Leyland P76 Targa Florio + Holden HT Brougham + Alfa Romeo Giulia Super - Ones That Got Away 468

By: Cliff Chambers

Date: 26.08.2022

The cars we should have bought or are just glad we didn't...

Leyland P76 Targa Florio - Advertised April 1991

It took a while for the P76 Targa to justify inclusion as a Top Ten Future Collectible in a list I prepared for (then) Modern Motor magazine but the numbers are now starting to look OK. The Targa’s problem was too little much too late, appearing as it did just weeks before the executioner’s axe fell on P76 production and with no four-speed manual option. Dealers desperate for cash discounted a lot out the door and that did nothing to create an air of exclusivity. This one does look well preserved, although we would immediately upon purchase, have ditched those appalling white-wall tyres.

Then: $5270. Now: $24,000-28,000

Holden HT Brougham - Advertised January 1993

A black-on-black Brougham has to be a rare find, even if someone when doing the repaint thought the car looked better with that daggy vinyl roof replaced by some coats of shiny 2-Pack. Chromed wheels weren’t a Brougham accessory back in 1970 either, but it doesn’t look too crass with a gleaming set of 5-spoke rims giving the tyres something to which they can cling. The only thing disconcerting about this car was its asking price – about double the money that was being paid at the time for Broughams in excellent, original condition. If you bought and held it though, you have still made money.

Then: $14,800. Now: $40,000-45,000

Mercury Comet - Advertised April 1997

If it looks like a Falcon Sprint with some frontend metal added you would be right. Ford’s US Divisions weren’t averse to a bit of model sharing where warranted and Mercury’s 1964-65 Comet eked a bit more value from the Falcon’s new and enlarged tooling. Cyclone was the sporty Comet, with pressed chrome wheel-covers as used by our XR Falcon GT and the same 4.7-litre V8. After 1964, dealers were more concerned with filling local roads with Mustangs and Comets rarely came our way as new cars. Something like this Cyclone would be a private import.

Then: $15,000. Now: $45,000-50,000

Alfa Romeo Giulia Super - Advertised July 1999

Not many people in Australia even knew that Alfa Romeo made sedans before September 1964, when a Giulia Ti ran away with that year’s Sandown Six- Hour field, finishing six laps ahead of some very classy rivals. The boxy Alfa and its sexy Giulia GT stablemate were just making local inroads and while the coupe would go on to greatness, nobody really wanted a Ti or the Super version that followed. That situation has changed though and as other 1960s Alfas surged in price, so did the sedans. Today you would be lucky to find a survivor similar to this one below $40,000.

Then: $8950. Now: $35,000-40,000

- See more 'Ones That Got Away' 

From Unique Cars #468, Jul/Aug 2022

Unique Cars magazine Value Guides

Sell your car for free right here