Ford Falcon Cobra
| Ford XC Falcon Cobra | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Australia |
| Production | 1978 |
| Assembly | Campbellfield |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Muscle car |
| Body style | 2-door Hardtop |
| Platform | FR |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Ford Mustang (Spiritual) |
The Cobra was a limited edition muscle car of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop (Coupe).
In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be released in 1979. Unlike the current XC, the new model would be offered only as a four-door sedan or station wagon, meaning the two-door XC Hardtops of 1978 would be the last of that design.
In December 1977 Ford built 13 special order XC Falcon GS Hardtops. These cars were specially modified in the P&A (Parts and Accessories) workshop at Ford's Campbellfield factory. All vehicles were modified to accord with 'evolution' upgrades that had been approved by CAMS for homologation to Australian Group C touring car racing Falcons ... the changes were mostly designed to enhance race durability; these vehicles, often referred to as "Pre-Cobras", were intended to be raced by teams at Bathurst in 1977. The race cars did complete the 1977 Endurance Series in their new specification and then participated in the 1978 ATCC season.
The modifications that featured in these 13 GS Hardtops formed the basis of the specification for the 30 specific Option 97 Cobra Hardtops built in 1978.
When final production of the XC Hardtop at the Broadmeadows Assembly plant was ending in March 1978, more than 400 body shells were left unsold and Ford Australia faced a dilemma of how to shift them, rather than scrap them. When an original proposal to turn these cars into black and gold Playboy-themed cars (complete with "bunny" decals) was rejected as sending the wrong image for a family car company, Ford turned to Edsel Ford II, then the Deputy Managing Director of Ford Motor Company who was also M.D. of Ford Australia at that time (from 1978 to 1980). He and a local design team elected to capitalise on Allan Moffat and Colin Bond's crushing 1-2 finish at the 1977 Bathurst 1000 by creating a road car with a "Shelby Mustang" look that could be homologated for racing, while at the same time offering enthusiasts the opportunity to own a street-legal version of Moffat's race car. The first prototype Falcon Cobra was built in late April 1978 and production began that same July.
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