Article: Ford Falcon Sprint

[Steve Holmes]

Again another thread revival.
Unfortunately Jim Cutler has passed but thankfully a few his old race buddies came to show respects. Laurie was one of them and we got to talking so I asked what happened to the Iso.
Seems CAMS in all their wisdom decided that after allowing the car to run for a couple of years they would reclass it as a sports sedan only, rightly so Laurie declined and sold the car detuned to a "collector/developer in the Parramatta area. the car was repainted blue and then the new owner went bellyup and everything disappeared. So no-one know where it is or what has happened to it.

Talk of a Appendix J gossip, Mike Dyer, Lindsey (muff) Dyer and Laurie and many a lap.

Wow, great post! Thanks. This is a car that has always fascinated me. In fact, I first saw a photo of the car when owned by Laurie in the 1980s and it was the first time I'd ever seen an Iso Rivolta. Too bad CAMS effectively outlawed it. I really don't understand that. At the very least they should have classified it as a GT, which is the category these cars run in European historic racing. Sports Sedan is just crazy. What a shame the car has vanished.

[Paul B]

They WERE Homologated with front disc brakes, in fact TWO disc options were offered. The girlings were the same as what they fitted to the TDF Galaxies IIRC... Of course you could not get these on any showroom floor falcon in 1964... Heres a pic from the rallye sprint owners manual supliment..

I would really like to get a rallye sprint owner suppliment do you know of any available?
Cheers

[Spgeti]

I would really like to get a rallye sprint owner suppliment do you know of any available?
Cheers

Paul, have you got a copy of the homologation papers for your Sprint ?. If you haven't I am sure that we can help as Steve and I have access to them.

[Paul B]

Thanks Bruce,
I have 2 copies of FIA Homologation #1250 papers,
1 copy from the FIA historic data base.
1 copy that was sent back to Ford by FIA that was stamped with FIA as acceptance.
The Rallye Sprint supplement owners manual is something I have not seen and very rare. Could have some more useful information, likely the same as the homologation papers.
Cheers

[khyndart in CA]

Lest we forget.
Paul, This could be you. Never give up on your tremendous restoration.

Frank Gardner at speed in 1967.


(Ken H)

[Steve Holmes]

Thats ^^ an awesome photo Ken. Thats one of the Group 5 Falcon Sprints that dominated the British Saloon Car Championship. A fair bit more modified than Paul is allowed with his car being built to Group 2 specs, but most definitely many similarities.

[Paul B]

Thanks very much Ken! I wish!!!
Frank Gardner was a legend in that car in Group 5.
I am still banging away in the workshop, working on the rear suspension and diff set up.
I was drooling at the mouth at the Mk4 GT40 pics you posted. Oh to see that in the flesh!
I love looking at all your pics.
My wife and I will go over to Sonoma after the Sprint is done.
Cheers
Paul

[Steve Holmes]

I found these on facebook, posted by Larry Fulhorst. Amazing unrestored time-warp:

[Steve Holmes]

[Paul B]

There is nothing like an unrestored original car. They are only original once. That is so cool.
Holman Moody say they built 15 Falcon Sprints for racing, 8 went to Allan Mann for the Monte Carlo Rally so the other 7 cars have been a bit of a mystery.
I wonder if this was one of the 7 cars.

[Steve Holmes]

There is nothing like an unrestored original car. They are only original once. That is so cool.
Holman Moody say they built 15 Falcon Sprints for racing, 8 went to Allan Mann for the Monte Carlo Rally so the other 7 cars have been a bit of a mystery.
I wonder if this was one of the 7 cars.

Yeah it'd be interesting to know Paul. I agree, they're only original once, and they just have so much character like this.

[Paul B]

This is another interesting link I found, an unrestored 64 Falcon AFX drag car, 427 FE big block, super quick machines... in the day
http://ssamx.com/afx_falcon.htm

[Steve Holmes]

This is another interesting link I found, an unrestored 64 Falcon AFX drag car, 427 FE big block, super quick machines... in the day
http://ssamx.com/afx_falcon.htm

Wow, that is really neat Paul. I'd love to know more about the car and how it survived untouched for so many years. Sadly, the owner appears to be restoring it which I don't think it needs at all.

[Paul B]

Agree, its so much more interesting and cooler in its original build form, warts and all. I only hope they rebuild the motor & trans and just preserve everything else. Unrestored cars in the US are sort after now and values are still climbing, so hopefully they mat see the light.

[Steve Holmes]

Hopefully Paul. They're only original once. Looks like they're replaced the lower rear quarters. The wheel openings are much reduced compared to the period racing photos.

[Paul B]

Yes, back then they used to clean cut out the rear fenders and mostly leave them. All of the fiberglass drag race panels were only about 5lb - 7lb each.
I do have another link somewhere on 60s AFX drag car parts and how they were made.

