1975 Ford Falcon John Goss Special

SPECIAL EDITION

The ’60s and ’70s was a golden era for the Australian muscle car. The Holden Monaro, the Valiant Charger, the Ford XY GTHO, the AC Cobra, the Torana – all were conceived during the period and have become ‘classics’ much sought after by collectors.

But though these names might resonate with the public, and are certainly the ‘big’ names of the era, there were other cars built during the time which were equally as potent, and rare, but which, for one reason or another, have been overshadowed by their illustrious brethren.

One of those is the 1975 Ford Falcon John Goss Special (JGS). Built to celebrate motor racing legend John Goss’ victory at the 1974 Bathurst 1000, the JGS was based on the XB Falcon 500 hardtop and featured a 302 cubic inch Cleveland V8. Available in two paint schemes – Apollo Blue or Emerald Green – and with an interior of white vinyl, the JGS was, and is, a very attractive beast. And it is rare. Though exact figures don’t exist on production numbers, it is believed that less than 800 were made.

In short, after flying under the radar for so long, the John Goss Special is a sleeping giant of the classic car market.

And one of those sleeping giants is currently relaxing in a Lockyer Valley garage, just west of Brisbane.

Owned by Max and Marisa Carpenter – Ford fans and collectors of classic cars – this particular John Goss Special looks, to the untrained eye at least, as good as the day it rolled out of the factory 40 years ago.

The couple were ecstatic to get their hands on the JGS, though they rather stumbled across it while searching more generally on eBay for hardtop Fords.

“I always wanted a hardtop,” says Marisa with a smile. “The hardtops have a lot of style about them –they have a big rear end, they look tough, have big wheels – so finding the John Goss was a real bonus. We were just browsing on eBay when we saw it and we went up to Brisbane to inspect it – to see if it was as good as it looked – made an offer, the owner said yes and we took it straight away.”

That was three years ago and the car was indeed in pretty good nick. It didn’t require any major restoration work – just a tweak here and there – and the couple have no intention of making any radical changes to it, choosing to keep it close to original.

“It needs a little bit of tidying up,” says Max. “There are a few little spots of rust, which you expect in a car that age. We have put a new set of wheels on, fitted an electronic distributor for an easier start, and installed some electric fans – the Cleveland’s can overheat.”

“We’ve put power steering in it too,” adds Marisa. “Just to make it a bit easier to reverse park!”

The JGS has taken its place among a very select fleet of classic motors that Marisa and Max have built up over the past few years. Its stablemates include a Valiant coupe, an XP Falcon ute, a mint condition 1982 ESP, a Falcon XY GT and a stunning white and blue XC Cobra (badged number 399).

There are a couple of younger members of this growing muscle car brood too, with a FPV 335 and a very rare Ford Shelby Cobra concept occupying more garage space.

“Let’s just say that in the last three-and-a-half years we’ve acquired quite an extensive portfolio,” says Marisa. “They are our retirement fund . . . and they’re also fun!”

And that is part of the reason that the couple have kept the John Goss Special as close to original as is reasonable – collectors pay a premium for cars that haven’t been radically altered.

“We like to keep them that way because they are an investment, but we like them that way too,” says Max. “Other than wheels and maybe an exhaust system, we really wouldn’t do too much to them.”

It’s no surprise the couple have an interest in things automotive. Max has spent his life in the industry – starting as a trade assistant and going on to own the Carpenter Ford and Carpenter Mitsubishi dealerships in the Lockyer Valley town of Gatton. He’s also a decent drag racer, taking his AU Falcon XR8 to sub-10 second, trophy-winning runs.

As for Marisa, her father raced motorcycles in Italy and she ‘grew up with motorbikes’.

“I have two younger brothers who were always doing engine transplants under mum’s house, so I’ve always had a thing for speed,” she says.

Like many classic cars, the JGS isn’t a daily driver but it does get tarmac time – the couple make sure their cars are given a regular run to keep things ticking over.

Not surprisingly, when the JGS is out and about, it turns a few heads.

“We were at the car wash one day,” says Max. “And a bloke actually followed us in and he said to me ‘A mate of mine wants to buy one, name your price’.”

“I said it wasn’t for sale and that I was being buried in this one!” laughs Marisa. “Whichever car we take, people wave to us, give us the thumbs-up, or take photos!”

Obviously then, the John Goss Special is . . . well . . . a little bit special. But, for Marisa, choosing it as ‘favourite’ from amongst the couple’s fine collection is impossible.

“They are all unique,” she says. “They are all special in their own way and I appreciate each one of them.”