Eric Bana’s Ford Falcon is a car with a long story to tell, but don’t worries we wont go into too much details here: Eric story with the Ford Falcon also features in his first work as a director, Love The Beast, released in 2009 and you should watch it to get all the details.
The Hollywood star was only 15 he convinced his father to let him buy a 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe: Eric had a crush a few years before for the duo Mel Gibson-Ford Falcon Coupé while watching Mad Max and he couldn’t wait to get his own. That was the moment when the car was restored for the first time.
Then in 1996 the Falcon was turned into a race car . Eric and his friend Andrew took it to the Targa Tasmania, a five day road endurance rally, where they finished 3rd in their class. After that first attempt Eric started racing all sort of cars and the XB coupe didn’t have many opportunities to race .
In 2005 a full ground-up restoration transformed the Falcon into a beast that in full race specifications produces over 600 bhp and it was time for a test drive: as it happens ten years after its first race the Falcon coupé was again on the roads of the Targa Tasmania.
That race in 2006 ended with the Ford Falcon wrapped around a tree, but once again it was rebuild and upgraded in the following years.
Ford Falcon XB coupe “Eric Bana” – Technical Details from hotrod.com
(check the original link here: http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/hrdp-0704-1973-xb-ford-falcon-coupe/)
Engine:
John Sidney Racing built the 400ci Dart Windsor stroker with 11.2:1-compression JE forged pistons, a 3.750-inch Scat crank, 6-inch Scat rods, Speed-Pro chrome-moly rings, Clevite 77 bearings, and ported Brodix heads with stainless valves (2.08/1.6 inches), bronze valveguides, Isky Gold springs, and titanium retainers. A Comp Cams solid roller cam with 0.697-inch lift, 264/268 duration (at 0.050) and a 106-degree lobe separation angle pushes Trend pushrods and actuates Comp Cams 1.6:1-ratio roller rockers. A Dick Johnson Racing dry-sump oil pan and pump keep the motor lubed, and an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold with a Holley HP-series 4150 830-cfm carb feeds it. Other details include an MSD billet distributor, a Meziere electric water pump, a Brown fuel pump, a surge tank, ceramic-coated 4-into-1 headers, and twin 3-inch stainless exhausts with a balance pipe.
Power:
It makes 590 hp and 525 lb-ft at the flywheel.
Transmission:
A Tremec TKO five-speed feeds power to a Ford 9-inch featuring Romac floating hubs, a 3.50 final drive ratio, and a limited-slip center.
Suspension:
Centreline Suspension-prepped, revalved Koni shocks are at all four corners, with 900-pound front springs, double reversed-eye rear leaves with a thicker main, a Watt’s link, and urethane bushings. The front track was widened by 20 mm on each side for greater adjustability of camber, now allowing between -3 and -5 degrees and running 4 degrees caster.
Brakes:
Race Brakes in Melbourne fit the 13.5-inch/13-inch front and rear custom brake kits that feature six- and four-piston AP Racing calipers, braided lines, Race Brakes RB74 pads, and a trick balance-bar arrangement with separate master cylinders for each end of the car.
Wheels/tires:
Custom-made 17-inch Minilites were created by Harry Witham Racing to fit over the big brakes and measure 8 inches wide at the front and 9 inches out back, with 245/40 and 275/40 race rubber getting the power to the ground.
