2017 Pacific Ford Total Performance Car Show
BRING any car as long as it has a Ford badge. The rules are that simple, but it’s certainly not common these days to have a single marque car show, not least one so brimming with a mighty variety of entrants.
If any brand has the history and passion in Australia to pull it off, it’s Ford. You have the celebration of our homegrown Aussie Falcons of course, but also your enthusiasts into classic Americans – Mustangs and beyond – plus a whole other segment of fans drawn to the four-cylinder Euro Blue Ovals. Think what you will about Fords, but the brand’s scope and heritage is the envy of many car manufacturers.
On the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore dealership Pacific Ford has been hosting its Total Performance Show for the past nine years. It was established as a free event for classic, performance and interesting Fords to gather at the dealer’s showroom and forecourt, and it has become something of a monster. Over 160 Fords were on display this year, and some 4000 people came to view them, meaning the event spilled over to the dealership’s adjoining Kia and Jaguar/Land Rover forecourts too.
The show cars covered 85-years of Ford history, from a 1933 Model B pickup through to the latest Mustangs. Branch manager of Pacific Ford, Alister Eiseman (refreshingly for a car dealer, a true enthusiast of the brand he sells), said his personal highlight was the number of classic Falcon Hardtops on display – he counted 12 in total.
A golden 1967 XR GT represented the birth of the Australian muscle car, while a genuine 1970 XW GT-HO Phase II in Starlight blue reminded why these road-legal racers are so sought after and valuable. A couple of 1978 XC Cobras (including #02) were shown alongside an XC Sundowner, one of four that became Cobra panel vans in 1978 thanks to Peter Warren Ford’s Special Vehicle Department in Sydney. Speaking of Sundowners, a 1981 XD example, complete with sunburst graphics, looked so box-fresh it appeared it had never seen a road, let alone a beach car park after hours.
Of course there were Mustangs galore – this year for the first time the new official imported models seemed to outweigh the classics – while on the Euro front you could pick between a couple of 1960s Cortinas, a 1972 Capri Mk1 GT 3000 or a hugely valuable 1986 Sierra Cosworth RS. Speaking of Sierras, star attraction was the Bowden’s Own Collection’s Dick Johnson Racing RS500 Sierra Cosworth. This car was driven by Johnson and John Bowe to Bathurst glory in 1989 after leading every single lap.
Pacific Ford like a special guest on hand to sign autographs and do a Q&A at the shows, and this year 22-year-old Supercars young gun Cameron Waters obliged. The Prodrive Racing Australia driver of the current Ford Falcon FG-X followed in the footsteps of Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds from previous years, highlighting the size of this show which manages to attract entrants from all over Queensland and interstate too.
“This is the biggest Ford show organised by a dealership,” said Alister Eiseman, “and we do it not just to make more people aware of Pacific Ford but also because we’re passionate about the brand. We just love seeing so many incredible Fords in the same place. It’s not a money making exercise for us, people are good enough to put their cars on show so it will remain free for people to display and spectators to view them.”
Hot rods, vintage specials, an abundance of muscle, modifieds, race cars and even a showroom-good granny-spec 1983 Laser Hatch (Ford fans will save anything!) – plus a rolling road to show off some mighty power numbers. A huge event for just the one brand, but a reflection of the passion so many hold for Fords both old and new.
