INFO GUIDE: 1982 - 1983 Ford Falcon XE Dick Johnson Grand Prix

This identification guide has been drafted for the Ford Falcon XE 'Dick Johnson Grand Prix’, produced by James Faneco's ‘Country Dealer Team’ ("CDT"), with naming rights provided by famous Australian racing driver Dick Johnson. Classis Register also keeps an informal register of the Falcon XE Grand Prix here. These original Dick Johnson cars were produced in Scoresby, Victoria at the CDT factory, and were produced in both turbo and non-turbo versions. The majority of cars delivered to CDT for modification reportedly started life as Falcon S Packs, with a 4-speed manual transmission, 4 wheel disc brakes and an LSD rear end.

It is rumoured that there was initially a plan to produce the 'Dick Johnson Grand Prix' in numbers sufficient to qualify the car to enter the Australian Touring Car Championship ("ATCC").  It has been suggested the decision to do this was made in response to Ford’s plan to end local V8 production, which would have left Dick Johnson and other Ford drivers without a competitive local entry in the ATCC. The only viable alternative was to have a turbo 6 Falcon developed to remain competitive. Several sources suggest Dick Johnson himself had the intention to produce the required number of cars to qualify it for his own racing team. Although Dick may have chosen to compete with the car had the opportunity arisen, the decision to develop the Grand Prix as a basis for motorsport entry is believed to have been made by CDT, who had extensive experience doing the same with Holdens. Dick Johnson (among other drivers at the time) was reportedly approached by CDT simply to provide naming rights to boost the cars profile. Some of this information was confirmed by Dick Johnson in an interview in Australian Muscle Car Magazine (2008). Unfortunately, actual production of the Grand Prix fell well short of larger targets, and following regulation changes to the ‘Group A’ format, Dick Johnson made the decision to use the Ford Mustang, before moving to the Ford Sierra RS500.

Despite the modifications on these cars not being undertaken in the Ford factory, they were available for sale through certain participating Ford dealerships. Ford still provided a warranty for all Ford components, whilst CDT provided a full 20,000 km / 12 month warranty for all parts and accessories applied / fitted in the conversion. The turbo version came with further warranties from CDT to cover the additional engine and transmission modifications.

Some confusion surrounds the Dick Johnson CDT built cars and those rumoured to be produced by Mike Vine Turbos ("MVT") of Brisbane in around 1987 - 1988. An article in 'Car Australia' magazine (believed to be from the late 80s) confirms that MVT planned to produce their own version of the XE Grand Prix. Many enthusiasts have also strongly suggested MVT produced additional Grand Prix cars. However, Mike Vine himself has since confirmed in 'Australian Muscle Car Magazine' (2008) that MVT only made enhancements to existing Grand Prix cars, and never produced their own version of the Grand Prix. We have also tracked down a magazine article from "Turbo magazine' believed to be from the late 1980s, who visited MVT whilst they were undertaking modifications to Dick Johnson car number 002, which is consistent with Mike Vines' words. Given that Mike Vine himself has confirmed this, we are inclined to believe this version of events, and have dedicated section 7 of this guide outlining the available modifications from MVT, which according to Mike were applied to around 20 cars in the XE Grand Prix batch, to varying degrees.

Number produced:

A variety of production numbers are thrown around on forums and in magazines, ranging from around 20 through to 50 units. According to Motor Magazine of March 1983, 25 units had been produced by December of 1982, with production continuing at the same rate at the time the article was written. As the XE was only launched in March 1982, and production of the Grand Prix is believed to have begun in late 1982, it is possible that a figure of around 50 units was achieved. Australian Muscle Car Magazine notes that 43 cars were produced, with 12 as non turbo, and 6 produced in red. A production figure of 43 units is also regularly quoted as the highest car number ever seen, and we have recently cited this particular car for sale during 2016.

Period of Manufacture:

Late 1982 - May 1983 (estimate only – end date based on car number 43, which is widely regarded as the last built).

Please note, this guide has been written based on a variety of online sources and enthusiast input. You should not rely on this guide to make any purchasing decision and we make no representation that all information is accurate. You should always seek independent professional advice when looking to purchase a unique car. If you have additional information, photographs or corrections you believe need to be made to this page, please contact us by clicking the button at the top of this page, or comment below.