sydney.

@johnd8892

2 жыл бұрын

In the last year's of Falcon production Ford did close to zero advertising for Falcon but lots for Mondeo. Hoping we would all take up the late Mondeo that was Falcon size but front wheel drive. A major company sharing my office building around 2014 went all Mondeo for its fleet, so must have got a good deal on them. Ford expecting as much sales share as the US model labelled the Ford Fusion.

It sounds soooo good, its a classic and a legend

Hey! Tasmania! Love going to the Targa rally ! It's amazing seeing the fleet of 50+ Porsches drive between circuits on the normal public roads

Just got back from Tassie and it was the most beautiful place I've been in Aus, WHEN you come down you have to go there!

Awesome video. I’m a Holden man but I love the Falcons of the 60’s and 70’s especially the coupes. I’d say this particular one has had major upgrades. Handling and breakes were definitely not their strong suit (as nearly all cars from that era) my mate inherited a genuine XC Cobra when his dad passed. It’s a 351 Clevo and unrestored unmolested thing OG beauty

@peterj5751

2 жыл бұрын

Modern tyres, shocks and brake materials can eek amazing extra handling out of these things. Still not easy to steer though, this driver knows what they are doing.

Tasmania, I must admit is the most beautiful looking state I've seen

@5:39 when you say “what is that” awesome reaction man love it 😊 the good thing about Targa’s it brings out cars from the past I grew up with and watched on telly like this Cobra and I think with Ford back in the day it was go big or go home because from 1972 they had Brocky upsetting the pie cart and winning races left right and centre in a LJ Torana GTR XU1 hence the Cobra and the 1-2 finish in 1977 lol. I do agree that this thing would be a beast to drive especially in the wet, with good throttle control to get the power down is definitely a must. Really enjoyed your reaction and maybe do some more Targa’s would be great thanks man 😎

Can't believe it's been that long since I asked you to check this out, time flies lol. looking at this again after so long, Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in Tassie.

Check out the Ford GTHO phase 3. Was the fastest 4 door sedan in the world.

@marvinmartinsYT

3 жыл бұрын

The first of our V6 commodores was the first to break that record. 10 years or so the falcon held that title.

@edwardfletcher7790

3 жыл бұрын

@@marvinmartinsYT A V6 Commodore was faster than a BMW ? Riiiight lol

@marvinmartinsYT

3 жыл бұрын

@@edwardfletcher7790 Omg. Yes bro. Until you bring in M model bmw. The V8’s held all types of firsts. The grand national had the two door 6 title. Same engine.

@markatkinson2699

2 жыл бұрын

@@marvinmartinsYT err no it wasnt - the v6 was pretty slow, it was the VR GTS-R that was the first commodore to beat the GTHO phase 3

@edwardfletcher7790

2 жыл бұрын

@@marvinmartinsYT The Grand National was Turbocharged dimwit. Our VN V6 Commie was an asthmatic 170hp ! Look it up.

Brock used to race targa Tasmania but actually died in targa Western Australia. He won the Tasmanian one in a monaro

@shaneferris6742

3 жыл бұрын

Just made a moron of myself, And said this is where Brock died.

@shaneferris6742

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't memorize the details. I just knew he was gone. :(

@BentConrod

2 жыл бұрын

Brock ran the Monaro at Targa Tasmania in 2002, '03 and '04. The *best* he finished was 6th in '02. His former Bathurst co-driver, Jim Richards, is an eight time TT winner, including '02 and '03. Richards drove various iterations of the Porsche 911 for all of his wins. The winner in '04 was Tony Sullens in a Subaru Impreza WRX.

@mista2621

3 ай бұрын

And he thrashed these XC Hardtops by 13 laps at Bathurst in 79 in a 308 Torana A9X

Glad to see your on to Targa Tasmania. So many great cars and beautiful scenery. I always wanted to enter in but never got around to it.

The mosiac choices at the end. The one with most information is just past your right shoulder with the smiling suit and tie guy .

This was shot on different days and spliced together. They do multiple runs. But still cool

351 but my favourite of all time was the XA GT coupe had a pleasure to ride in one in my younger years they are the true Muscle car ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@phunkmonkeycookiegarage7773

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, you nailed it. The XA GT Coupe was the duck's nuts!

It's a 5.8 ltr 351 Cleveland I believe. That particular example is a Bathurst spec. Some Falcon Cobras came with the 4.9 ltr 302 Cleveland V8.

