THE Orrcon Falcon AU that Mark Larkham drove in his final full-time V8 Supercars Championship start at Eastern Creek in 2003 is coming back to life.
The car has sat idle for the best part of the last decade and was recently purchased by a private Victorian collector to add to his collection of ex-V8 Supercars.
He’s already begun piecing the car back together, which was purchased as virtually an empty body shell.
An ex-Larkham Orrcon Racing engine has been installed in the car, while a Holinger H-pattern gearbox and original Beehag bell housing have also been secured for the car.
“When I got it, the car had the original diff housing in it, all the four-link rear bar was inch by inch rear tubing, there were no shocks, and it had fabricated uprights made from steel so you could make the spindles turn,” says the collector.
The car, chassis M-TEK 04 is one of only three Falcon AUs raced by Larkham and one of only two to survive. The other survivor is owned by Larkham and the other car – damaged in the Oran Park crash with Paul Morris in 2000 – was destroyed.
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The M-TEK 04 chassis was debuted at the 2001 V8 Supercar 1000 at Bathurst by Larkham and Wayne Gardner and used by Larkham for most of the remainder of that season.
Reliveried in Orrcon Steel blue for 2002, it was raced by Larkham all year, including the endurance races at Ipswich and Bathurst where he was joined by future Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power.
The car became Jason Bargwanna’s when he joined the Larkham Orrcon team for 2003 and much of its mechanicals were reportedly swapped across to his new BA Falcon that he debuted at Oran Park that season.
Team boss Larkham moved into this chassis before it was turned over to West Aussies Grant Johnson and Kerry Wade for Sandown and Bathurst and then again became Larkham’s #10 car for the rest of the season.
The now Supercars TV pit reporter made his last full-time V8 Supercar Championship start at the Eastern Creek finale in 2003 and the AU Falcon was later used as a pit stop car.
This AU Falcon was sold as part of Larkham’s sale of hardware when his team merged with WPS Racing and has sat with a collector for over 10 years until its recent purchase.
