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BMW M3R + Falcon XA GTHO + Goggomobil – Phase 4 Ones That Got Away 421

Cliff Chambers takes a look back through the Unique Cars classifieds...

BMW M3-R – Advertised May 2002

If owning a mega-scarce BMW was your ambition and handing over almost $80K to get it wasn’t an issue then this M3-R is perhaps still decorating your garage. Just 15 of these Aussie-only M3s were produced, under the guidance of the late Frank Gardner and in hope of giving the front-running Porsches and Mazda’s RX7 SPs some hurry-up in GT Production races. Anything non-essential went into the skip to save weight, while suspension and mechanical tweaks helped boost the asking price to almost $190,000. Whoever sold this car took a very big bath but recent sales have seen asking prices dragged even lower.

Then: $79,000. Now: $70-75,000

 

Ford XA Falcon GTHO Phase 4 – Advertised July 1986

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Does anyone have a block of land, piece of art or other collectible that in the space of 32 years has increased its value by more than 6600 per cent? No? Then maybe we can claim this GTHO as not only one of the world’s most significant performance cars but also the most astute investment of recent times. There were four Phase 4 GTHOs initially built and one is gone. One survivor is green, two are red and the owners of the other red one say it is not for sale. So, will the green car – the only Phase 4 produced specifically for road use – pop up for sale now and turn the recently-set record to ash?

Then: $30,000. Now: $2M

| Read next: Ford Falcon GTHO values

 

Goggomobil T300 sedan – Advertised June 1990

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Imagine it is 1960 and one of these chunky Germanic four-seaters is approaching the climb up Bulli Pass or perhaps Cunningham’s Gap. With a tiny 300cc two-stroke whirring in the back and a family of well-fed Aussies inside how long do you reckon the climb will take – if the car makes it at all? No prizes for guessing then how long the G-O-G-G-O survived in our market once the BMC Mini with its 850cc engine arrived. Don’t laugh too loudly though because surviving T300s now cost around the same as a decent Mini and top-quality Dart two-seaters will generate Cooper S money.

Then: $3500. Now: $16-20,000

 

Chevrolet van – Advertised 1989

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Any octogenarians out there remember strapping a Duke Kahanamoku longboard to one of these and heading off on a surf and sex safari? Didn’t think so. Long before devious surfing types discovered the friendly benefits to be derived from owning a panel van, vehicles like this old Chev were delivering bread and parcels and doing none of that ‘If Its Rockin’ Don’t Come Knockin’ kind of stuff. Not many vans were made so scarcity was in the vendor’s favour. However $7K with a lot more to spend might have been too rich even for the blood of dedicated Chev enthusiasts.

Then: $7000. Now: $30-35,000 (Restored)

 

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