XC Falcon Cobras had either the 302 Cleveland or the 351 Cleveland. The Cleveland was made in Australia from 1971 to 1984. US production ended in 1974. Ford Australia supplied the 351 Cleveland for some de Tomaso models, including the Pantera from the end of US/Canadian production until the early 1980s. There were 400 Cobras made, 200 with the 351 and 200 with the 302. They were fitted with 4 wheel disc brakes. Basically it was a special run-out model to get rid of teh Coupe shells before the XD Falcon was introduced in 1979. The biggest highlight for the Falcon coupe was its Bathurst win in 1977, with Moffat/Ickx leading teammates Bond/Hamilton for a Ford 1-2. Just. The Falcon coupe's also won in 1973 (Moffat/Geoghegan) and 1974 (Goss/Bartlett).

Gotta look into some classic Holden's too being a gm fan they can be beastly

At last you return to the path of righteousness... ;) The XC Falcon Cobra was built because Ford Australia had a new model in the pipeline and needed to clear shelves. Two-door Hardtop sales had never been very strong and by 1978 were down to as little as 120 units a year - bad news when there were still 400 shells in the inventory. One idea was to paint them black, add a Playboy bunny and market them as Playboy specials, but that was rightly shot down as being inappropriate for a family car manufacturer. So Edsel Ford II put his hand up. He was in Australia to help round out his education, filling the role of assistant marketing director, and he had an idea: Cobra stripes. That was it, just give 'em Cobra stripes and a new badge. It was an established Ford brand, and it would only cost as much as an extra run through the paint shop, so Ford went for it and created a legend. The effect was done by painting the whole car Bold Blue, then taping out the stripes and spraying the Sno White over the top (with Olympic Blue edging to hide the seams) - one way to spot fakes is to run a finger over the edges, or just check the stone chips. Mechanically, though, there was nothing on a Cobra you couldn't get on an ordinary optioned-up Falcon - same 302 or 351ci Cleveland V8 (200 of each), same 3-speed auto or 4-speed manual gearbox, same four-wheel disc brakes (ask me about that, the way those were introduced was a laugh in itself...!), and although the Globe alloys, dual exhausts and reversed bonnet scoop were all very tough-looking, you could get those on pretty much any Falcon if you ticked the right option boxes. So it was a bit of a con, but it did the job. Australians went absolutely nuts for them, all 400 sold out before they even hit the dealers, and for a while anything with a Ford badge had to have imitation Cobra stripes as well. After all, there were no more Hardtop shells coming down the line, so they really were "limited edition". And, it was the brainchild of the great-grandson of Henry Ford himself. All that comes with one proviso though - if the car above is original. The fakes are many because, as I said, it's really just a paint job. The originals were all 302's or 351's, but there may be some mad lad out there who's taken an old Falcon Hardtop and given it a 7.0-litre Cobra Jet engine. I don't know of any, but I hope one's out there. On that topic, a '69 Torino Talladega is one of my bucket list cars. Edit: "What's that?" That is a VB Commodore, with Group C fender flares and whatnot.

@johnd8892

3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic detail. I was going to look up stuff about the blue paint but you did it all much better than I could. I need a laugh to the four wheel disc brake story would be good. I think Targa rules confine the cars to the engine they came with , but a few mods, so this would be no bigger than a 351 motor.

@timjohnun4297

3 жыл бұрын

Looks like a VH to me, around 1982/83

@danesorensen1775

3 жыл бұрын

@@timjohnun4297 Yeah, I think you're right actually.

@danesorensen1775

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnd8892 For the disc brake saga we've gotta go back to the '73 Sandown 250. Ford entered three works XA GT Hardtops that year - one for Allan Moffat, one for Fred Gibson, and a third car for their upcoming Bathurst co-drivers, Pete Geoghegan and Bo Seton. This third car wasn't even a racecar really, it was an orange test car entered at the request of head office. On lap 3, this car DNF'd when a rear wheel fell off - revealing a smoking, illegal rear brake disc, still hot from a thrashing by Big Pete! There were red faces all-round, both from Ford for getting caught cheating, and from CAMS for having missed something that obvious during scrutineering. To be fair, Ford had worked quite hard to hide it, even attaching the hand brake to a bonnet spring so it felt like it was still attached to something! With Bathurst coming up, rear discs mattered, and Ford was busy building 250 "further variants" of the GT Hardtop called the Landau to homologate them, as per the rules (the Landau was basically a Hardtop with the interior trim from the LTD limousine, which allowed them to sell it at a high enough price to recoup the cost). So the paperwork WAS being completed, but at Sandown it hadn't yet been rubber-stamped, and if Pete hadn't been quite so enthusiastic about throwing the car around we might never have known... Ah, CAMS, don't ever change!

