Production Changes

In early 1971, Ford began to offer two option packs: Custom and Clubman.

The Custom Pack was created for those customers that wanted a slightly more refined vehicle than the standard offering. It came with extra sound deadening (to include floor and under bonnet), plush deep-pile black carpet, special ‘comfort contoured’ front seats, Bri-Nylon fabric upholstery, a new centre console complete with oddments tray, a map reading light, a heated rear window, the black vinyl roof, a cigar lighter, a radio, a brake warning light, headrests and a triple coachline down each flank.

The Clubman Pack was aimed at those buyers who wanted to go rallying. It comprised four seven-inch spot lamps complete with plastic covers (two driving lights and two fog lights), uprated front springs with heavy-duty top mountings, dual gas/oil dampers, a map reading light, front bucket seats and a rollcage. At extra cost customers could also specify stone guards for the spot lights along with a magnesium alloy sump shield and off-road tyres.

During 1972, Ford introduced the AVO Special Build programme that enabled customers to choose from the full range of competition upgrades direct from the factory in order to create what they called an International Rally car, Club Rally car or Hi-Series Street car.

The list of potential upgrades was extensive. It included: a heavy duty front chassis crossmember, a heavy duty rear axle assembly, heavy duty rear axle shafts and bearings, a rear axle cooler kit, a rear axle diff protection shield, a front strut brace, thicker stabilising mounts, reinforced lower suspension arms, uprated front hubs, rear disc brakes, larger diameter brake discs with uprated calipers, alloy wheels, a magnesium alloy sump shield with mounting bar, a five-speed ZF gearbox, a magnesium alloy bellhousing for the five-speed ZF ‘box, a twin or triple-plate clutch, a steel flywheel, a wheelarch extension kit, a fibreglass hood and trunk lid, lightweight doors (a mixture of steel and aluminium), plastic side and rear windows and a competition-spec. four-gauge instrument cluster.