Video: 1300hp blown Godzilla-powered XA Falcon

Nathaniel Ardern's freshly repowered Falcon has already ran a low eight-second quarter-mile, with plenty in reserve

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Photographers: Outlaw Images
Videographers: Harrop TV

When Harrop TV last covered their killer supercharged 7.3-litre Godzilla build with Frank Marchese of Dandy Engines, the combo had just spat out a huge 1300hp on Frank’s engine dyno.

Harrop has now been playing with the crate Godzilla for two years, starting its development program by bolting a TVS2650i blower onto an otherwise-stock motor. Frank followed up by tearing the beast down and adding boost-friendly internals, a more detailed rundown of which you’ll find here. In the end, the rebuilt powerplant yielded 1317hp and 1158lb-ft of torque.

Meanwhile, FuelTech Australia’s Nathaniel Ardern was busy readying his Cosmic Blue XA Falcon to receive the fettled Godzilla. Though initial plans called for a turbo Barra swap, Nads changed his tune after seeing Frank and Harrop’s results in May 2021.

Profab Motorsport Fabrications handled much of the build, strengthening the chassis to handle the bulk torque.

They also welded in a ‘cage, shortened the car’s 9in diff, and fabbed a front sump and external R4 oil pump adaptor to suit Aussie Falcons.

Another impressive effort from Profab is the set of engine mounts, which place the whole assembly under the bonnet while retaining the optimal engine height and angle. “There’s nothing cut, it fits right under the bonnet — no scoops, nothing,” Nads says. “Except for one hole in the front inner guard to run the air intake,” Frank adds.

Running through a Turbo 400 auto on the Harrop HQ hub dyno, the XA laid down 1305hp and 1105ftlb of torque at 6200rpm, with max boost hitting 16.8psi. Engine management is handled by a FuelTech FT600, supplying pump E85.

To our knowledge, the Falcon is the first Godzilla-powered streeter to be finished in Australia, though other cars are currently in the build stages.

Frank took the Falcon to Sydney Dragway yesterday, eager to finally see the angry Godzilla in action. On just the third pass, he steered the 1835kg, 275-tyre car to a seriously rapid 8.31@152mph, with an early shutoff at the 7.6-second mark. Considering the car had never been raced with any previous combo, it’s an impressive result.

“We were seeing something funky with the fuel pump so we just backed off,” Frank explains. “It still hasn’t seen a full pass and we’re headed to Heathcote now, so we’ll see if we can fix the fuel pump and run it out the back door!”

There’s little doubt from Nads and Frank that the combo will hit the bottom eights, with a seven-second ET likely within reach. “Like anything it would be really nice to crack a 7.9,” Nads says. “It’s got a full exhaust, four mufflers, full interior, normal Falcon glass and wind-up windows!”

Nads has also entered the stonking XA in this year’s full-fat Drag Challenge, “Hopefully we can get it through those five days and keep it where it needs to be,” he says. If he can, the car may be a real contender for top honours.

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