A LITTLE while back (SM, Apr ’17) we reported on Brock Mahoney’s quest for an Apollo Blue John Goss Special Falcon, and the whirlwind adventure that took Brock, along with Ben Atkinson from Seven82Motors, all the way to Ireland to purchase the right car. The chosen XB had resided in the Emerald Isle for a decade and been treated to a ground-up rebuild by its local owner, Tom, before being spotted for sale on the ’net by Brock. He and Ben flew over and did the deal before packing the Goss away for the boat ride home.

“We collected it from the Port of Brisbane and had a trouble-free drive back to Ben’s workshop on the Gold Coast,” Brock says. “It was a surreal feeling to have driven this car on both sides of the world in totally different environments, and is just another marker in this car’s life story.”

The car spent the following week at Seven82 Motors, where Ben and his team brought the Goss back up to spec. “There were a few things to sort out,” Ben says. “We reconditioned a single headlight grille in white to replace the black twin-headlight version, added the correct GS steering wheel and colour-coded the front spoiler. New tyres were fitted and we went through the car mechanically to have it spot-on for Queensland registration.”

The oddly shaped UK plates always looked a little weird on the Aussie bars, but it seems a shame to have to replace them with local versions. Nevertheless the XB was happily road-legal and registered, and was ready to be picked up the following Saturday.

Well, being a fun and sociable bloke, Ben decided to make a bit of a day of it and surprised Brock and his wife Claire with a Goss-only car display. “Lachlan Ney from the Goss Club helped organise four other JGSs and their families for a private catch-up,” he says. “We had a food truck come along and spent the day having a few laughs and taking the opportunity for some photos. Once the day was finished, the boys drove back to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast in convoy, which made for some pretty awesome shots.

“This whole journey has been an amazing experience. It’s crazy how many people have followed the XB’s story and the positive feedback both Brock and I have both received.”

Brock agrees: “It’s been fantastic; it’s like we’ve brought home a local hero and everyone has been really patriotic about it!”

Blue skies and warm Queensland sunshine were a welcome change from the less forgiving Irish weather, and the Goss had a trouble-free journey from the docks back to the Seven82Motors garage on the Gold Coast. Check out Ben’s uber-cool Fairmont wagon – yes, two-way tailgate and all!

The Seven82 team went through the XB mechanically to ensure it was fit for registration, and reversed some of its previous cosmetic changes to firmly re-establish the Goss’s identity.

Brock and wife Claire were pleasantly surprised by a special gathering of the Gosses organised by Ben and Goss aficionado Lachlan Ney.

The four Apollo Blue XBs were joined by a lone Emerald Fire green version, in a very cool grouping of iconic Aussie muscle.

Such a welcome sight for sore eyes – five classic steel-bumpered cars carving up plastic highway traffic during Brock’s return drive to the Sunshine Coast. “It was a great day,” Brock says. “I was completely surprised by the Goss turnout, and it was a very fitting scenario to have a cool collection of local legends welcome home our well-travelled Aussie.”