1973 Ford Falcon XA GT "RPO83" Sedan

When the last Phase III rolled off the production line in 1971, it signified the end of an era, becoming the final GT-HO officially sanctioned by Ford. Ford's replacement for the XY, the all-new XA, was launched to great fanfare in 1972 and there were plans to build a high performance variant, once again wearing GT badges, right from the outset. Indeed, Ford's racing department had a secret weapon under development for Bathurst in 1972, the Phase IV project, but the so-called 'Supercar Scare' put a premature end to this (and potential rivals like the stillborn V8 Torana XU-2). Early problems with oil surge in the XA GT race cars at the start of the 1973 season saw Ford release a homologation package, known internally as the RPO83. This would allow them to run features like four-wheel disc brakes, a bigger 780 cfm carburettor, extractors, a long-range fuel tank and a baffled sump - and not insignificantly, used up the components left over from the Phase IV programme. The RPO83 Falcon GTs proved a great success on the track, with Alan Moffat teaming up with Pete Geoghegan to win Bathurst in 1973. The production model XA GT was sold both in sedan and hardtop versions, with special wheels, blacked-out bonnet and sill panels, vents on the front guards, special badges and interior trim. Mechanically, the XA GT retained the Cleveland 351-cid V8 with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions and the RPO83 modifications resulted in a substantial power increase (from 300 bhp to 350 bhp) and lots more torque. Not all RPO83 cars were created equal, some having more special 'goodies' than others. With no less than 26 different option combinations available, in two different body styles, it's fair to say that of the total build number of 250 units (with 120 hardtops and 130 sedans), all were essentially unique. The RPO83 remains a special part of Ford folklore, as it was not only the final homologation package, in the traditional sense, born to win on the race track but created one of Ford's hottest road cars ever, available to just a select few.