Ford was back in the 1990s through the reintroduction of the V8, the return of the GT and the Falcon was closing in on Holden’s Commodore in the sales race, plus Allan Moffat continued to represent the Blue Oval on the track.
Moffat had retired on his 50th birthday after winning in 1989 at Fuji, but continued to run his team at the endurance events primarily at Bathurst up until 1996 using Sierras first before Ballarat-based Ted Robinson constructed a Ford EB Falcon to the new Group 3A rules using a unique carburettor V8 built by Holman-Moody.
In the background, a link up with Ford Australia designer Wayne Draper and drag racer guru Bob McWilliam’s under the HO Phase Autos company produced a rare concept on the EB Falcon XR8 Sprint.
HO Phase Autos was founded in 1979 in order to design and produce the Falcon bodykits for the new Group C regulations of 1980.
Draper was still at Ford, while covertly designing the new aero kit and when this was found out by top brass he was temporarily fired for going against the company line.
By the 1990s, HO Phase Autos had designed many Ford show cars and a collaboration with Moffat came together in an attempt to fund a full-season touring car campaign for his team in 1994.
The collaboration produced the fastest Australian built model ever produced at the time.
HO Phase Autos was already supplying the 1993-specification bodykits to Ford teams and the alignment with Moffat was set to be the next step.
Named the Allan Moffat HO Special arrived at the right time due to Ford’s re-focus on performance.
Featuring a different bodykit compared to the Ford’s official GT release featuring a front air dam similar to the one on the EB race car, side skirts, bonnet louvres, rear bumper and a big rear wing signalled this Falcon as special.
Chrome details on the side and bumpers alongside unique 17-inch rims completed the exterior elements.
Under the bonnet was a 5.0-litre V8 engine and a US sourced V-belt driven Vortech engine driven centrifugal supercharger upping the top speed to 240km/h.
Suspension was improved, so too brakes thanks to some calling ducts mounted to the exhaust.
Inside was the Momo steering wheel with Moffat’s signature, Recaro seats and all the extras from a Fairmont Ghia to provide a luxurious element to the package.
All this for around $60,000 at the time, which is not bad considering the factory Ford GT was $10,000 more expensive.
The Allan Moffat Special HO was built in limited numbers due in part to the full-time touring car program failing to occur after a lack of funding.
Although a limited produced model, this Allan Moffat Special HO is much revered to this day.