Ford’s absolute domination of the 1977 season ended in the ultimate display of superiority when Allan Moffat and Colin Bond completed the final lap of the Bathurst 1000 in 1-2 formation.
It was a long season lasting 11 rounds from March until November comprised of both sprint and endurance races for the second year in a row.
The longer races doubled as the Australian Championship of Makes, which included the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown and the season-ending Phillip Island 500K, but not Bathurst.
Although the reigning Australian Touring Car Championship winner, Moffat endured a tough 1976 not helped by his racing Falcon and transporter going up in flames in the Adelaide Hills.
Debuting ‘Project Phoenix’ as it was known – a new XB Falcon – at Sandown in new Moffat Ford Dealers colours at the Hang Ten 400 at Sandown.
For 1977, the colours remained and Moffat was joined by former factory Holden driver Colin Bond in what was an embarrassing season for Holden, which was sparked into action approaching Bathurst.
Gaining Bond’s services was a major coup for Ford, as was the addition of American Carroll Smith to run the team.
The domination was clear when Moffat won the opening five rounds on the trot at Symmons Plains, Calder Park, Oran Park, Amaroo Park and Sandown.
Adding salt into the wound was Bond scored victory in Round 6 at Adelaide International Raceway before Peter Brock broke the Moffat Ford Dealers stranglehold at Lakeside.
Holden acted fast to stem Ford’s supremacy and homologated the A9X just prior to the traditional pre-Bathurst warm up, Sandown’s Hang Ten 400.
Brock won, but there was still concern from the Holden hierarchy due to how undeveloped the A9X package was heading to Bathurst and this proved to be the case.
As has been widely reported, the Moffat Ford Dealers 1-2 was a crushing display of superiority as team orders were enforced to allow Moffat to take his fourth victory ahead of Bond.
Partnering Moffat was international endurance legend and Grand Prix winner Jacky Ickx, who took victory on his Great Race debut. Alan Hamilton co-drove alongside Bond.
After the 1-2 finish, there were still three rounds to go starting with a return to Adelaide International Raceway.
Moffat won there and at Surfers Paradise to seal the title with a round to go at the Phillip Island 500K.
A large crash four years earlier at Phillip Island left Moffat concerned about the condition of the circuit and he only sparingly competed there after.
Allan Grice provided a hint of things to come by winning in an A9X.
Despite the success of 1977 where Moffat won ahead of teammate Bond, Ford failed to respond and Holden gave the Blue Oval a dose of its own medicine for the next two years before the Group C regulations changed.