TD Cortina + Holden HK Premier V8 + Jaguar 420G - Ones That Got Away 464 2
Looking back through the Unique Cars classifieds...
Ford Cortina TD XLE - Advertised January 1993
Stick a 4.1-litre Falcon motor into a smaller body then do nothing about weight distribution and you have the original lead-tipped arrow. But geez they went. Manual versions of the XLE250 Cortina were especially sought because with a decent straight and following wind they would top 190km/h. Just pray that at the end of that straight there wasn’t anything more challenging than a gentle curve. Rust wiped out more XLEs than even their dreadful handling did, but encroaching scarcity has done wonders for the values of surviving cars which are now 10 times their 1990s value.
Then: $3500. Now: $27,000-32,000
Jaguar 420G - Advertised December 1996
No one was sure just what the ‘G’ stood for, although people who have owned one of these massive Jaguars might say ‘Gignormous.’ These were the last of Jaguar’s truly massive sedans, ending a line that began in 1951 with the Mark 7. They no longer looked like a Rolls-Royce either, but even with the top lopped off the G was a sizeable lump to move about. These cars could have done with Daimler’s marvellous 4.5-litre V8, but corporate jealousies spiked that prospect. This one had been in the wars and needing restoration, but as a ‘starter’ classic it looks a good buy.
Then: $5990. Now: $30,000-35,000 (restored)
Holden HK Premier V8 - Advertised April 1998
Can you imagine the auction floor excitement that a Premier like this would create? Forget the dodgy paint, that’s called ‘patina,’ and instead look at the history, unrestored authenticity and those 1000 miles travelled annually since new. Shame the plate on the car doesn’t match the rego number quoted in the advertisement. Back then and at almost $8k, this HK was a spot on the Unique Cars Value Guide’s price for a Condition One example, but what about now? Probably start bidding at $60,000 and hold onto your hat if a few Premier devotees want it.
Then: $7950. Now: $75,000-85,000
Reader's One That Got Away
1960 Borgward Isabella
Jim Ailes
Maybe not to everyone’s taste, but I was once a bit taken with one of these. It was offered in a pretty sorry state but complete and cheap. I just didn’t have the shed space or the time back then. What a pity.
From Unique Cars #464, April 2022
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