ONE of the original Ford Falcons to race at Calder Park Thunderdome has been restored to its original glory.
A pair of V8-engined XF Falcons were introduced to the AUSCAR class in time for its second event in 1988, one built by John Sheppard and raced by John Bowe while the other was built by Mick Webb and driven by Jim Richards.
The then-reigning touring car champion took the dark green and yellow machine to a debut victory, and Webb-built XF remained one of the leading cars in AUSCAR until it was replaced by an EA Falcon for the 1989-90 summer season.
The restoration of the car is detailed in the latest edition of Australian Muscle Car Magazine.
Fittingly, the car’s owner and restorer, Troy Perichon, was a helper and gopher with Webb’s crew when Richards raced the Falcon.
“Apart from hanging around Mick’s workshop and doing various odd jobs, I went to Calder with the team on race days to help crew the car,” Perichon told AMC Issue 129.
He tells the story of coming across the car via social media four years ago and its restoration, with Webb and Richards sharing their recollections from the era.
AMC Issue 129 also features stories on Nissan’s short-lived Australian special vehicles operation run parallel to the company’s racetrack heroics, a technical feature on the burgeoning Trans Am class, while this edition’s Muscle Man feature is the first of a two-part look at Andrew Miedecke’s career.
