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Australia\u2019s Richard Petty he may be, but Moffat is an unassuming man. No sideburns. No wrap-around sunglasses. No cowboy hat. Not even a \u201cCrocodile Dundee\u201d Australian drawl. Moffat was born in Saskatchewan, Canada before migrating with his father to Australia. As a teen he became obsessed with racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad thought I was wasting my time chasing wild women and fast cars,\u201d he smiles. \u201cHe thought I was wasting my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
But after getting his start in motor racing Down Under, Moffat\u2019s big break would come in the U.S. at the dawn of the pony car era.<\/p>\n
In 1965 Ford\u2019s Mustang had taken the States by storm. With Chevrolet (Camaro), Pontiac (Firebird), and AMC (Javelin) following in its wake, America had a full-blown muscle car war on its hands. When the Saturday Night cruisers weren\u2019t challenging each other at Woodward stoplights, their owners were banging fenders on the race track. By 1966, the country\u2019s largest amateur racing organization, the Sports Car Club of America, created Trans Am to give Detroit\u2019s Big Three a playground for their ponies.<\/p>\n
It was a monster hit. Some of America\u2019s biggest racing names \u2013 Shelby, Penske \u2013 cut their teeth on the Trans Am series. Monday-through-Friday, the storied Mustang vs. Camaro rivalry played out in the showroom. On weekends, the titans took the bout to the track. From racing\u2019s kiln were forged legendary badges like the Camaro Z28 and the Boss Mustang 302.<\/p>\n
Driving a Ford Lotus Cortina in the Trans Am under-2 liter division, Moffat\u2019s take-no-prisoners driving style caught the eye of Ford\u2019s racing brass.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a call to drive a Mustang at Watkins Glen,\u201d remembers Moffat. \u201cI led it from start to finish. And the media realized \u2014 ah, he\u2019s not just a Cortina driver after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1969 Moffat was hired by Ford race shop, Kar Kraft in Dearborn, for car development with Ford ultimately rewarding the young Aussie with a\u00a0Coca-Cola sponsored Boss 302<\/a>\u00a0to conquer Australia. The 470-horsepower V-8 was a track-tuned variation of the street Boss 302 with 280 ponies. \u201cDetroit winters were getting to me a bit,\u201d cracks Moffat.<\/p>\n The Outback would never be the same.<\/p>\n With its ferocious, shark-like maw, crouched stance and screaming V-8 engine, fans had never seen an earth-pawing beast like Moffat\u2019s Boss. His nimble, aerodynamic steed was unstoppable in taking the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) by storm \u2014 even though its 5-liter power plant had less grunt than big block Aussie competitors like 7.0 liter ZL-1 Camaros, 6.0-liter Holden Monaros and 5.8-liter Ford Super Falcons.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody knew what hit them,\u201d says Moffat. \u201cNo one knew what a Trans Am car was. The opening race was in May, 1969. We walked all over everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Moffat would go on to win four ATCC titles, then gain international acclaim with his victory at the 1975 Sebring 12-Hour in a BMW CSL, the 1982 24 Hours of Daytona GT class in a Mazda RX-7 and more.<\/p>\n But like Petty in the blue #43 Plymouth Superbird, Moffat will forever be associated with his the Coca-Cola Boss 302.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was my pride and joy,\u201d he says wistfully.<\/p>\n