Moffat EB GTHO

[Nick Short]

I've seen an ad for a "Moffat EB GTHO", which seems to be a supercharged EB GT. Anyone cast any light on this car? Was it a limited production car, or a one-off? Looked damn good though!

[drof]

Hi Nick, First of all it wasn't a GTHO but was called a HO. Take one new Falcon 5 litre, add EB GT like wheels, a body kit, add a Yankee built Vortec screw type supercharger, tip in some Recaro seating and Momo steering, add the name of a famous Falcon race car campaigner and whammo, the Allan Moffat Signature Supercharged HO Falcon.
This wasn't a Factory Built car but was done with the approval of Ford Australia and Tickford Engineering by Bob McWilliam and Wayne Draper, the former has been running Phase Autos for Donkeys ages. Its a company that turns out fibreglass body kits for Fords. Wayne was one of the original designers on Falcon GT's back in the 1970's and had been with Ford on and off up to 1988. In 1992 the two got together and got serious and a company called Homologated Options( the name of the Allan Moffat Car) was born out of Phase Autos. Today Homologated Options do most of the body kits, fitting and painting for Tickford. Now to the car........
It starts with an boot wing similar to the EBGT and finishes with a number of subtle, yet highly effective fibreglass panels. Sitting fore and aft are HO's own design 17*8.5" alloy rims which are clad in Dunlop Formula W-1 tyres, 235 45*17" on the front and 255 40*17" on the rear. The HO revised suspension consists of revised spring, shocker and roll bar rates. Stopping power is improved with comp style DS11 pads which are fed with cooling air from spoiler mounted ducts. The interior is limited to a Momo steering wheel and Allan Moffat Signature, but there is a option list which includes Recaro or Paratus seating.
It doesnt matter what you opt for the 5.0 litre V8 or the in-line 4.0 six, HO simply bolts on a US developed V-belt driven Vortech Gearcharger,(Engine-driven centrifugal supercharger).
The six gives nothing away to the V8 in a straight line, but the V8's torque is greater out of corners. V8 top speed, about 240km/h (150+ mph). Claimed power on the V8, about 235kw, no figures on the 6.
So Nick, basically this car was based on a Ghia but if you want one you could start at a GLi right through to a Fairmont Ghia. The only way to get the Allan Moffat Signature though is to opt for the entire kit; wheels. tyres, supercharger and variuos badges. The one you have heard about was probably based on a EB XR8 Sprint, with the (at the time) $16,000 Allan Moffat Kit. The price at the time for the Allan Moffat HO was around 60 grand, but in comparison the EBGT was around 70 grand with the EBGT only pumping out 200Kw.

Hopes this helps you, any more questions or any other mysterious cars to investigate please let me know as I have alot of free time at the moment recovering from a spinal fusion operation that has laid me off work for about 3 months.

Regards

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[ferrari fan]

Sorry to hear of your illnes , Hope you are on the way to a full recovery!
regards Ferrari fan

[FORDMOCO]

Dinkum Classic made the Moffat HO EB in 1/43 scale.It can still be found in some of the OZ model shops.I have a silver version with purple rear spoiler and mags.Also had a metallic black version.:)

[drof]

Thanks Ferrari Fan, this is the second time I have had the operation with the first one in 2000 being unsuccessful. They basically graft bone in between my two lower Vertabra and hold it all together with screws and rods. Unfortunatly I broke 3 out of 4 screws, thus the bone graft didn't take properly, and as a consequence of that, the disc in between the two vertabra collapsed. This time they used Titanium screws instead of stainless surgical steel so I hope that this time I will recover 100%. In the meantime I am 100% BORED!!

Regards and Thanks

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[frosty]

drof,

My sister-in-law had the same operation last year in Melbourne and it was a success, she can move a lot easier than before. She now does a heap of walking.

After your rehabilitation, you should be up and about.

Keep up your postings, because they are very informative, especially the current Moffat story. Where do you get your info from?

Hope your recovery goes smoothly.. Keep posting, it will beat the boredom.

[drof]

Finally got around to posting the pictures of the Moffat HO.

Happy viewing

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[drof]

And another

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[drof]

Last one.

Dave!!

[Graeme]

Dave,

I trust you're not a smoker ; it's a bad habit that also inhibits success with bone fusion.

Also, I've read that fusion is more effective when the graft is your own, usually removed from the pelvis/hip.

Many who have had the op complain that the bone graft site is more painful than their back.

