Tickford Bathurst '77 Mustang tribute

[Sioso]

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...review-109929/








Tickford Bathurst '77 Special Ford Mustang 2017 Review
Tickford pays tribute to Moffat with limited-edition supercharged Mustang

Allan Moffat is an icon of Australian motor racing so it’s only right the anniversary of his legendary 1977 Bathurst victory should be celebrated. Even better when it’s done with a limited-edition which not only looks the part, but has the performance to match the livery

The joke about Allan Moffat among motor racing journalists used to be how he had a twin brother called ‘Arthur’. At race circuits Allan was a ferocious, focused and intimidating character (even before he got behind the wheel). But, in the right place, at the right time, away from racing, ‘Arthur’, this humorous, considerate, thoughtful and engaging bloke materialised.

Tickford’s Bathurst ’77 Special, or Moffat Mustang as we will call it from this point on, is a bit like that.

Created by the independent Ford tuner to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the incredible 1977 Bathurst 1-2 by Moffat’s Ford Dealer Team XC Falcon coupes (Moffat/Jackie Ickx first and Colin Bond/Alan Hamilton second), it has an incredible ferocity when poked, yet can also be quite relaxed in the right circumstances. Mind you, like ‘Arthur’, those circumstances don’t appear all that often.

What’s it all about?
You may not have noticed but Ford Australia isn’t interested in motor racing these days. The company pulled out of Supercars a couple of years ago, ending its relationship with Prodrive Racing Australia (PRA), or Ford Performance Racing (FPR), as it was previously known.

It also closed road vehicle tuner Ford Performance Vehicles, which for a long time was FPR’s sister company. So the owners of PRA set up their own tuning business, Tickford, using the same badge Ford employed pre-FPR back around the turn of the millennium to tune up Falcons and Fairlanes which went head-to-head with Holden Special Vehicles.

With Ford leaving the stage vacant, reborn Tickford took it upon itself to mark the anniversary of the greatest blue oval race result in Australian racing history, when Moffat led Bond over the line at Mount Panorama, their dominance of the race allowing a staged finish for the cameras.

With no Falcons around to use as a basis for its performance upgrades, Tickford turned to the Mustang GT, a fair enough substitute given Moffat is also famous for his exploits in the American pony car.

The outcome is a great example of how motorsport and hot road-cars intertwine.

At the core of the package is a Ford Performance Roush stage 2 supercharger kit – which Ford has ruled out selling itself because of Australian Design Rule drive-by noise regulations. But let’s be clear; the kit is ADR compliant. It boosts power of the 5.0-litre V8 from 306kW to 542kW and torque from 530Nm to 820Nm. Yowza!

Other new stuff includes a Tickford exhaust; a retuned and 25mm lowered suspension with German H&R coil-overs and dampers; extra rigidity via K-frame, strut tower and rear bracing; Wilwood brakes comprising six-pot calipers clamping on 381mm slotted rotors up-front and 355mm rotors and four-piston calipers at the rear; 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on delicious 10-spoke alloy wheels and various interior upgrades including a new leather trim and Tickford badging.

Oh, did we mention the exterior? Yep. It’s got the ’77 MFDT XC look right down to the #1 on the doors and bonnet. If you think the numbers are a bit too much, you can delete them.

How much will it cost?
The total cost of the conversion of a donor vehicle to Moffat Mustang spec is $64,500. That’s right, you can’t just rock into Ford dealer or a Tickford centre and buy one. You have to own and register the vehicle already. This is because Tickford is an aftermarket converter and not a car manufacturer.

Just 77 examples of the pack are on offer.

Because the kit is ADR compliant, the standard Ford three-year/100,000km warranty still applies. Tickford matches that for components it adds like trim materials and has a separate cover for powertrain.

Why should/shouldn’t I buy it?
If Ford, Ford motorsport, Moffat and Bathurst – especially 1977 - are pivotal in your life then this is the car for you. If you are a Holden guy then forget it.

If you are a petrol-head who loves immense power and response then, again, this car is for you. It has lock you-in-the-seat rictus-grin thrust. During our time with it, the Moffat Mustang clocked 4.7 and 4.8sec zero to 100km/h times effortlessly. Tickford reckons 4.2s are achievable as well as 400m runs in the 12s – which seems credible given our experience with this car.

But if you want to hear the engine at work at anything much above idling or on the smoothest roads, then substitute another exhaust for the Tickford offering. There’s simply too much tyre roar and wind noise for it to be heard.

Which makes for an interesting driving experience, relying less on the engine audio than normal for gearchange points. Not that we changed gear often. On a winding road, such is the speed and torque range it’s often set-and-forget in third gear. By the way, our test car was an automatic with paddle shifters, but 85 per cent of buyers are taking the package combined with a manual transmission.

For a purist experience, we’d go manual too. But if you’re thinking on terms of a city daily driver then the auto make sense.

And this is where ‘Arthur’ becomes relevant, because trundling down the freeway, or cruising round town, isn’t as intimidating as you might expect - except for being the centre of attention because of that race-car paint job. In ‘Arthur’ mode the Moffat Mustang does its best to co-operate and be civil.

