Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II 1970 Bathurst #63E 2nd Place

After the win at the 1968 Hardie Ferodo 500 in a Monaro, Bruce McPhee had nobody approach him with an offer of a car to drive.Bruce had driven Fords in three of the 500s since 1963, so it is not unusual for him to change camp. Until 1970 within weeks of the Hardie Ferodo 500 race, Al Turner from the Ford Motor Company approached McPhee and offered him a backup car to Allan Moffat. To Bruce this seemed too good to be true.
For the 1970 Hardie Ferodo 500 race at Bathurst, the Ford Motor Company entered three cars - the XW GT-HO Phase II Falcon.
For the first time in the Bathurst race, drivers could nominate to drive the entire race distance without a co-driver.
Bruce McPhee and Allan Moffat were to drive solo, as allowed by the new rule changes. Barry Seton and Fred Gibson were to share the driving duties in the third factory Phase II.
McPhee qualified his GT-HO Phase II on the front row of the grid with a time of 2m 50.0s, next to Allan Moffat who was on pole with a time of 2m 49.3s.
About an hour and half into the race, Moffat was in the lead, McPhee kept at his own pace and was happy to let several cars pass, until Seton/Gibson's car blew a diff and dropped out, McPhee cranked up a bit and at the half way mark, he was about 40 seconds behind Moffat. After Moffat's last pit his Falcon was blowing smoke forcing him to take it easy on the car. McPhee made up a lot of ground and when he was about ten seconds away from Moffat with a few laps to go, everyone thought he would go past and take the flag. But McPhee hung back and let Moffat take the win, "He was Ford's number one after all and it had been quite an honour to be included in the team", said Bruce. The race ended with a spectacular 1-2 finish.

Features

The detailed front end features the finely finished grille, mesh covered headlights, spotlights and indicators.

The XW bonnet scoop is finely detailed and realistic.

The steel pressed 5 slot rims look the part together with Goodyear racing tyres.

The boot mat is finely moulded soft rubber and has been made removable, showing the fuel tank beneath. A spare wheel is also included.

Highly detailed steering wheel and dash featuring full instrumentation and components.

The soft rubber seats feature the racing harness with detailed buckles and strapping.

Detailed doortrims feature chrome handle and woodgrain strip accents.

The engine has an outstanding level of detail including finely moulded hoses and tubing and fine graphics.

The detailed chrome air filter is superbly crafted, with fine mesh.

The fine workmanship in the engine bay includes the Autolite Battery and Strut Towers, with their accurate decals reproduced.

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

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

The engine sump, swaybar and front suspension detail is shown here, along with the Autolite Oil Filter.

The steering arm, gearbox, exhaust tubing and exhaust system are well decorated and detailed.

The chassis includes working leaf spring suspension and a detailed silver fuel tank.

Finely detailed rear suspension includes bolts and the finned rear brake drums.

Item includes certificate with individual production number.