THE beautifully boxy XD-XF Falcon range has long been somewhat overlooked in Aussie street machining circles, but more recently, it's having its moment in the sun. Arguably the coolest of the lot is the XE Fairmont Ghia ESP, with its two-tone paint, Scheel interior, gold snowflake wheels and V8 heart. Dragos Bjelogrlic's example is particularly impressive, due in no small part to its stonking Dandy Engines-built twinturbo Windsor, which should make a monumental 2800hp once it's set on kill. But don't go thinking Dragos is a dyed-in-the-wool Ford guy - he's completely brand agnostic. Sitting alongside the ESP in his shed is a very rapid R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, an HSV VS GTS 215i, and his beloved HK Premier.
"My Prem went 10.1 at the track, and to go any faster, I needed to put a rollcage in it," says Dragos. "I love that car, and it killed me to put a bonnet scoop on it, let alone a 'cage, so it meant I really needed another car. The XE belonged to my brother and was sitting in my factory. They weren't worth much back then, so I got it for a steal."
The original plan was to follow the well-trodden path of a Barra transplant, but having sampled their aural properties at the track, Dragos back-pedalled on that idea. That's when the monster Windsor combo out of Joe Gauci's legendary six-second Cortina fortuitously came up for sale. "Small cubes, big turbos and proven numbers; it sounded like my cuppa tea!" says Dragos.
Freshened up by Dandy Engines, the 382-cuber runs a Bryant crank, Diamond pistons and GRP Pro alloy rods. The cylinder heads and inlet manifold are from CID, and it runs FT820 injectors and a FuelTech FT600 ECU.
The twin 88mm Garrett turbos and Powerglide trans the combo ran in Joe's Corty were also part of the deal, but Dragos has switched out the 'Glide for an M&M Turbo 400 due to the gearing being a little more favourable for the larger-bodied Falcon.
Denne historien er fra Yearbook 2024-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra Yearbook 2024-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
