Dennis Varni wanted something different out of a rally car, something not normally used for such abuse. With his friends building Jeepsters and other off-road vehicles, Dennis decided he wanted to build something with a bit more muscle. Enter the 1961 Ford Falcon, an American car used to gracing car shows or seeing the drag strip from time to time. Dennis, 71, and his wife, 68, were looking for more adventure than that.

That’s when this old bird, built by Hill Rod & Customs out of California, was turned into a rally beast. That’s right folks, those dirt roads aren’t just for Subies. The Falcon was purposely built so that Dennis and his wife could go to South Africa to participate in a grueling competitive rally race spanning 8,000 kilometers (4,970.9 miles) with 2,000 of those kilometers (about 1,242 miles) involving only dirt/gravel road, a task to be done in under 30 days.

Inside of this special ’61 Falcon is the Ford 302 capable of about 400 horses, a Maier suspension, a Ford 9-inch rear with 3.25 gears, and let’s not forget about the raccoon tail in the back.

The retired married couple had a blast during every kilometer and were able to take in the incredible scenery that started in Cape Town, and then through the countries of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and then back to Cape Town.

Even better, this awesome couple took home the first place win for the entire rally race event. That’s not a bad feat, especially for a retired couple – most people their age become snow birds instead of rallying a Falcon.