PSYCHO – Jaw Dropping 1986 Ford XF Falcon

Once a humble, mild-mannered family sedan, this incredible Ford XF Falcon has evolved into a crazy, show-stopping two-door coupe.

This 1986 Ford Falcon is built to be eyecatching above all else; the lurid purple paint and near-fluorescent interior ensure that it cannot be ignored.
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The machine that Tasmanian Ford fan Leisa Chinnock bought from her employer after years of faithful service as a gunmetal grey company car, had been painted pink and worked over enough to make the Top 20 and scoop Top Sedan. Not bad, but Leisa and husband Shane wanted the ‘Wow!’ factor.

The man entrusted to manage this mammoth task was Greg Maskell of Revhed Restorations, which has since changed its name to Maskell’s Customs and Classics.
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“The brief for the XF was to build an elite show car with a lot of ‘wow’ factor.” Proceedings got underway in Hobart, where the Falcon’s roof was chopped and the two-door conversion executed. It was taken back to Maskell’s Customs and Classics to finish all the modifications, fitment and assembly, including bodywork, paint, interior and drivetrain.

“There was literally an obstacle every day,” Greg explained. “This car was extremely hard to build because of the amount of modifications and quality of the finish.”

Dubbed ‘PSYCHO’, this vehicle is truly insane, with amazing build quality that’s second to none, from the dramatically altered body to the unique, flowing interior and everything that lurks beneath the surface.

Perhaps the single most impressive aspect of the Falcon’s ‘insides’ is the fact that the entire car is controlled by an industrial-quality Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The system is linked to a colour touch-screen via an Ethernet connection, replacing all of the switches and buttons needed to control the car.

From this command centre, Leisa and Shane can start the motor, open and close doors and windows, raise or lower the airbag suspension, and control the volume on the stereo. They can also individually control different engine systems, including ignition, water pump and thermo fans. And because both the screen and PLC can be programmed and monitored via a wireless link from a laptop, the Chinnocks can even log in from the other side of the world, download engine diagnostics and re-tune the ECU. Such innovation can only come from teamwork built upon trust and commitment.

“I’m proud of the relationship that I have with Shane and Leisa; They let me do what was needed to accomplish the project,” Greg said, “and I’m proud of the guys that worked on the car – it was an awesome team.”

For anyone building a super, high-end show car, there’s few awards more prestigious than Summernats Top Judged Elite. Leisa Chinnock’s PSYCHO Falcon joins an exclusive club of four that have scored Top Judged Elite twice.

But this isn’t a case of all-show-no-go. There’s a 600hp supercharged 351ci Cleveland V8 under the hood, spaceframe chassis and bespoke suspension to make sure that, when necessary, this eyewatering masterpiece can blow less extravagantly hued cars into the weeds.