BIG AL TURNER

The ‘Father’ of the iconic Falcon GTHO, Big Al Turner, arrived at Ford Australia midway through 1968, charged with the task of putting Ford back into the winner’s circle.  It was an initiative of former President of Ford Motor Company, Bunkie Knudsen, who told Australia’s Managing Director, Bill Bourke, that it was time to get into the muscle car business.

Al was working in the Lincoln-Mercury Drag Racing Program when he got the call to set up a new Division in Australia, Special Vehicles Operation (SVO).  Bourke literally gave Al a free rein to do whatever was needed to develop a car that could take the chequered flag on the race track and generate traffic in dealerships.

He gave the 36-year-old a year to conquer the Mountain at Bathurst, and that he did.

Recruiting a crew of ex-Brabham Formula I engineers and other specialists, Turner set up his own workshop at Lot 6 Mahoneys Road Thomastown, a building with no corporate Ford ID and open to ‘outsiders’ by invitation only.  

It was here the Falcon GTHO was developed.  HO stood for ‘Handling Option’. distinguished from the regular production Falcon GT by a shaker protruding from the bonnet that rocked each time the engine was revved. 

Turner’s time in Australia is well documented for the success he brought to the race track and certainly by the legacy he left of creating the fastest production car we had ever seen.

At the invitation of Bill Bourke, Al left Australia midway through 1974, the same year Bourke was made President of Ford of Europe. During his four-year stint in the UK, he was in Product Planning and among his credits was the John Player Black and Gold Capri.

In late 1983, Turned jumped ship from Ford to Chrysler into its Product Planning Department remaining there until his retirement.

Today, as a sprightly 88-year-old, his mind has not stopped.  He recently patented a combustion system for an internal combustion engine that will be capable of burning all the energy and fuel in the gasoline, which is a huge breakthrough.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Falcon GTHO and to celebrate, Al will be attending a special event that will be held at his original workshop at Lot 6 Mahoneys Road on Sunday 13 October, the day of the Bathurst 1000.