HO Phase Autos is moving into a new era, with the news that Gary O’Brien of Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars fame has come on board to build the firm’s next generation of fast Fords.

Gary is well-known on the Touring Car Masters scene, including building John Bowe’s TCM Torana and acting as crew chief. Gary was also the man behind our HQ GTS Monaro giveaway car that we built with Unique Cars back in 2015.

Gary brings the sort of craftsmanship and race-car knowledge we’ve been looking for,” says HO’s Rob Draper. “He’s also a fantastic communicator and strategist. We’re a few months into our first build together and I’m learning a lot from him. We’ve talked a lot about how these cars should drive, and how we want people to feel behind the wheel. My main line of work is in showbiz, where the audience comes first. I’m bringing that same kind of thinking to HO. Entertainment on wheels.”

That first build is Trudee, a bespoke Falcon bringing O’Brien together with former Ford chief designer Steve Park and HO program manager Josh Hillman. Why Trudee?

“Trudee came from the client, Davin Foster,” says Rob. “He’s a mad Dick Johnson, Tru-Blue-era fan, with this being his ultimate XD it made sense, at least as a working title.”

An XE-bodied Falcon with an XD front end, Trudee combines HO’s Phase 5 flares and front air dam with a new HO bonnet scoop, rear wing and light-gold HO Rebel One wheels (in the style of the Rebel rims used on Dick Johnson’s Tru-Blu Falcon). Underneath is a 7.3-litre Ford Godzilla V8 and modern running gear. The brief is a race car for the road.

“Trudee has Dad’s design heritage, Steve’s ideas and Gary’s craftsmanship coming together. Gary still jumps out of bed wanting to get stuck into race cars. That’s the guy you want building yours. The other thing I love about Gary is he was a Holden guy until we talked him into coming to the dark side.”

Having John offer to test the cars and teach our clients how to use them is a huge plus,” says Draper. “You want people to enjoy what we’ve built for them. To be able to take it to a track and learn about it with John Bowe beside you—that’s pretty special.”

Phase Autos was founded in 1979 by Ford designer Wayne Draper and Bob McWilliam. When Ford withdrew its factory racing support, they worked with privateers including Murray Carter to develop and homologate the XD Falcon, helping keep Ford on the grid.

Much of it happened in backyards around Broadmeadows, with help from Ford workers who weren’t ready to give up on racing.

“Dad and Bob started Phase Autos to do the things Ford wouldn’t let Dad do,” says Draper. “That’s basically still our brief. Ford sold Dad the HO name for a dollar to help get the Group C numbers through CAMS. Essentially, they gave it to him. They didn’t want it. Dad did.”

Dick Johnson would make the XD famous. Wayne and Bob continued developing their own road cars, bodywork and projects, carrying the idea through later generations of Falcon, including the rare Allan Moffat EB HO Falcon.

“Dad never stopped building hot Falcons for people through the ’90s and 2000s. Demand was quieter, but he kept going. Around 2009 he decided to properly open the doors again and build the Falcons the way he’d always wanted.”

After Wayne died in 2012, Rob carried on.

“He left a legacy I couldn’t ignore. I’ve kept the flag waving and the fire burning, at more cost than profit at times, I can assure you. But things have been picking up, and the people involved now are helping us take it to another level.”

Beyond Trudee, HO has an AU-based project and an FG ute in its sights, with customer interest helping move those ideas forward.

“The AU project is something pretty special. And the FG ute is certainly one Ford should have done. Steve has some wild ideas. We have a Ford Falcon designer redesigning Ford Falcons. That’s seriously unique and special to me. If it can’t be Dad, it has to be Steve. Look… we’re certainly not running out of things we want to build.”