Ford XA Falcon GT 1974 Bathurst Winner

1974 was a dark time for Falcon fans with Ford withdrawing their support from motor racing. Where as GMH introduced their new V8 SLR5000 to replace the 6 cylinder XU-1. The lack of support from Ford saw only 3 Falcon entries at Bathurst, comparing with 11 SL/R 5000s and 8 XU-1s.
The Moffat/Glemser Brut 33 entry attracted the most publicity of the 3 Falcon entries, with a reported $100,000 spent on the racecar. But the car was untested and unraced, later proving disastrous. The Goss/Bartlett entry was the same car used for the 1973 Bathurst race and had been tested extensively.
Track conditions during Saturday’s practice were difficult, some parts of the track were wet while other parts remained dry.The Holden Dealer Team Toranas made the best of the conditions with the Brock/Sampson entry securing pole with a time of 2:30.8, Bond/Skelton second, with a time of 2:31.6 and Goss/Bartlett third in their Falcon with a time of 2:35.9. The Moffat/Glemser Brut 33 could only manage 6 laps before engine trouble struck, with the Falcon’s best time only good enough for 15th position.
Track conditions for the big race on Sunday were poor, officials giving the drivers one warm-up lap to get a feel of the track. Even with the overcast weather most of the cars elected to start on slicks, hoping that the rain would eventually hold off. The start was dreadful for Brock and he went from 1st to 5th by the first corner, but would soon recover.
The attrition rate during the race was high, the most notable car with problems being the Brut 33 Moffat Falcon. The car needed a new coil to be fitted and lost several laps in the process. The race was still young but the HDT cars were flying, with only 7 cars on the lead lap. By lap 19 that had become 6 as the Grice/Moore SL/R 5000 retired due to a oil pump issue. The Goss/Bartlett Falcon had managed to stay out of trouble.
The two HDT cars were demoralising the field, but problems were to strike the team. Bond’s car had began to drop oil, and was issued a black flag, forcing it to the pits. Brock’s Torana was to do no better, his car was trailing smoke. On lap 118 he entered the pits and the car was retired, Brock was 6 laps up at the time.
John Goss was now in the lead after he inherited it from Forbes/Negus due to a pit stop. The rain was getting heavier on top of the mountain, causing Goss to veer wide, hitting an embankment and suffering a puncture. Nursing the car to Conrod Straight, he then drove the car with two wheels on the grass to prevent the mag wheel from breaking up. Goss made it to the pits and changed the tyres to full wets, donated to him by Allan Moffat. The track was now completely drenched from the wet and the Ford XA Falcon was out again powering on.
With 20 laps remaining John Goss had run out of driving time, he handed the car over to Kevin Bartlett, who was still feeling the effects of a F5000 crash at Pukekohe back in January. Bartlett was able to pass and hold off the Holden Torana of Forbes whose car had started to misfire.
Bartlett then crossed the finish line in first place for a well deserved Bathurst race victory considering the heartbreak of the previous year’s race. John Goss and Kevin Bartlett had finally won the 1974 Bathurst Race on a day of extraordinary circumstances, full of action and emotion.

Features

The comprehensive front end features vinyl covered headlights and driving lights, a finely moulded front grille and the front spoiler.

The XA GT Hardtop bonnet ducts and hold-downs are nicely detailed and realistic.

The wide special lightweight Globe alloy rims feature Bridgestone racing slicks.

The boot was fairly sparse with only the fuel tank and fuel hose seen. The yellow boot interior was carried over from the previous years car.

Highly detailed steering wheel and dash featuring full instrumentation and components. Also shown is the unique dash-top gauge and the rollcage.

The soft rubber seats feature the racing harness with detailed buckles and strapping. The fire extinguisher is tucked away behind the seat.

The detailed door trims feature chrome door handles, mirror adjusters, door locks and window winders.

The engine bay has an outstanding level of detail including finely moulded hoses and tubing. The yellow interior was carried over from the previous years car.

Superb detail and craftmanship on the side-draught carburettors, engine block, rockers and hosing.

The fine workmanship in the engine bay includes the Motorcraft Battery and radiator with their accurate decals reproduced.

The metal working spring bonnet hinges allow bonnet positioning and smooth operation.

Exquisite chassis detail with working front suspension and steering. The springs, swaybar, wheel rims and brake discs feature nicely.

Item includes certificate with individual production number.