John Goss Special
Encyclopedia
The John Goss Special was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon
released by Ford Australia
in August 1975 to commemorate John Goss
' win in the prestigious Bathurst 1000
endurance race the previous year.
The car was based on the XB Falcon 500 Hardtop
and featured a 302 in³ (4.9 L) Cleveland V8, and some specific options including the GS Rally Pack which featured full dash instrumentation, a 3-spoke steering wheel, vented bonnet (hood) with locking pins, and 12-slot steel road wheels. A separate item featured on all John Goss Special hardtops were the cosmetic side body vents that were also a feature of contemporary Falcon GT hardtops.
The John Goss Special cars were available in a choice of two accent colours, Apollo Blue metallic or Emerald Fire (green) metallic, offset against the predominant body colour of Polar White. The metallic paint (specified on the cars' compliance plates) covered the bonnet, engine bay, chassis, and feature sections on the 'A' pillar and waistline, as well as the lower sill sections and the rear feature panel between the tail-lights. Unlike other GS Rally Pack cars, the road wheels were painted in complementary Polar White, as were the bumper bars and the front grille assembly. Interior trim was mandatory white vinyl, contrasted against a black dashboard and mandatory black floor carpet.
A factory Dealer Bulletin (dated 30th July 1975) released to Ford dealers stated that all "minor Falcon 500 options" were available to order on the John Goss Special, and there is evidence of some cars featuring a Limited Slip Differential. The 302ci V8 was the only available engine, but this could be had with either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic floor-mounted transmission. A central floor Sports Console was a specified mandatory option, as was Sports Handling Suspension with 185 section steel-belted radial tyres.
Some Ford dealers such as McLeod Ford in Sydney
(well-known at the time for their Horn cars) chose to add accessories such as front and rear spoilers, and/or to modify the interior seating to feature colourful cloth or vinyl inserts.
Exactly how many John Goss Special cars were built remains unknown, as Ford never released actual production figures, and the cars are recorded collectively in the official records as Falcon 500 Hardtop builds. However, amongst surviving JGS cars, it is clear that the build dates span July 1975 to November 1975 inclusive. Estimates recorded in the general media place their numbers anywhere between 260 and 800, with Sports Car World magazine (December 1975) suggesting that Ford made an initial build of 400 units that sold out quickly and that a second run of cars was then commenced. Motor Manual magazine (January 1976) also mentions the situation of a second build run. Regardless of the uncertainty of actual numbers, the John Goss Special has become popular among 'Australian muscle car' collectors despite not gaining the press or publicity of other limited edition Falcon cars such as the GT-HO (1969-1971) and the Cobra
(1978).
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
released by Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
in August 1975 to commemorate John Goss
John Goss (race driver)
John Goss is the only Australian racing driver to win Australia's two most prestigious races, the Bathurst 1000 , and the Australian Grand Prix .-Early career:...
' win in the prestigious Bathurst 1000
1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
The 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 was the 16th running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held on 6 October 1974 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. The race was open to cars eligible to the locally developed CAMS Group C touring car regulations with four engine capacity based...
endurance race the previous year.
The car was based on the XB Falcon 500 Hardtop
Ford XB Falcon
The Ford XB Falcon is a car which was produced by Ford Australia between 1973 and 1976 and was built exclusively in Australia. It bore minor cosmetic differences to the preceding model, the XA, aimed at giving the car a more muscular stance...
and featured a 302 in³ (4.9 L) Cleveland V8, and some specific options including the GS Rally Pack which featured full dash instrumentation, a 3-spoke steering wheel, vented bonnet (hood) with locking pins, and 12-slot steel road wheels. A separate item featured on all John Goss Special hardtops were the cosmetic side body vents that were also a feature of contemporary Falcon GT hardtops.
The John Goss Special cars were available in a choice of two accent colours, Apollo Blue metallic or Emerald Fire (green) metallic, offset against the predominant body colour of Polar White. The metallic paint (specified on the cars' compliance plates) covered the bonnet, engine bay, chassis, and feature sections on the 'A' pillar and waistline, as well as the lower sill sections and the rear feature panel between the tail-lights. Unlike other GS Rally Pack cars, the road wheels were painted in complementary Polar White, as were the bumper bars and the front grille assembly. Interior trim was mandatory white vinyl, contrasted against a black dashboard and mandatory black floor carpet.
A factory Dealer Bulletin (dated 30th July 1975) released to Ford dealers stated that all "minor Falcon 500 options" were available to order on the John Goss Special, and there is evidence of some cars featuring a Limited Slip Differential. The 302ci V8 was the only available engine, but this could be had with either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic floor-mounted transmission. A central floor Sports Console was a specified mandatory option, as was Sports Handling Suspension with 185 section steel-belted radial tyres.
Some Ford dealers such as McLeod Ford in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(well-known at the time for their Horn cars) chose to add accessories such as front and rear spoilers, and/or to modify the interior seating to feature colourful cloth or vinyl inserts.
Exactly how many John Goss Special cars were built remains unknown, as Ford never released actual production figures, and the cars are recorded collectively in the official records as Falcon 500 Hardtop builds. However, amongst surviving JGS cars, it is clear that the build dates span July 1975 to November 1975 inclusive. Estimates recorded in the general media place their numbers anywhere between 260 and 800, with Sports Car World magazine (December 1975) suggesting that Ford made an initial build of 400 units that sold out quickly and that a second run of cars was then commenced. Motor Manual magazine (January 1976) also mentions the situation of a second build run. Regardless of the uncertainty of actual numbers, the John Goss Special has become popular among 'Australian muscle car' collectors despite not gaining the press or publicity of other limited edition Falcon cars such as the GT-HO (1969-1971) and the Cobra
Ford Falcon Cobra
The Cobra was a limited edition of the Ford Falcon released by Ford Australia in 1978. It was based on the XC Hardtop .-History:In 1978, Ford Australia unveiled plans for an all-new Falcon, dubbed the XD, that would be released in 1979...
(1978).
External links
- JohnGossSpecial.com - Home of the JGS registry (Dead link) As archived at web.archive.org on 13 March 2008
- AussieCoupes.com - Australian Falcon information