First published in the Apr/May 1985 issue of Street Machine

Imagine a multi-millionaire businessman with a lust for low-slung street muscle. Not a boring pin-stripe suit type, but a bloke with bulk imagination and a fistful of dollars…

With that combination, you just know whatever he builds is gonna be sensational.

This big-bucks Mr Biz goes by the name of Paul Halstead, and over the years he’s had some outrageous machinery at his disposal.

There’s been Lambos, De Tomasos, Porsches; half a dozen exotic two-wheelers … and this piece of Black Magic.

Under the multiple coats of Austin A 40 Black, there lurks a genuine Bathurst XC Cobra – only this one’s more like a rattlesnake. It’s one of 30 specials produced for the big race. But there’s nothing too standard about it.

The T-top is the first clue. Masterminded by Tony Williams of Byatt Engineering in Sydney’s inner-suburban Marrickville, it’s a hex-key lock-operated unit, fabricated in metal. An entire spare turret was used to get those T-top cut-outs dead right.

With the big Ford joined only by a thin strip of Broadmeadows roof, the Byatt boys put some strength back into the shell with a full chrome-moly roll cage and reinforced box-section rails under the floor.

Next came the Lambo-lookalike treatment. That’s where the inspiration came from for the Cobra’s NACA brake duct set up.

The front spoiler was pure roundy round race stuff with two big cut-outs for a pair of Mr Cibie’s best candlepower.

The illuminatian was in for a refit when we took our shots.

With the body taken care of, the next step was turning an already potent street car into a high 13s projectile.

The 351 got a Holley 780 sitting on a Weiand manifold. The 4V Cleveland heads received plenty of attention too, with H & M headers getting rid of the gas through a two-inch dual system.

The bottom end was blueprinted and CDI ignition added for plenty of clean spark. The end result is a genuine, ultra tractable 350hp.

Transmitting that grunt is a Super T-10 and a 9″ Ford rear end, running a 3.5 diff.

Because the car had to go around corners at indecent velocity, a suspension rebuild was a must.

The Cobra was dropped two inches with rerated springs and a Koni at each corner. The front bottom arms were relocated and the rear end sprouted a Panhard rod.

Putting it all on the road are Magnum five-slotters 15 x 10s on the rear, 15 x 8s on the front – shod with Bridgestone RD 111 TR60 steels.

Brakes are four wheel ventilated discs with hard compound race pads.

lnside, the Cobra got the Recaro treatment and a pair of six-point harnesses.

Factory air and power steer take care of the comfort factor and an electric door lock system was added later.

The Cobra is now on its second owner, who’s spent the last year tidying up Mr Halstead’s former toy. The black T-top gets heaps of attention wherever it goes – to the point where owner number two asked us not to use his name.

“It’s bad enough now”, he said “everywhere you go, people want to know about the car. And the bloody kids … if I’ve been called the Knight Rider once, I must have copped it a thousand times…”