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While the last of the V8 Interceptors in 1979’s Mad Max was a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT, the car in question here is an earlier Falcon XA GT with the much desired RPO 83 package. Powered by a 351-cubic-inch V8, it’s all original, and now saved at last from a chicken coop following 32 years of neglect. Being just one of three finished in the shade of orange called McRobertsons Old Gold, this is the only one of those with a four-speed manual, meaning you’re looking at proper Aussie Ford royalty here.
Apparently, this Falcon has been famous all over Australia for being “the Chicken Coupé” that nobody could buy from its first owner, who parked it in Queensland after finding the insurance on it too steep in 1988. However, with the original owner’s passing last December, the RPO 83 hardtop found a new caretaker in this condition for the equivalent of $215,000 USD.
The RPO 83 package came to be when Ford of Australia intended to build a Falcon GT Phase IV, but was forced to cancel the project due to politicians saying it was too powerful for the road. With the performance parts already on the shelves, Ford went on to create a Regular Production Option series instead, thus homologating the Falcon GT for racing. To hit the limit of 250 units, Ford built an estimated 120 coupés and 139 sedans.
This 1973 Falcon GT RPO 83 hardtop came with all the bells and whistles, including the 351 with the Phase 4 headers and a Holley 780 carburetor, the 2.25-inch exhaust headers, a Detroit Locker rear end, Ford’s genuine aluminum rear spoiler, the body stripes and luxury options such as power windows, power steering, tinted glass and air-conditioning.
With the engine holding oil and its brakes not seized up yet, Australia’s one and only Chicken Coupé can look towards a brighter future now.
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