The Mustang was outclassed by the end of 1976 and Richards and Bunn had planned to replace it with the new Ford Falcon. However ongoing delays meant it did not makes its debut until the start of the 1978 season at Surfers Paradise in May. Allan Grice had bought the Corvair from Gardner who had retired. Richards and Grice battled all season, ending on equal points but Grice won the championship on a countback. The following year mechanical unreliability meant he finished a distant second to Grice's Corvair.