[Neville Milne]

In the early (ish) 2000's a friend called me from Ohio ( I was living in Baltimore) and asked if I was up for a trip to visit Lee Holman at his facility on the south side of the Charlotte Airport. Apparently an offer to purchase the site had been accepted and in preparation to moving premises, savings were possible in the purchase of parts and cars.
So off we went, met with Lee and one of his staff and had a great time looking, buying and talking.
ISTR amongst several cars, there were several Falcon Sprints.......Lee mentioned that these were "Monte Carlo" equipped. At the time, I THOUGHT that these were 'continuation' versions, rather like the MK-4 continuations that were under construction at that time....BUT my friend assures me that at least 2 of these were originals. They had ben stripped of most of their specialized mechanical parts and the shells sent to a local junk-yard.......where Lee was able to repurchase them some time later.....luckily they had not been crushed.
When Hank the Duece decided to end (temporarily, as it turned out) Ford's racing efforts, he ceded a ton of parts and all rights to various trade names, not the least being "GT-40"....to Holman Moody......similar deals occurred with other major Ford sub-contractors.
Anyway, these were the Falcon Sprints that I saw in the hanger that was then the base for H/M.......goodness knows where they are now...but i'm sure they wouldn't be hard to find

[Paul B]

In the early (ish) 2000's a friend called me from Ohio ( I was living in Baltimore) and asked if I was up for a trip to visit Lee Holman at his facility on the south side of the Charlotte Airport. Apparently an offer to purchase the site had been accepted and in preparation to moving premises, savings were possible in the purchase of parts and cars.
So off we went, met with Lee and one of his staff and had a great time looking, buying and talking.
ISTR amongst several cars, there were several Falcon Sprints.......Lee mentioned that these were "Monte Carlo" equipped. At the time, I THOUGHT that these were 'continuation' versions, rather like the MK-4 continuations that were under construction at that time....BUT my friend assures me that at least 2 of these were originals. They had ben stripped of most of their specialized mechanical parts and the shells sent to a local junk-yard.......where Lee was able to repurchase them some time later.....luckily they had not been crushed.
When Hank the Duece decided to end (temporarily, as it turned out) Ford's racing efforts, he ceded a ton of parts and all rights to various trade names, not the least being "GT-40"....to Holman Moody......similar deals occurred with other major Ford sub-contractors.
Anyway, these were the Falcon Sprints that I saw in the hanger that was then the base for H/M.......goodness knows where they are now...but i'm sure they wouldn't be hard to find

Wow, Thanks for your post Neville, now that would be a find and on half! I only know of 1 real Monte Carlo Sprint left in the world that I believe (hear say) is in Sweden. I have heard that there could also be 1 survivor also in the UK.

The word (or as I understand it, happy to be corrected) was back in 66 or 67 that the Sprints were doing very well has a well developed race car and Ford or Shelby told Alan Mann to scrap them as the focus was on selling Mustangs. That was when Alan Mann Racing sold off the the Experimental big block Fairlane, 427 Galaxie and I think 2 Falcons all from earlier race programs.
I will ask Lee Holman if he knows of these cars.

[Grant Ellwood]

In the early (ish) 2000's a friend called me from Ohio ( I was living in Baltimore) and asked if I was up for a trip to visit Lee Holman at his facility on the south side of the Charlotte Airport. Apparently an offer to purchase the site had been accepted and in preparation to moving premises, savings were possible in the purchase of parts and cars.
So off we went, met with Lee and one of his staff and had a great time looking, buying and talking.
ISTR amongst several cars, there were several Falcon Sprints.......Lee mentioned that these were "Monte Carlo" equipped. At the time, I THOUGHT that these were 'continuation' versions, rather like the MK-4 continuations that were under construction at that time....BUT my friend assures me that at least 2 of these were originals. They had ben stripped of most of their specialized mechanical parts and the shells sent to a local junk-yard.......where Lee was able to repurchase them some time later.....luckily they had not been crushed.
When Hank the Duece decided to end (temporarily, as it turned out) Ford's racing efforts, he ceded a ton of parts and all rights to various trade names, not the least being "GT-40"....to Holman Moody......similar deals occurred with other major Ford sub-contractors.
Anyway, these were the Falcon Sprints that I saw in the hanger that was then the base for H/M.......goodness knows where they are now...but i'm sure they wouldn't be hard to find

Hi Neville, I visited HM in 2005 (might have that date wrong) and saw a couple of Falcons prepped for racing in Europe, posted comments in page 5, #90 of this thread. Also visited again after Lee moved to the new premises in Charlotte, heck of a difference between the old and new buildings! Cheers, Grant

[Neville Milne]

I'm sure that Lee Holman's memory will be rather better than that of 2 old fogies, trying to recall details of a road-trip some 15 years, or so, ago. In any event...he should be able to flesh out the details of those cars