In 1970 three-times Formula One world champion Jack Brabham retired from racing and took over the Wright Ford dealership on the Hume Highway at Bankstown. One of Jack’s smartest moves was to recruit Barry Sharp, a Ford mechanic of genius, builder of a series of wild Sports Sedans (such as a Jaguar 3.8 sedan with 302cid Ford V8 power) and a talented racer in his own right.
The Barry Sharp High Performance Division was situated under the main showroom. In 1971, with Brabham’s support, Sharp prepared and raced an XY GT Falcon in the Series Production category which proved to be just as fast as the more powerful Phase II XW GTHO. Sharp’s car was on the track a few months before Ford released the Phase III GTHO.
Brabham saw the potential and sold a limited edition of similar road cars known as the Brabham-Ford Special.
These were based on the XY or Fairmont base model (which had the benefit of lower insurance premiums) then fitted with 351 Cleveland with 2-barrel carb, four speed or auto, and nine-inch LSD. Ford fans knew these cars were something very special. They disappeared fast and those Jack Brabham Fords are now considered absolute muscle car classics.
See AMC #24 for the full story on the Jack Brabham Specials.
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