There's an RPO in my driveway

[jaydee]

Well my brother has just taken delivery of an XA GT RPO, just arrived back home in WA from over east. Got a permit and drove it home, took a few quick shots of it in my driveway.

The car was sold new here in Perth and the owner lived 4 doors down from us when we were teenagers and we would watch him give it stick up the road every now and then.

So when my brother spotted it on a web site for sale it just had to come home so after some verification checking and all confirmed a genuine matching numbers RPO the deal was struck. It even has the original handbook/logbook, with the owners name and address, plus the dealer and salesman that sold it.

The guy my brother bought it off had tracked down the original motor, which a previous owner took out to put something bigger and badder in.

So the original was rebuilt to Phase 4 Specs, (has only done about 100 kays, receipts for rebuild included) a new 780 Holley fitted as per RPO specs, and it has the winged sump. We've tracked down the original owner here in Perth but he's not home, must be away on holidays, plan on doing a photo shoot with him and the car outside the original car yard and hopefully with the salesman. Hoping he can confirm things, like if it had the winged sump from new.

Hopefully she'll be ready for the All Ford Day coming up soon, few issues to sort out first, like windscreen washer bottle, heater etc, just little things.

Hope you like it.

[poppa smurf]

Bewdifull......mate, just bewdiful!

my nephew had one of these .....went like a scalded cat

[Jim Goose]

oh... Oh.... OHHHHH

[Pepscobra]

Awesome mate!
Well done and congratulations. Great story of her coming home.
Hope to see her at the AFD.

[ado351c]

Great condition, beautiful car. Always wanted to track down my dads gold XB GS, there's still hope...

[redxm]

*drools...*

[40RDT]

Jealous!

[Moby Vic]

WOW! Beautiful! I'm very jealous.

[Rusty62]

Looks to be in very good nick, I really want one....

[2011G6E]

[GT-E]

Did you contact the old neighbour and tell him ?

[PlukaDuck]

What a great story and great find.
Good for you mate

[GTB 351]

WOW! Thats it, just WOW!

[Nikked]

The only thing wrong with it is...


...thats not my driveway.

[Shonky.]

SO SO nice mate

[DJR-351]

There used to be one in my driveway.......26 years ago...

[I8hsv]

Yum congrats mate

[anto]

awesome car and great story to go with it.

[Electric XY]

Congrats, I saw this car advertised and
It looked well priced.

It was meant to be for your brother to acquire it and take it home.

[dave351cid]

lucky find. i bet the original owner will be stoked to see it again.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Nice looking ride, nice story about tracking down the original motor, would love to hear more about how that was achieved.

[gcg2503]

There is a bloke in WA who does great Repro washer bottles

Better than discolored NOS ones!

Pm me if you want his details

[Auslandau]

Great car ...... my ultimate in both 4 door and hardtop is the XA RPO. Should be more famous than the Phase 111 in my opinion. A car produced as it (almost) should have been without the fan fare, built and tagged only because of the Super Car scare where the terminology should have read Phase IV instead of the letters 'RPO'

BIG congrats to your brother (& yourself as you also get to play with it ) ..... and yes ...... jealous!

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

A car produced as it (almost) should have been without the fan fare

Much like the original HO...

Just quitely sold at first, with no advertising...

Untill word got round.

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Great car ...... my ultimate in both 4 door and hardtop is the XA RPO. Should be more famous than the Phase 111 in my opinion. A car produced as it (almost) should have been without the fan fare, built and tagged only because of the Super Car scare where the terminology should have read Phase IV instead of the letters 'RPO'

BIG congrats to your brother (& yourself as you also get to play with it ) ..... and yes ...... jealous!

Did all the RPO's get the all of the phase 4 bits?
Or did some get selected parts?

Great car btw..

[Auslandau]

Selected bits only ...... reason why I put 'almost' in there ..... but close enough though

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Selected bits only ...... reason why I put 'almost' in there ..... but close enough though

Luck of the draw wasn't it?


Some cars got more, some didn't?

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by gcg2503

There is a bloke in WA who does great Repro washer bottles

Better than discolored NOS ones!

Pm me if you want his details

Thanks for that, I will.

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Nice looking ride, nice story about tracking down the original motor, would love to hear more about how that was achieved.

Not too much story on that, all we know is that the 2nd last owner took out the original motor because it got damaged and put in some fire breathing monster. The guy that got the car off him, (the guy my brother bought it from), found the motor under a tree or something covered in leaves. He had to resleeve one of the cylinders and spent a heap of money getting it all good again and married car to engine, so good on him for pairing them up again. Chinese whispers, the story goes something like that.

Thanks for all the positive comments, I will pass them on to my brother, who is still smiling. Will put up some pics at a later time if I can, off to Targa West now.

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by MethodX

Did all the RPO's get the all of the phase 4 bits?
Or did some get selected parts?

Great car btw..

I'm no guru but my research says the RPO was a 4V 351 that got extractors, heat shield and the 780 Holley with choke. Now they may or may not have got an 8 grand tacho and a winged sump, well this one has both of these items. Some mags say this is just a furfee, I don't know, I am sure there are others out there more versed than me on the subject.

Anyway, at the end of the day who cares, it's an original RPO that might have a few extra's. Can't wait to speak to the original owner and found out from him what it had when he got it and hopefully he has some old pics with it.

[Rockape]

Wow i want that car. I need a better paying job.