Ford Cobra set to strike

No one is confirming, or denying it, but Ford is working to bring back the Cobra name.

Indicators are strong that Ford may release a limited run of special-edition Cobra-badged Falcons in time for this year's Bathurst 1000 endurance race.

CARSguide understands that 300 V8 sedans and 150 utes will be built to coincide with the marathon race.

The cars are believed to have 302kW V8s and will be sold under the FPV banner as “spec R” cars, which means they have upgraded suspensions and high-performance brakes.

Earlier this year, FPV released 200 “spec R” Falcon GTs to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falcon GT.

This year's Bathurst race also marks the 30th anniversary of Ford's one-two win with drivers Allan Moffat and Colin Bond.

To commemorate that win Ford Australia released 400 Falcon XC Cobra coupes in July 1978.

Ford Cobra Club of Australia president Rodney Hansen says he has heard that Ford plans to revive the Cobra name.

Several dealers have also heard the same story and some are prepared to take orders.

One FPV dealer, Jefferson Ford in Melbourne, has had strong inquiry for the cars.

But despite the speculation, Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary will not say if the Cobra name is returning.

She says there has been some talk of new model names at Ford, but this was normal for a car company.

Ford has registered the names “Falcon R6” “Falcon G” and “Falcon G6”, but McAlary says it is not uncommon for car companies to register names, then not use them.

“We like to keep a few things under our hat,” she says.

Ford could be reserving the “G” model designation for an upper-end next-generation Falcon, to fill the gap left by the outgoing Fairlane. The 5.4-litre Fairlane G8 is the long-wheelbase range-topper.

Fang-tastic prices

Holden has also been playing the name game, registering the “RXU” and “L8” names, which could point to new VE Commodore models.

Like many 1960s and 1970s Australian muscle cars, which are fetching stratospheric prices today, Falcon Cobras are becoming sought-after among collectors.

A mint-condition car can cost as much as $70,000 and a limited Bathurst Cobra can fetch more than $150,000.

When Ford built a batch of 400 Falcon XC coupe-based Cobras in 1978 they were painted white with blue racing stripes and had alloy wheels and a cobra snake logo emblazoned on the mudguards.

Half the cars were build with a 4.9-litre V8 and the rest with a 5.8-litre V8.

By today's standards, given improvements in engine technology, the outputs of the engines are modest. The 4.9-litre V8 developed 159kW at 4600 revs and 364Nm at 3000 revs and the 5.8-litre had 162kW at 4500 revs and 429Nm at 2700 revs.

The first 30 Cobras, called Option 97, were homologated for racing, with reinforced suspensions, transmission oil coolers, heavy-duty radiators and reworked mudguards, to accommodate larger wheels and tyres.