@timjohnun4297

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't know the Cobra was painted blue first, interesting. Do genuine cobras have a blue engine bay? I remember my uncle had a John Goss Special, he said one way of telling a fake one of them was the colour of the engine bay. I think it had to be either blue or green, depending on the colour scheme of the car (With the Goss that is), not white

5:40 love how the VK cummodore completely dissapears behind the falcon. those cobras are absolutely amazing. alot of those scenic windy roads in the first 5 mins are in my area. i go to my mums farm each year for targa and setup on the hill to watch them go past. they are great roads to ride on the roadbike too. tassy is a great place.

That road from about 4.30 is so similar to the old Bathurst track back in the day . Great stuff !!!! The red car was a commodore like Peter Brock's.

That's what Mad Max's car looked like before the makeover.

It looks as though it's running in a classic class, so fairly restrictive class. 351c, 4spd toploader, 9" diff

@PiDsPagePrototypes

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like the FoMoCo alloy heads on the 351c too - that deeper "I can breath!" note to the sound.

These were the last of the Falcon XC coupes, they ran limited number cobras exactly this paint scheme optioned as a 4.9 as well as the 5.8. Very much in the 6 figures now.

I’m a Holden guy. Got a SSV commodore 6ltr with an xforce 3inch exhaust with a muffler delete and I love this falcon. It’s sound looks handling. Got give the driver’s credit they drove that like a boss.

Check out Eric Bana completing in Targa Tas. in an XA Falcon Coupe. He parks it in the bush !!

@kevkoala

3 жыл бұрын

Umm.. you mean XB...and yes it is repaired better than even factory! ;)

@dfiglide

2 жыл бұрын

@@kevkoala mister memory doesn't work so well these days 😆

wait until you find out about the 6cyl ford barra motor. have a look at an fpv f6 typhoon or xr6 sprint. one of the best motors in the world.

@IWrocker

3 жыл бұрын

I am looking foward to it!

@aribob2012

2 жыл бұрын

I'm an E series fan in the fords... but yeah ford falcons all the way, 🇦🇺👍

@markatkinson2699

2 жыл бұрын

@@IWrocker the turbo Barra 6 is Australia's best kept performance engine secret (well not anymore because they are exporting them to the USA by the container load now) 1000+ HP is not uncommon They are a bit like an Australian 2jz

I live on the Targa course Gunns Plains area section Leg 4 and the misty conditions in the morning is usual for the time of year they come through our valley. Tight windy downhill into the valley , then a windy uphill section heading to the west coast, unbelievable to hear and watch them take the hard left hand turn on 3 wheels normally. Allan Moffat and Colin Bond finished 1-2 at the 1977 Bathurst 1000 in XC Falcon Cobra's

There was a Targa Tassie stage that went right past my parent's farm in Buster Rd. Could sit on the hill and watch them scream over the bridge and up the hill past the driveway. It was awesome.

The XA and XB in my oppinion were nicer looking car .

@5lcalais1

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, The xc was the ugly duckling, would give my left nut for an xb hardtop 🤣 but sadly when restorers are 50k it's likely I'll never afford one 😔

Baby Got Back! One of the best rear ends on the planet?

@jpolito5

3 жыл бұрын

I’m a holden boy but I can agree

Ford xc cobra Each of the cars was given its own individual serial number and fitted with a sequentially numbered plaque (from 001 to 400) on the dash. The first 200 Cobras produced were given the 5.8L 351 Cleveland V8, while the other 200 received the 4.9L 302 Cleveland ... the only exceptions to this being build number 001 is a 302ci (4.9 litre) V8 and build number 351 is a 351ci (5.8 litre) V8. I went to my school formal in one 🤘

I lived in tassie’s west coast for 9 years. I remember some of those corners. Fun. ! Especially at night!

Great vid, the xa 2 door Ford falcon coupes are awesome looking machine's. Got one in the shed and they are rare as hens teeth. They are big heavy girls that take some concentration to race on the skinny wet Tassie roads.

