This engine was called the Cleveland, being built at Ford's Cleveland, Ohio, factory as opposed to the Windsor plant in Canada. It featured solid lifters, a big 780 cfm Holley carburettor and a number of other features but Ford claimed the same horsepower output as the Windsor - 300 bhp at 5400 rpm and 380 ftllb torque at 3400 rpm.
Different gear ratios were fitted along with a higher final drive ratio 3.5 to 1 so everyone was expecting greater top speeds from the new car.
Pitted against the Phase Two would be two new contenders in the form of the six cylinder Torana GTR/XU1 (replacing the V8 Monaro) and Chrysler's new Valiant Pacer with 6-cylinder engine.
It seemed unlikely that these cars could keep up with the Falcons for sheer pace but they were expected to be reliable and with better fuel consumption. So, when the first long distance races came along, everyone was watching with great interest.
First big test before Bathurst, of course, was the traditional Sandown 250.
From the start of the race, six Falcons burst into the lead, but the smiles in the pits soon turned to frowns as they ran into trouble one by one, accompanied by huge cheers from Holden fans in the stands.
Still, Moffat raced on while others pitted and, although he was also experiencing troubles by the end of the race and had to slow down considerably, he drove home to another victory.
He was now quite clearly Number One Ford driver.
Next Falcon home was the second works car of Gibson and Seton way back in sixth place. Although they had a clear victory, there was much consternation in the Ford camps, particularly in view of the Cleveland engine which was proving to be less reliable than they had expected.
As they prepared for Bathurst there were also worries about brakes on the big cars, not to mention the still relatively unknown strength of the opposition.
The three Works Falcons sat on the grid one-two-three for the big event but they were still not able to rest easy as engine problems were still raising their ugly heads while the Toranas circulated regularly and without dramas.
For the first time in the history of the event, drivers were allowed to complete the distance solo. Moffat and McPhee drove two of the Works cars while the old team of Gibson and Seton paired up again.