Take it easy mate; love to see you in a corset ( just a little joke, but it probably hurts you to laugh !! )

[wombat]

My sympathies to you also Dave.

Your description brought back painful memories.

I had the bone grafting and screws on the lower back (L5 on S1 for the techies) about 11 years ago. My second boy was just 5 mnths old and it was hell not being able to pick him up for 6 months.

Unfortunately, some overzealous motorbike riding caused the tips of the screws to break through the vertebrae (straight into the nerve running into my right leg) and I had to have the screws removed two years ago. The screws were about a half a turn too far in. Bugger.

Graeme, you are right about the pelvis (where bone pulp is taken from to form the graft) being as painful as the op site itself. Fortunately for me, the grafting is more solid than original factory specs, so I can live without the screws.

Doing it twice was the pits, as you know exactly whats coming when you enter hospital.

I did learn something tho - allow it to heal properly and not do anything dumb (like lifting stuff) along the way.

Its certainly better than the alternatives.

BTW, where DO you get all your info?

Dave

[Three_o_seven]

Hi Dave

You really do need to rest up...as I'm sure you are aware the spine is a very sensitive peice of poorly designed equipment. Nine times out of ten you only get one chance with floating bone fragments.
I used to be (technicaly still am) an Auto Electrician and in 1998 that came to a screaming halt when i broke C5 in my neck landing me in a chair with no hand fuction for life.
My fiance and I own an Auto a/c parts business now days but nothing replaces the feeling of working on classic iron......except taking delivery of another Biante model.

So take it easy mate

[drof]

Still another 1 to go.

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[drof]

Thanks guys for all your posts, I am back at work now 3 months after the operation. Hindsight is a wonderful thing so I will be definatly doing nothing stupid this time around. My surgeon reackons I should be able to lift 20-30 kilos at a time, but definatly only as a one off and no repetitave heavy lifting. My operation was a result of spondlythesis (hope I spelt it right) which is a condition, that apparantly people that suffer from it are born with it, but you could go your whole way through life and never have a problem, but in my case had a fall at work in the early nineties, which the surgeon thinks triggered the condition. Spondlythesis is where tere is movement side to side in the spine and in my case a 1cm movement. The bone graft was taken off around my tail bone area, and you are all right, this was the most painfulist part.
Wombat I get all my info from my vast library of automotive books and magazines and through all my years of following motorsport and the automotive industry. No strangly enough, and I did want to become one, I am not a mechanic, but I Manage a Butchery for the Mad Butcher Group of Franchises. So as you can see my job contributed alot to my current condition.

Regards and Thanks once again

Dave from Kiwiland!!

[Graeme]

In my case, I've been a car nut since age 2, at least that's what mum and dad reckon. No good rocking me to sleep -- I just wanted to go for a ride in the car !

I did a partial apprenticeship in motor mechanics in the 70's and a year of engineering at uni, but ended up a law clerk for 14 years or so ....did a fair bit of medico-legal work and learnt something of the dramas of spinal surgery along the way.

There are piles of old magazines and books in one of my rooms at home ....regrettably, sometimes the silverfish get the better of them.

[Nick Short]

Thanks for the info Kiwi Dave! Firstly, best wishes for your future health! My mate managed to land almost without the benefit of a working parachute canopy, and so was obliged to undergo similar medical torture, with great success. Good longterm prognosis hopefully.
As for the HO, I guess I thought it was based on a GT (the one I saw looked very similar), therefore GT HO, but clearly that isn't the case. Very nice car though, and it's good to find out more about it.

[wombat]

Dave

I dunno about your spelling, but I can confirm that spondilolythesis (however it is spelt) is a hereditary disease that is actually a type of spina bifida (I'm not sure about this spelling either!) It's my afliction also.

For what it's worth, I do pretty much whatever I like now. My surgeon said after the second operation to remove the screws, the grafting was an improvement to "normal" and that the leg pain would get neither better nor worse regardless of activity.

The first operation was done to alleviate severe pain brought on by playing football and gym/weight work. My cheerful doc happily laughed that the next symptom that I would encounter would be partial loss of bowel control (think of the doc in the Simpsons).

The idea of crapping myself day to day (without being in a vehicle being driven by Shumaker) was none too appealing. Certainly was going to dent my chances with the ladies as well as being inconvenient on public transport.

I can joke about it now, but it was no joke at the time. Keep your head up and beware of silverfish in the library. Keep the info coming.

Wombat