That "red and white car" was one of you beloved GM products XD

@MrYayyay77

2 жыл бұрын

Holden commodore.

Back in the day, these XC coupes were sitting unsold at the factory, till a US exec saw them, got them repainted into cobra colours. They started flying out the door.

@lancetuckey6403

2 жыл бұрын

Spot on.....a marketing idea to unload old stock...

Glad you love the Aussie Muscle Cars mate! :) The car featured in this video is a Ford Falcon XC Cobra Ford - Manufacturer Falcon - Model Range XC - Series Cobra - Special edition (like a 'GT' badge) The Australian Cobra came in two distinct flavors, the 'Option 96' and the 'Option 97'. The option 96 Cobras were built in larger numbers and were the 'friendly' version of the Cobra with the choice of either a 302 Cleveland or a 351 Cleveland with either a 4-speed single rail/4-speed Toploader/FMX auto option. They could also be optioned with power windows etc. Option 97 Cobras were built so Ford Motor Company could meet the homologation requirements in order to use the XC in the Australian Touring Car Championship. Only 30 Option 97 Cobras were built and they were essentially road-legal race cars. They had the high-performance 351 Cleveland mounted to a 4-speed Toploader and 9" diff. They also had body work done to them, for example, their rear wheel wells were larger to fit wider rear tires - among other things. The easiest way to identify Option 97 from Option 96 was if it had a reverse-facing bonnet scoop that was fitted to Option 97's as standard. If you google "Option 96 Cobra" and then google "Option 97 Cobra", you will see the differences. This car in this video started life as an Option 96 and has been heavily modified to compete in Targa. The engine has been worked, as has the diff, gearbox, and brakes. The suspension has also been 'tweaked'. Basically, everything that could be done to the car, while still keeping it compliant with the class regulations of Targa Tasmania. Hope this helps :) Some other fun cars for you to check out that are uniquely Australian... Holden Torana SLR5000 Holden Torana A9X Holden HK GTS Holden HX GTS Ford Falcon XW GTHO Phase II Ford Falcon XY GHTO Phase III Ford Falcon XA GT Coupe Ford Falcon XD Phase V Ford Falcon XE Phase VI HSV Gen F GTS FPV GT-F

Hi Ian 😊😊, in America you would have all kinds of weather conditions to drive in, in Tassie you can get them on one trip, l started one day in blazing 🌞 Sun and half a hour later sliding on ice, love the sound of the Ford never had one, great show, cheers mate, Neil.

Mate that was awsome I’m lucky enough to have these beasts fly past my house every year it’s beers and mates and sideways wickedness u gotta luv targa goodonya man cheers

Peter brock passed in the targa in west Oz, oddly enough in a Shelby Daytona designed by pete brock

The XC Hardtop Falcon Cobra was available with 302 and 351 Cleveland engines. The previous model, the XB is the car used by Max Rockatanski in the Mad Max films. The red and white car is an early Commodore. It appears to be a VH model.

@jackbiviano5048

2 жыл бұрын

Paspax u know ur stuff 100% correct

These guy's are REAL drivers. Man handling big old tanks like this in those conditions. The pros cars practically drive themselves now. They just have to point them in the right direction.

The car is a XC Falcon Coupe, similar to Allan Moffat,s 70,s Bathurst cars, guessing 351C, 4 speed man, disc front brake, drum rears. Sounds AWESOME!!!! The Red and white car is a 80,s Commodore similar to what ( Australian ) Peter Brock raced. There is another Peter Brock in America, No relation.

Oh man, memories. I had one of these when I was in the Hwy Patrol in Sydney. 5.8 litre 2 door.

I’m a hardcore Holden guy but I love IWrocker so I watched and every part of that was beautiful! Ford included!

We never got stock 429's or 428's in Australia. The 5.8 351 Cleveland was the biggest thing available. Come the XC model (this one here) the GT package was gone and this was sort of like the "Legacy" version of that. You could not get a GT Coupe, but since the Coupe body stopped selling and they had like over 300 of these in the factory left to sell, they gave it the "Cobra" option package. The Engine was supped up. But gone was the 4V 351 and replaced with the 2V around 1974. Come 1976 when the XC came out, it was not as special as the XB or XA GT once was. But still impressive. This also came out with the 302 as well. IF this is a genuine XC Cobra. These things sell for a mint now and hard to imagine someone would want to race one now.

