Ford Australia’s XA/XB/XC Falcon coupes of the mid-70s are some of the toughest-looking cars ever to pound Aussie roads. With fat haunches and an aggressive front end, Jack Telnack’s curvy body design for these cars remains a favourite shape of street machiners to this day, but Melbourne’s Bekim Bilbilov admits he was a late convert.

First published in the January 2025 issue of Street Machine

“I’d never had a passion for the XA; it was all the XW and XY for me,” he says. “At the age of 13, I owned my first XY GT replica. I’d just started my apprenticeship as a panel beater and spray painter, so I painted it yellow, did the blackouts and put five-slotters on it. It wasn’t until I reached my 30s that I started to appreciate the XAs. I love both the coupes and sedans now.”

Of course, Bekim isn’t alone in his appreciation for classic Aussie Falcons, and with XA-XB hardtops particularly highly prized, most of them get restored to factory specs that keep the chalk-mark inspectors happy. Indeed, the staunch XA streeter you see here came into Bekim’s life as a totally restored classic.

“Owning a tough street car is a vision I’d held on to since I was 15, and when I first laid eyes on this XA back in 2019, I knew it was going to be great,” he says. “My close friend Jihad Nashar had performed a full restoration of the car into a GT tribute back in 2013, alongside his two talented sons.”

Jihad and his team at Top Class Collision had made the swoopy coupe’s body far straighter than the factory ever had it, before laying on a fresh coat of the factory-offered Wild Violet hue. “It was a fully restored vehicle with a stock 351 and 12-slotters,” Bekim explains. “The craftsmanship was flawless, and I felt lucky to call this car my own.”

Once Bekim bought it, he was happy to drive the hardtop around in its splendidly restored form for a while, but after a period of it sitting idle in his garage, he started to rethink his plans for it. Since he was a teenager, he’d wanted a tough car with a whole heap of metal poking through the bonnet, and he decided the XA was the one to finally scratch that itch. “I’ve always had a dream of driving a car with a tunnel ram,” he says. “Tony Gigga from TCE Engines started throwing ideas out, and it wasn’t long before we had decided to do the tunnel ram.”

Ford’s mighty 351 Cleveland may have led XA Falcon coupes to back-to-back Bathurst wins back in 1973 and ’74, but in stock form, it left Bekim’s mustard decidedly uncut. Any engine running a tunnel ram in 2024 needs some serious herbs, so Tony and the TCE crew got to work on a suitably angry small-block Ford.

The 434-cube stroker is based off a Dart block and runs a Scat forged 4340 steel crank and rods, and custom, forged JE pistons. The cam is a custom-ground Comp solid-roller working Morel lifters, while the heads are deep-breathing, Aussie-made Cylinder Head Innovations 3V alloy units running Ferrea valves and triple Comp Cams springs to keep valve float at bay.

The long motor needed to be a piece of real hardware due to all the atmosphere the Bain Racing tunnel ram and twin 780cfm Pro Series carbs pump into it. On 98 pump unleaded, the 7.1-litre monster made 720hp at 7000rpm and a gargantuan 650lb-ft of torque.

A manualised C10 auto and 4500rpm TCE converter handle all the Clevor can throw at them, while a built nine-inch diff with a Strange Engineering nodular-iron centre, Moser 35-spline axles and 4.11:1 gears puts that grunt to the ground.

“The engine is built for a 300-shot of nitrous, and that would mean it should run a nine-second pass,” Bekim says. “It’s really loud on the road, and it’s got a massive cam in it. You think you’re king of the road when you drive it on the highway.”

Having dreamed of owning an angry street car for decades, Bekim is enjoying the heck out of his slick Falcon. “After nine months of anticipation, the completed project exceeded every expectation,” he says. “The moment I saw my coupe in its final form, gleaming and growling with power, I could hardly contain my excitement. Taking it for its inaugural drive was a rush like no other. The powerful acceleration thrust me back in my seat, and I couldn’t help but smile as I cruised the streets.”

This XA hardtop is more than just a car to Bekim; it’s a culmination of dreams, friendship, perseverance, and the magic that happens when you pursue what you love. “As I continue to explore the roads and show off my pride and joy, I am constantly reminded of the journey that brought me here and the people who played a role in making it all possible,” he says.

We look forward to seeing Bekim and his family enjoying this Aussie classic on the mean streets of Melbourne.

BEKIM BILBILOV
1972 FORD XA FALCON COUPE

THANKS
Tony Gigga for the engine; Jihad Nashar for the car; A1 Trimming; Promatics; my friends and family for their support.