Not just another car for sale, this is the story of how the last and perhaps greatest Falcon coupe "The Cobra" is quite unique in Australian motoring history.

     In 1978, Ford's XC Falcon range was coming to an end and the new XD model was almost ready. Thanks to political pressure and rising insurance premiums the era of the high performance GT Falcon had ended with the last of the XB models and there was no 'hero car' GT in the XC range.

     In mid 1978 Ford Australia found its self with a stock pile of coupe shells left unbuilt. The Falcon coupe was a “Tru-Blu” muscle car but Ford Australia had let the muscle car image slip. And it slipped to the point that the XC model had no GT.

     The buying public had gone cold on the coupes, in their minds they had had already farewelled the muscle image with passing of the XB GT.

     And so the hero car image seeded in the late 1960’s, then delivered with the phase three GTHO and consolidated with the Muscle bound coupes that became a historic pedigree left to fade. But Ford Australia saw the error of their ways and realised that to indeed sell performance cars they had to look at the requirements of the buying public. Ford Australia had to "give them back there heros." So in a stroke of marketing genius, then assistant Managing Director of Ford Australia, and the great grandson of the founder Henry Ford, created the Falcon Cobra.

     A great fan of the Shelby Cobra Mustang in the US, Edsel Ford himself put forward the idea that Ford build a special edition in white and add the wide blue US-style racing stripes lengthwise across the car. Adding to the legend was that each car should have a numbered plaque on the dashboard.

     The cars were distinctive, they were in your face unique… and they sold instantly.

     Fitted with either the 4.9 or 5.7-litre V8 engines and manual or automatic transmissions, these striking cars had sports seats with unique trim, rear deck spoiler, quartz halogen lights, 4-wheel disc brakes, driving lights, Bathurst Globe alloy wheels and a host of other equipment. The final feature was the decal of a coiled, ready-to-strike Cobra on each side.

     The rest is history! The model was released as 'a limited edition' with only 400 ever built. When Ford dealers saw the Cobra they ordered the lot on the spot and all 400 were snapped up just as quickly by customers.

     To this day, Edsel Ford, who has been a member of FMC's Board of Directors since 1988, recalls the Falcon Cobra as one of the most outstanding memories of his time in Australia.

     The Cobra coupe appeared in two distinct presentations just 30 vehicles were fitted with the Bathurst 351 V8 package, such rare cars today are demanding upwards of $150,000 in the market place. Of the original 400 cars built, we see today Cobra #230. Cobra number 230 is fitted with the 302 Cleveland engine the car has undergone some initial restoration in the paint, body work, and interior at which point the owner finally located his personal unicorn in the XY GT Falcon. And so the Cobra has now gone onto the market to fund the XY GT project.

     The 302 Cleveland of Cobra 230 has never left the engine bay. In fact having travelled just 150,000 KM it remains in 1978 factory stock presentation. Similarly carrying 4 wheel disk brakes and a 4 speed manual gearbox the car is still a time capsule of 1978 Australian motoring.

     How many of the original 400 cars remain is unknown to us, but the location of Cobra 230 is known. So if you want to grab a genuine piece of history give us a call.