Riding a motorcycle around Tasmania is the best experience I have ever had,words can't describe how good it is

That car that the Falcon overtook is a Holden Commodore. Many of Peter Brock’s wins were in Commodores.

6:12 that was a vk holden commodore, in Australia it’s a often occurrence in a race a older Ford flying past a newer holden….

yes it has four wheel discs, front and rear ventilated, they were fitted with a 351 Cleveland, the first Aussie GT was the 67 XR with a 289w then the XT with a 302w then the XW 351w then the XW 351c then the XY 351c then the XA 351c then the XB 351c the GT badge was discontinued but the 351c performance package was offered as the Cobra in the XC, thanks for the vid it sounds great, and yes they are a handful to drive, great driving

Cobra was running the 351 Cleveland, Aussie built, have it in my 1981 Bronco. Clevelands have a beautiful note😍

Red and white car was a Holden VC Commodore, Aussie made GM product, most race cars were 308ci V8 - they came in 4cyl (discontinued in first 1 or 2 models) plus 186ci and 202ci 6 cyl, 253ci and 308ci 8cyl models

Glad to say, I grew up in Tassie. Drove all those roads in my tough little (worked) Datsun 1600. Quick as hell round all those tight turns. Not quite as fast as the Cobra in the straights though Ha!Ha! Oh! the memories.

As a size comparison the falcon (and commodore in red and white) were full size family sedans also used commonly as police cars in Oz and NZ, similar to the crown Vic in the states, and the Holden was also a Buick regal and the coupe was a Pontiac GTO.

6:06 that was your favorite Holden A9X from a previous video. Dad owned a Ford XA when we were young. Mom, dad brother and i would all sit in the front then we went on holidays. How big? That's how big!

They came out with a 351 Cleveland with a top loader gearbox and 9” diff. Fairly big car and a hand full to drive

My parents had an XC Falcon. I think it was like the base model with 4 doors but had a V8 auto. She used to hum along for a stock old thing. Always loved the shape of these beasts.

Red and white car was a Holden Commodore (vk model i think). Also Peter Brock did NOT die at Targa Tasmania but at a similar event at a place called Gidgegannup in Western Australia. He was actually there to promote the event by taking part in it.

Ian, the car at 5:38 is a Holden Commodore VB. First ever Commodore, the sl/k model (top of the range) had the Holden 5.0L V8. Sweet car, sweet sound.

When I got my learners permit back in 1988 I played cricket with a bloke who had an XA Falcon hardtop, it had a tunnel rammed 351 with twin 750cfm holleys and 4 on the floor and to this day I still haven't driven anything with more grunt or that made me not use it's full rev range. The thing was a monster, and is probably the reason the XA in general is my favourite Falcon model

The little red and white car is the GM Holden Commode (LOL Ford family here). They were the other Aussie V8s. We also had a Chrysler Valiant at that time.

The red and white car being passed, was a holden vh commodore 5.0ltr HDT (holden dealer team). The stock hardtop could fit 10.5" (265mm) wide tyres under the haunches, but a option 97 (bathurst cobra, 30 off) was 1" (25mm) wider. 200 x 5.8ltr and 200 x 4.9ltr were built. The bathurst's can be identified by the reverse cowl bonnet, strut tower brace and twin thermo fans.

I Live in Australia, that is an XC model Falcon Cobra Hardtop, they came with a 351 or 302 Cleveland with and FMX Auto or a Toploader!!

Was living in Launceston back in the late 70's when the local ford dealer had a brand new Cobra 5.8 & it when to public auction at the dealership, which I attended. From memory it sold for around $18,000 - if only we new then what we know now.

The one thing that was next to impossible to replicate in the past that these XC Cobras came with, which was the tale tell sign of owning a genuine article from first glance was the seat trims. They came with black fabric and a matching two tone blue stripe similar to the outside paint scheme (the stripes should not be one shade of blue, they should have a lighter blue border on the heavy blue stripes) and as such, the seat trim was extremely hard (back in the 90s) to replicate and cheat a potential buyer into thinking they got a real XC Cobra. This may have changed over the years and technology.

That red and white car is a VK Commodore. A car made insanely popular by Peter Brock at Bathurst.

"V8s all sound like V8s, but, this.." Buddy, this sounds like satan waking up in the morning without coffee and cigarettes - it's a Clevo!

Glad you are loving the Tassie landscape and the Aussie Ford XC cobra coupe muscle car 👍❣️🇦🇺