Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki reveals classic Ford project
Brodie Kostecki has joined his Lucky Dogs podcast co-host Will Brown in buying a classic car, with the project to be detailed on YouTube.
With only 14 rounds in the Supercars Championship, some of the star drivers from the series are spending their free time on classic cars, with Brodie Kostecki the latest to join that group.
The 2023 Supercars champion and current Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) driver has revealed he has purchased a 1987 XF Ford Fairmont Ghia as his new project car, coinciding with the first episode of his build vlog on YouTube.
Finished in its factory Regency red paintwork, the Fairmont Ghia was the flagship of the XF Falcon model range (excluding the long-wheelbase Fairmont and LTD), but had the unenviable task of being the first generation since the XR to not offer a V8 engine.
Instead, all XF Falcons and Fairmonts were powered by a ‘250 Crossflow’ engine, with the 4.1-litre straight-six in the Ghia featuring fuel injection, producing 121kW and 325Nm – low numbers by today’s standards, especially when paired with the standard three-speed automatic transmission.
The XF was also absent from the Australian Touring Car Championship, with Ford entrants using the XE until the end of Group C in 1984, followed by the Mustang foxbody and Sierra RS Cosworth during Group A – though the XF did become Ford’s competitor in the AUSCAR championship.
According to Kostecki, he secured the Fairmont Ghia through a contact at Jack Beedham’s Exhaust and Brake Centre in Redcliffe (north of Brisbane), and it’s believed to have only been owned by one person prior to the Supercars star.
As with most XD-XF Falcons, at least one of the door handles is broken already – a very common failure on this generation of car – though its cloth interior and new-for-its-time digital dash appear in good condition.
Jordan Mulach
Under the bonnet the 4.1-litre six-cylinder remains for now, however Kostecki has alluded to the XF becoming a street performance vehicle, and has called for the public to help decide on what modifications should be made.
He’s not the only Supercars driver with project cars on the go: Will Brown, Kostecki’s long-time friend, former team-mate and current Lucky Dogs podcast co-host, has a large collection of classic cars, including a 1989 Nissan Skyline R31 Silhouette GTS, a 1970 Ford Falcon XW GT-HO Phase II, and a MkII Ford Escort.
Likewise, Tickford driver Cam Waters is currently building a Shelby Cobra replica which will be powered by the V8 engine from his 2023 Ford Mustang Supercar, following on from his earlier FPR-powered XB Falcon coupe.
