Australian motorsport is mourning the loss of one its greats, Allan Moffat OBE, who died on Saturday November 22 2025 after a long battle with dementia. He was 86.
Allan George Moffat was born November 10, 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada, spending his early life there and teenage years in South Africa where his father was posted by employer, Massey Fergusson. It was also in this country a young Moffat saw his first motor race at the Kyalami circuit.
Another posting saw the Moffat family arrive in Australia in 1961 and it was here Allan bought a Triumph TR-3 and made his racing debut at Hume Weir (NSW). By day he was also employed as a cadet at Volkswagen Australia and by night a student at Taylor’s Business College. He soon acquired a Beetle and raced it while also studying at Monash Uni.
Moffat’s family had moved back to Canada and Allan followed. He took a job in Ontario selling pots and pans door-to-door, while plotting his racing future.
Moffat talked his way on to the Lotus Team at the Indy 500, the year Jim Clark won. He was the team gopher, for no pay, and met Team Lotus manager Ray Parsons, in charge of the Lotus Cortina program. Securing the money from his father, Moffat bought one of the surplus Lotus Cortinas, shipped it to Australia for the inaugural Sandown Six-Hour race, which he led, before crashing and ending up fourth.
But his long-standing partnership with Ford had begun. In the ensuing years he was a Ford factory competition team test and race driver, and in 1968 became the development driver for Kar Kraft and introduced himself to Jacque Passino, head of all of Ford’s motorsport.
This led to Moffat securing the famous TransAm Mustang in early 1969, the car that defines Moffat. Sponsorship was allowed for the first time in 1969 and that Mustang was adorned with Coca Cola logos with Moffat becoming Australia’s first full-time driver, bringing a level of business professionalism and sponsorship that changed the sport forever.
From 188 starts, Moffat’s beloved Mustang had 78 wins, 30 second places, 12 third places and 120 podium finishes.
Adding to his Mustang outings, he was Ford Australia’s lead works driver in the GT-HO and XA coupe eras.
Moffat won Bathurst on four occasions, 1970/71/73 and the most famous of all, the one-two finish in 1977. He also won four touring car titles as well snaring 32 championship race wins along the way. He won the Sebring 12-hour race in a BMW.
After Ford quit the sport, Moffat was left in the doldrums but good friend Alan Hamilton dusted off his 930 Porsche and Moffat won the Australian Sports Car title. And at Sandown in 1981 he joined the Holden Dealer Team for a one-off appearance.
Moffat persuaded Mazda and CAMS to let the Mazda RX-7 race and Moffat enjoyed enormous success with the high-revving, flame spitting rotary.
He and great mate John Harvey won the opening round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship in an HDT VL Commodore, Moffat bought from Peter Brock in early 1987.
Then it was back to the Ford marque with the Cosworth Sierra RS 500. Moffat’s last race was November 10 1989, his 50th birthday. Competing against the world’s best he demolished the field to win the prestigious Fuji 500 and promptly announced his retirement.
Allan Moffat was a gifted racing driver, a fierce competitor, strong-willed, determined and resourceful with an extraordinary ability to apply himself and beat the odds.
He was a kind, thoughtful man, had a wonderful sense of humour, was generous, humble and shy. But with a determination and resilience like no other.
Over the years Moffat won many battles on the track with the fiercest of rivals, while off track he won many battles with the motorsport authorities.
But his biggest battle occurred over the last decade with the onset of dementia. As the years rolled on, he battled this insidious disease that took its toll on him, until Saturday November 22 2025, when he left us.
RIP Allan Moffat OBE.
– Mark Higgins