XA GT-HO PHASE 4    

The XA Ford Falcon GT-HO PHASE IV  Howard Marsden  was impressed with Keith Goodall's driving skill so at one of the race meetings for the 1972 Dulux rally November 1972 Howard offered Keith Goodall the opportunity to buy the race version of the XA Falcon GTHO Phase 4 Keith had never actually heard of a racing XA Falcon GT-HO  4. Howard  had assumed Keith would use the car for rally events that wasn't so in Keith's thinking. It was actually the very low  purchase price of such a rare car that was offered that appealed  to Keith.  The deal was struck. Keith Goodall made the payment to  Howard Marsden for the acquisition of the Ford Falcon GT-HO PHASE IV

 

Keith Goodall   contacted his brother Kevin in Melbourne to arrange to pick up the GTHO Phase 4 from the secret location of the Ford special vehicle division, lot 6 Mahoneys Road Thomastown 

On Keith Goodall's previous GT-HOs from FORD  Kevin had previously driven The XW GT-HO Phase 1 & 2 from Melbourne  to Townsville for his brother Keith It's likely Kevin was more excited than Keith on the acquisition of the XA Falcon  GT-HO Phase 4 race spec, I say that because Kevin Goodall knew what the car was about so he  rushed  down to 6 Mahoneys Road Thomastown  with a mate and his son young Keith Goodall, brother Keith's young nephew 

 

On arriving at Ford Lot 6 Mahoneys Road Thomastown nicknamed the 'skunkworks' it was  the most  difficult place to get into for security reasons protecting the development of Ford's racing arsenal  Eventually when they  entered  the building much to Kevin's disappointment  Kevin was told the car wasn't ready and told he will have to come back once the notify him that the car is ready and that wont be for a  while due to current racing commitments

Young Keith described the cars in the building as 4 red XA Falcon GT's being there. I double checked with Keith and questioned are you sure there were 4 there not 3?  Keith reassured me there were definitely four cars there  4 red XA GTs just plain ordinary looking no stickers on them like race cars What impressed him most was this blue and white Capri with the widest flared guards and body he had ever seen It was the Cologne Capri.That vividly sticks in his mind rather than the

4 XA red  FALCON GTs 

Further GT-HO research FOUND that the 4th car may have been the 'company car'  Bill Santuccione A red pepper XA GT-HO Bill use to use for bedding the brakes for the race cars amongst all the other testing as a mule car  used to do for different cams and set ups etc;  

It was possible that was parked there and that's why there were four RED XA GT-HOs  there at the time

3 were Brambles red and one was Pepper red It would be close to 6 months before Lot 6 contacted Kevin to say the car was ready so Kim went to lot 6 this time his son  was not with him The only racing GT-HO XA FALCON  there was XA-2 

It was mistakenly said to be the Moffat GT-HO Phase 4  by lot 6 worker and that  started at the mix up and to be reinforced later when the car was stickered by Keith Goodall like a Bathurst racer for the Townsville show late June 1973 at the McKillop Ford display

 

Kevin actually drove the car out of lot 6 with temporary plates on the car destination was Bayswater that's where the car would be kept until shipping was arranged to Townsville Kevin didn't get far driving the car on the fuel that was provided by Lot 6 so he pulled up at the next petrol service station. The XA-2 GT-HO would not start  Kevin spotted a loose battery lead so and fixed it and went on his way there were a few looks there because of the loud side dump pipe exhuast sound

The car created a lot of attention because it had side exhaust pipes no mufflers so Kevin continue this journey to Bayswater where the car was kept for a few weeks until shipping to Townsville was arranged 

Normally Keith Goodall arranged and Kevin to drive the cars up to Townsville that he purchased from Ford this time because the XA GTHO were so special and a bit of an animal to drive Keith insisted the car not be driven and shipped up to Townsville by sea. Well Kevin's sons recall the wild rides in the XA GT-HO phase 4 in Melbourne When dad you to drop them off to place like the ice skating ring While climbing into the back seat having hit his head on the roll cage. An incident with the Police highway patrol who were most impressed by the XA GT-HO 4 race car and served a caution to Kevin, Kevin's neighbor  that was so frightened on a trip from Bayswater down the Burwood Highway at an undisclosed speed never ever rode in a car with Kevin again 

The car was picked up from lot 6 with 2 sets of mufflers and some exhaust pipes as well as 2 spare Detroit locker diffs,

The car was driven around with the side dump pipes What a sound that must have been! The globe wheels were inside the car not with the  tyres so Kevin had to purchase the 15'' tyres

Kevin kept the 14'' standard GT wheels

After a few weeks the XA GT-HO Phase 4  left Melbourne Victoria  sea bound for Townsville Queensland fitted with the special  Daytona style Globe 15" x7' wheels

When the car finally arrived in Townsville it was in June 1973 . As the XA GT HO 4 was ready to be driven out of the ship the car would not start? The battery and leads were checked they were okay , Informed there was a kill switch  it was flicked on and the car kicked over with a load deafening thumping roar  frightening some of the ships crew.

The timing was perfect to display the Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase 4 at the annual Townsville show around June 30th so Keith Goodall decorated the car with signage a bit like the Allan Moffat Phase 3 race car to display at his race sponsor and  mate's McKIllop Ford display at the Townsville show, Keith had a ball firing up the Phase 4 with its unmuffled  side dump pipes bellowing out the load hot QC20 sound much to the crowds delight- To be continued soon 

Okay we get the car home said Keith Goodall as with all my GT-HO's I take them down to the local Police station and give my favourite policeman a ride in them it was  no different with the Falcon GT-HO Phase 4

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