Ford Forums Nationals – Top 10

Tas chooses 10 of his favourite rides from the recent Australian Ford Forums Nationals at Heathcote

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Photographers: Shaun Tanner

THIS WEEK, we dropped the latest episode of Carnage, which saw Scotty fling the newly turbocharged Toxic Avenger down the Heathcote quarter-mile. The occasion was the annual Australian Ford Forums drags, and while the weather was dreary, the variety of Blue Oval beasts that turned up to play was impressive. Here are just 10 of our favourites – we’ll have more in the August issue of SM.

Ford Fairlane1. Greg Richards and Laura Pendlebury were out in the ‘Fairly-Fast-Lane’ ZC Fairlane for their first passes since Drag Challenge 2017. The big beast is running a new combo, with a 427ci Dart-based Windsor backed by a transbraked AOD four-speed auto. With a 180hp shot of nitrous and running sans pipes and on E85, Greg is hoping the car will dip into the nines before long.1.

Holden VH wagon2. It may be a Commodore, but turbo Barra power means Kyle Breed’s VH wagon was welcome at the Ford Forum Drags. Built for just $4K, the stocker engine runs a GT45R turbo and runs through a rebuilt BTR auto. “I’ve done 60 passes in it as it is; it’s been on the burnout pad and we paddock-bash it. I drive the arsehole off it and I’ve only changed the oil once,” Kyle laughs. His PB in the car so far is 11.7 seconds.

Tony Neighbor3. Tony Neighbour’s genuine XW GT is a regular participant in the Aussie Muscle Car Run and has been around Phillip Island, Bathurst and up the Mt Gambier Hillclimb! The XW runs a 427 Dart-block Windsor and shifts through a Tremec TKO600. Tony’s PB at Heathcote is an impressive 11.82 seconds.

Ford Falcon XA GT4. Brett Seymour bought this evil XA sedan as a shell 18 months ago and has transformed it into a stomper. Power comes from a 560rwhp 427ci Windsor with Kaase heads, screwed together by ZOX Performance. The XA’s current PB is 10.2@134mph, recorded at Willowbank.

Ford engine bay5. Chris bought his BF GTP brand new and has put a ton of development into it, with the quad-cam Boss V8 stretched to 5.8 litres and topped by an intercooled 2.8-litre Kenne Bell supercharger. The combo makes 450rwkW through a Nizpro-built ZF auto. Despite 2.73:1 moonshot gearing, the BF has a wheel-spinning 11.4-second PB to its name.

Ford XP wagon6. Three generations of the Hughes family were present at the AFF Nats to campaign this wicked XP sedan delivery: Paul, his son Connor and his father Ian. “Dad built it in the 90s and sold it in the early 2000s,” says Paul. “We found it again in 2009 as a rolling chassis, so we bought it back, built a motor and gearbox for it and got it running low 10s.” The engine is a cranky Clevor running on E85.

Ford Fairlane7. There were a few cheeky sleepers around Heathcote, but Scott Garrett’s and Daniel Rowan’s B-series Fairlanes were the sneakiest! Both pack built turbo Barra engines and are running in the low 12-second zone.

Ford Falcon AU wagon8. Ray Arbon’s AUIII wagon is one of the very last V8-powered Falcon longroofs ever made. Ray has upgraded his with a set of GT40P heads, a Comp cam, Pacemaker extractors and a Kenne Bell 2.1-litre supercharger. Despite running through a stock BTR auto, Ray ran a new PB of 12.27 seconds at the Nats. Future plans call for a twin exhaust system and water/methanol injection.

Ford XR6 AU9. Cameron Brunt’s AUIII XR6 packs a built 4.0-litre Intec six-pot, assisted by a GTX3582R turbo and a Wolf V550 ECU. Rowing through a T56 manual ’box, Cameron ran in the 12s at last year’s event, and bolted on a set of ET Streets this year in an attempt to better that time – but instead smashed both driveshafts on the startline

Ford Cortina10. Whoosha has been involved with the Ford Forums and the Nats for years. This TE Cortina has been in his possession for 10 years and it has served duty as both a drag car and a skid pig. “It used to have a 250 2V with triple SUs that I built in the 70s,” he says. The current bottom end is an AU 5.0-litre item with Edelbrock Performer heads, a Victor Jr intake, a 650 double-pumper and an MSD 6AL ignition box. Whoosh’s current PB is 12.78 seconds.

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