Past Winner Spotlight: Thomas Bussey’s 670hp XY Falcon
Thomas Bussey from Queensland is now the proud owner of this absolute weapon – a fully restored and meticulously built XY Falcon, finished in that iconic Surfer Orange.
Starting as a Falcon 500, it was stripped back to bare metal for a complete restoration, then repainted in the stunning XY Surfer Orange colour. Underneath, the undercarriage was cleaned and painted black, giving it that fresh from the factory look.
This build is all about detail, an original wind-back sunroof (not aftermarket!), tail lights restored and re-painted in GT trim, and a front radiator support panel converted to GT spec to house a bigger radiator. The front end features a new GT grille, driving lights, front spoiler and chrome trims, while the brake booster and master cylinder have also been replaced.
All the wiring throughout the car has been restored, along with all new tail lights and lenses, and the factory horns restored to original condition. Inside, it’s been completely refreshed with a new roof lining, new door cards, and new upholstery, plus all original GT seats in new condition. It’s finished off with a new GT dash fascia, steering wheel and console, while all new glass and rubbers keep it looking fresh.
Braking has been fully restored front and rear with new brakes all around, and it’s got a complete EFI fuel system to keep it fed under load.
Under the bonnet, it’s nothing short of wild, a 408 Cleveland making 670 horsepower on 98 pump fuel. It’s built with a X2i crankshaft, Callies Compstar rods, CP bullet pistons, a solid flat tappet Crow cam, CHI C400 Kaase heads, and a CID intake manifold to suit injectors. Feeding it is an Accufab billet throttle body, while spent gases exit through Genie extractors and a stainless steel 3 inch exhaust with hooker mufflers.
Electronics are handled by a FuelTech FT550 ECU, while the driveline features an SDE stall converter, Strange 2 C10 transmission, and a GJ driveshaft with billet ends. Power gets sent to the ground through a factory styled diff centre with 3.5 gears and 31 spline aftermarket axles, all rolling on tough Weld wheels.
Thomas’s XY Falcon is the perfect blend of show car quality, classic GT style, and serious street power – congratulations to Thomas Bussey, another past winner now rolling in one of the best XY Falcons around!
