Retro Rides Presents Ford Falcon: Why I Bought a John Goss Special

Retro Rides founder Cameron Jurd explains how he and his partner fell for the charms of this classic Aussie muscle car, and why he still loves the uniquely styled V8-powered XB Falcon Coupe. 

So why a John Goss Special? I wish I could tell you that we had coveted the ‘Goss’ for years and finally found the car of our dreams, but that’s not quite the case.

Back in 2017, my girlfriend and I decided we wanted to buy a car together. I’ve always loved the XB Falcon and to this day think it’s a toss-up between the original XA coupe and its successor the XB as to which is the best-looking Aussie Ford of the ’70s. 

We started off by looking at XB GT sedans priced around $60,000-plus, and even drove a few potential cars but were disappointed by various issues that came to light upon closer inspection, including poor paint and suspect history.

Then, one day, up popped a John Goss Special. The car was located south of Perth, which wasn’t ideal, given that we live in Sydney. But the vendor sounded fair dinkum and the car looked good enough to warrant some further research. 

As a child of the Seventies, I was aware of who John Goss was and could even remember Ford’s TV ads involving the Bathurst-winning driver punting an XC sedan through witch’s hats. I also well remembered his historic win at Bathurst in 1985 for Tom Walkinshaw Racing, driving a Jaguar XJS with Armin Hahne as co-driver. 

Anyway, as with so many things automotive in my life, the more I read about Goss and the car that Ford created to celebrate his 1974 Bathurst victory at the wheel of an XA GT Hardtop, the more intrigued I became.

Viewing it through the lens of a classic car investment, the fact the Goss was a limited-edition model with only 700 ever built, and came replete with one of the most distinctive liveries ever seen on an Aussie production car, only added to its appeal. 

On the downside, it came exclusively with the milder 302-cubic inch V8, versus my preferred 351… and it was in Perth. 

We commissioned a local car inspection guy who seemed to know his stuff, who advised us he’d look out for rust around the rear windows, parcel shelf etcetera, and most importantly confirm all documentation matched the car. 

Further research showed it was indeed a matching numbers vehicle and a deal was soon done, with the car arriving in Sydney by truck a few weeks later.

All John Goss Special models featured the Aussie-made 302 Cleveland V8, and while its performance was solid enough, it paled against the 351-equipped GT model

Our excitement was short lived, however, because when we first fired up the 302 it ran like a dog. It turns out that a Holley 650 carburettor had been fitted in lieu of the original Carter and wasn’t properly tuned. On a cold start the Goss was not a happy camper, but that was soon rectified as I sourced an original Carter and had it rebuilt by Hume Performance in Sydney with excellent results.  

Over the years we’ve done a bit of work to freshen up our Goss, rebuilding the diff, repainting the bonnet to get a correct colour match with what had been mismatched bonnet scoops, adding BF Goodrich rubber, and replacing the shocks.

These days, we give our Goss Special a run every couple of months, but tend to avoid doing so on hot summer days as she gets a bit warm. There really is nothing like the sound of a well-tuned Cleveland V8, and the car is a real head turner wherever it goes.

As Cliff Chambers points out elsewhere in this feature, the Goss Special was one of the first Aussie-made cars to pay homage to a circuit racing legend. In 1975 when the Special was announced, it was to signify the Goss/Bartlett victory at the previous year’s Bathurst 1000. However, a year later in 1976, Goss became the only driver ever to have won our most prestigious Touring Car race and the Australian Grand Prix.

I’ve recently had the opportunity to speak with John Goss in preparation for this feature and think it’s fantastic that these cars are still out there as a testament to the talent and tenacity he displayed as both a race car builder and driver.

Just 700 examples of the XB Falcon John Goss Special were built to commemorate the 1974 Bathurst winner