Having said that, a plush modern-day ride as delivered by some sports cars with adaptive damper systems doesn’t feature here. If, however, you appreciate a traditional lowered ride height and stiffness then this one’s for you.

In fact, the ride impact is not as annoying as the impact traversing bumps has on throttle control out of corners. There’s not enough pedal resistance so it’s almost impossible to stop your foot bouncing up and down like you’ve got a nervous tic, which inadvertently produces a staccato acceleration effect.

Tickford is aware of the issue and actually tunes it out of its own 360kW power packs for naturally-aspirated Mustangs. But it was loath to fiddle with the throttle tune of the Ford Performance system. It should have.

Another tuning detail; our test car had an overly responsive brake pedal. It may be an isolated issue, but the Wilwoods are super-powerful and it would be nice to have a little more progression in pedal feel.

Smoother roads really emphasise just how good the Moffat Mustang can be. The Michelins provide huge grip, so it turns in and accelerates out of corners incredibly well. It’s just that on the road you’re tapping about 20 per cent of the car’s capability. On the track it will be a real weapon.

When is it available in Australia?
The kit is on-sale now.

Because it is based on the GT 5.0-litre V8 Mustang, you get the gear which comes standard with the production version.

Key equipment highlights include seven airbags, a reversing camera, dual zone climate control, the Sync3 infotainment system including satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and puddle lamps which project the Mustang image.

By the way, you can get your Moffat Mustang as a convertible too, but you miss out on the Tickford decklid spoiler.

Who will it appeal to?
Rusted on Ford, Mustang, Moffat and Bathurst fans.

Where does it fit?
The Tickford Bathurst ’77 Special has plenty of rivals from other Mustang tuners with access to Roush supercharger kits like Melbourne tuning legend Rob Herrod.

But, with HSV soon out of the V8 Commodore business, trying to think up any other 500kW rival for this thing which doesn’t cost at least double the money is a challenge.

This car is a hard-core outlier, but if you are into that sort of thing it’s a tempting one.

So, what do we think?
We think yee-hah! The Moffat Mustang is a completely heart-over-head buy. A return on investment is questionable. Your rewards come in other ways. Like sheer thrust, rareness and its celebration of an important piece of Australian motorsport history.

Tickford Bathurst ’77 Special Ford Mustang pricing and specifications:
Price: $64,500 plus the cost of the donor Mustang
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8
Outputs: 542kW/820Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual/optional six-speed automatic
Fuel: 13.7L/100km on-test (auto)
CO2: 318g/km on-test (auto)
Safety Rating: Two-star (ANCAP) – standard Mustang GT Coupe

[Pepscobra]

Wow, its supercharged. I didn't realise that from previous reports. Thought it was just a sticker pack.

[Vesper Martini]

At the core of the package is a Ford Performance Roush stage 2 supercharger kit – which Ford has ruled out selling itself because of Australian Design Rule drive-by noise regulations. But let’s be clear; the kit is ADR compliant. It boosts power of the 5.0-litre V8 from 306kW to 542kW and torque from 530Nm to 820Nm. Yowza!

Ford Australia rules out the Supercharger due to noise regs, but its fine if an aftermarket kit can do it?
sounds like a copout Ford Australia

[Sioso]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

At the core of the package is a Ford Performance Roush stage 2 supercharger kit – which Ford has ruled out selling itself because of Australian Design Rule drive-by noise regulations. But let’s be clear; the kit is ADR compliant. It boosts power of the 5.0-litre V8 from 306kW to 542kW and torque from 530Nm to 820Nm. Yowza!

Ford Australia rules out the Supercharger due to noise regs, but its fine if an aftermarket kit can do it?
sounds like a copout Ford Australia

If you read down further it actually says the exhaust is so quiet all you can hear is wind and tyre noise - so in order to be compliant Ford would have had to forgo the sound they wanted - obviously Tickford didn't care.

I could be wrong but that is how I read it.

[solarite_guy]

If I was in the position to get one, I certainly would.

BTW, it is good to see Jackie Ickx name. I will always remember him for this:



He made a point when he was pretty much the last one or near to last off the grid and won the race.

[superroo]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Ford Australia rules out the Supercharger due to noise regs, but its fine if an aftermarket kit can do it?

Yes that is how it works.
Ford need to sell it as ADR compliant, which includes drive by noise.
Aftermarket just need to be roadworthy, which is static noise test.

Same situation for HSV Vs. Walkinshaw kits.
Walkinshaw exhaust is noticeably louder than any HSV,.

[au350hp]

Will these be an appreciating sought after model in 10 years time? Who cares. I have been a big fan since I first saw it a few months back. Awesome that a road car is available in what looks like a virtual race car. I would prefer one of these to the last XR8 hands down.

[Bossxr8]

Times are slow though. With good tyres it will run in the 10's no problem.

[PooDog]

Sooo .....what has been done to the internals ...rods piston etc , to handle this power , what about the stock getrag has it been strengthened or has the tremec 6060 been fitted ?

