1969 Ford Falcon GT-HO

Ford's brutal Falcon GT-HO has turned 40. Released in August 1969 and based on the road going XW Ford Falcon GT, the GT-HO was designed with the sole purpose of winning the Bathurst 500 mile production car race. Ford had been out smarted by Holden in the V8 wars, with General Motors smarting from the dominance of the Ford in the 1967 Bathurst race. For 1968 Holden released the HK, while the XT Falcon was little more than a facelift of the XR. Holden played their ace at the Bathurst 1968, unveiling its 5.3-litre Chevy powered Monaro GTS. It was superior in all departments over the Falcon GT and recorded Holden's first win of the Great Race.

Ford were determined to turn the tables on Holden and after the arrival of the 1969 XW series Falcon, displayed a show car at the Melbourne Motor Show - a 427 with 'Super Roo' stickers, later announced as a new symbol of Ford performance models. Under the bonnet was a whopping 7-litre '427' V8 topped with an air scoop.

The 427 did not make it into production with the Windsor 351 (5.67-litre) the biggest engine available in the GT production cars. Shortly after rumours started concerning a new GT that could do 256km/h (160mph). Ford denied the existence of the GT-HO, until it was unveiled at the Bathurst in August 1969. Initially the GT-HO was a tricked up GT with a suspension package. HO was abbreviated for Handling Options, but in truth the package also had a number of performance modifications.

The prototype for the GT-HO was built by Allan Moffat in his Melbourne workshop to the specifications of Ford mastermind, Al Turner. Engine changes consisted of a new camshaft, alloy inlet manifold, heavy duty alternator, Holley 650 carby and 11:1 compression ratio. Externally the GT-HO sported a front spoiler, uprated front springs, stiffer anti-roll bar on the front, and beefed up tailshaft.

The GT-HO was perfectly set up for Mt Panorama, although its test drivers reported it was heavy and rough in street trim! In racing mode it could cover the standing 400 metres in 14.5 seconds, 0-100 km/h in under 7 seconds. Fourteen GT-HOs started at Bathurst in 1969, but while clearly faster than the Monaro's, poor tyre choice and some bad luck saw Holden triumph over the much heralded GT-HO. Ford built just 260 GT-HOs in1969, and when the later Phase IIs and Phase IIIs appeared, the original HOs became known as the Phase Is.

1969 Ford Falcon GT-HO
Introduced in August 1969. GT-HO Phase II - August 1970.
Engine: 5.7-litre 351 Windsor V8 Holley 600 cfm four barrel carby, Max. power: 225kW@5400rpm,
Max. torque: 513Nm@3400rpm
Transmission: 4-speed manual, all synchro.
Suspension: Independent, MacPherson strut, coil springs at front. Semi elliptic leaf springs, telescopic dampers and live axle with anti-roll bar at rear.
Brakes: Servo assisted 285mm front discs, 254mm rear drums.
Wheels: 6.00x14" steel, chrome dress rim and hubcap.

Source: JUST CARS, October 2009, Collectors Issue #164