There were plenty of Blue-blooded Ford diehards competing in the no-prep street drags on Rockhampton’s Quay Street during Rockynats 6. One of the legends we spotted going rounds was Charles Beecher in his patina XY Falcon, so we bailed him up for a quick chat.

First published in the June 2026 issue of Street Machine

How was Rockynats for you, mate?

Bloody unreal – I love this event! It’s always really good fun, especially the street drags. I obviously love getting amongst it in the racing, but we love cruising around as well. This is my third event as an entrant, and we’re already looking forward to next year.

What do you like about the street drags?

It’s a tricky surface, so it’s a lot of fun. I was running in the 6.50 class this year, and I reckon we got to the third round before getting knocked out. I do a bit of racing at my local strip at Benaraby, and some no-prep stuff at Lakeside as well. It’s done a best of 10.70@124mph at Benaraby, but that was running aspirated.

What is the combo in your XY?

It’s a 408-cube Cleveland, running around 650hp to 7000rpm with a 100-shot of nitrous. It has a C4 ’box and a nine-inch diff using an F-truck housing, so it’s a good, old-school combo. It’s had a few different looks over the years with the stripes and wheels and all that; I’m always tinkering with it.

How did you end up with the car?

I got it around 2017, pulling it out of a paddock at an old fella’s joint. An XY had always been my dream car, so I was stoked! It’s just a Falcon 500 dressed up a bit as a GS tribute, and we’ve kept the patina on the original green paint. The interior has had a bit of work to make it nicer inside, but I love having the original look on the outside.

Have you always been a Blue Oval fan?

I’m a diehard Ford man, mate; always have been. I’ve had quite a few Falcons over the years, as you could imagine, including an XF Falcon with an AIT turbo kit on it. That’s actually where the number plates for this car came from – my mum got them for me when I was a young fella, and they’ve made their way onto the XY. I’ve also had a manual EB XR8 – I bloody loved that car – and an EA with a mild cam and locked diff, which did all sorts of driving that I’m sure you can guess without any hints!

Other than events like Rockynats, do you get the XY out much?

Sure do! It comes out for a cruise on most weekends. Being at Boyne Island, we’ll often go for a cruise up to Gladstone in it; it’s a great street car, this one.

What do you do for a wicket?

I work in power, but I have a side business, CQ Race Fabrications, where I build some cars for mates and things on the side. So, I built all the XY myself; it’s a fun little side hobby for me.