[CoupeKing]

Going by what the new owner briefly says in this video the bottom-end is stock, not sure about any other internals - sounds great skip to 5:00 if you must:




It appears from a photo in that article that it's a 2.3L supercharger. A updated model has recently been released which is 2.65L - maybe this might be slapped on the GT 500?

Anyhow, Roush are lucky enough to co-engineer their gear with Ford Performance, so they get all the inside-info that would no doubt help with reliability, efficiency and warranty.

[GTP534]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Ford Australia rules out the Supercharger due to noise regs, but its fine if an aftermarket kit can do it?
sounds like a copout Ford Australia

I stand to be corrected on this but I understand Ford had an external automotive engineering company look at this as they were considering offering it through dealers.

Ford have a lot of other factors beside drive-by noise to evaluate that the aftermarket doesn't have to worry about, such as durability, warranty, safety and certification.

The end result was it didn't satisfy Ford Australia's internal criteria.

[baboon]

That is a beautiful shot!

[jmack]

for 130k+ i think i would rather look at a slightly older gt500 supersnake,happy with our standard 5.0 gt at the moment but i know where i would be spending 130k if i had it

[au350hp]

I reckon it's a safe bet that the last thing an individual contemplating one of these would be looking at is the price. Fair chance they already have some 60's yankee iron in their garage. I don't think any negative comments that appear about this limited edition will be from those who own one lol.

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

Will these be an appreciating sought after model in 10 years time? Who cares. I have been a big fan since I first saw it a few months back. Awesome that a road car is available in what looks like a virtual race car. I would prefer one of these to the last XR8 hands down.

you could have an xr8 ,a stock mustang + change for mods/ a new garage to fit it all in ?

[SensationFG8]

Originally Posted by muzman

you could have an xr8 ,a stock mustang + change for mods/ a new garage to fit it all in ?

Neither is equivalent to what is delivered here, why compare apples and oranges? They are different cars targeted at different people.

[anobserver]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

Will these be an appreciating sought after model in 10 years time? Who cares.

Totally agree. I'd buy one to admire, and to drive. That's it.

[futura]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Wow, its supercharged. I didn't realise that from previous reports. Thought it was just a sticker pack.

Yes its supercharged. Just look at the times acheived. 4.7 & 4.8 sec to 100.

[futura]

Great looking car. Perfect racing livery for a street car. Would rather brembo brakes.

[roddy1960]

Does look great , doubtless goes great with the supercharger . If I was ever lucky enough to have the dosh to do this sort of stuff I'd want to go with a 78 Cobra look though if possible.

[chrisandsharon]

Mate at work has bought one - or more to the point is getting one built. He also got the VIP treatment at Bathurst this year. He’s a happy man

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by futura

Great looking car. Perfect racing livery for a street car. Would rather brembo brakes.

With "Wilwood brakes comprising six-pot calipers clamping on 381mm slotted rotors up-front and 355mm rotors and four-piston calipers at the rear" in the stopping department, it seems to have that area covered. Or are you inferring that you would just like to see the Brembo moniker on the calipers?

[HO 3]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

Does look great , doubtless goes great with the supercharger . If I was ever lucky enough to have the dosh to do this sort of stuff I'd want to go with a 78 Cobra look though if possible.

Tickford will probably do a retro Cobra Mustang next year..............

Cheers Mick

[GTLEGEND]

Originally Posted by baboon

image

That is a beautiful shot!

Yes nice shot!! Can anyone work out what car is outside the building through the glass? Yellow with chrome bumper. It just caught my eye.

[BPXR6T]

So a blower kit, wheels, brakes, suspension and stickers costs $65K these days. Is that an Australia tax thing or does a Rousch go for similar dollars in the states?

[solarite_guy]

Originally Posted by BPXR6T

So a blower kit, wheels, brakes, suspension and stickers costs $65K these days. Is that an Australia tax thing or does a Rousch go for similar dollars in the states?

There are a few to choose from. Here is a list starting with the base RS levek:

http://www.roushperformance.com/vehi...g-2017-rs.html

Stage 1

http://www.roushperformance.com/vehi...17-stage1.html

Stage 2

http://www.roushperformance.com/vehi...17-stage2.html

Stage 3

http://www.roushperformance.com/vehi...17-stage3.html

P51 Mustang

http://www.roushperformance.com/vehi...-2017-p51.html

[Wretched]

Noice, though without the decals. Wheels are very sexy, remind of those on the RS6.
At least Ford now have a 100k+ car too, to match HSV

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by HO 3

Tickford will probably do a retro Cobra Mustang next year..............

Cheers Mick

I hope not.

This retro stuff does nothing for me.
As an original Cobra owner I looked at the bf replica as some kind of joke.

Classics should be left in their glory.

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Noice, though without the decals. Wheels are very sexy, remind of those on the RS6.
At least Ford now have a 100k+ car too, to match HSV

Haha, touche.

Ford have a bit of catching up to do though, we're at 300k now.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by muzman

you could have an xr8 ,a stock mustang + change for mods/ a new garage to fit it all in ?

Please explain

Re the decals. Why would you remove them?

Totally agree with Mercury re the B series Cobra.