Cliff Chambers takes a look back through the Unique Cars classifieds...
Ferrari 308GT Lightweight – Advertised January 1996
A Ferrari with its body made from fibreglass? Surely not? Well for a few months during the late 1970s you could indeed buy brand new a 308GT ‘Vetroresina’, however only 700 or so people did before body-builder Scaglietti switched to steel and the 308 gained 135kg. Some arrived in Australia as new cars and more have been brought in by enthusiasts; often sourced from SE Asia or the UK. Rust still afflicted areas of the structure still made from steel which hurt longevity and values took ages to move, with buyers taking a sceptical view of the ‘plastic Fantastic’.
Then: $85,000. Now: $320,000-350,000
Aston Martin Volante – Advertised April 2004
Not saying the owner was wrong in dating this car as 1987 but with early-style wheels and lacking the later versions’ array of driving lights it does look more like a 1980-82 model. Whatever its DOB, this is a very scarce car on Australian shores and the money being asked, assuming it wasn’t a UK refugee and horribly afflicted by rust, looked enticing. Volantes for sale across the world now typically bring around double the money being asked 15 years ago, so did this tidy example manage to stay in this country or succumb to an offer from a larger, more active Aston market?
Then $179,000. Now: $300,000-340,000
BMW 2000CS – Advertised June 1993
A 1960s shape that was still evident in BMWs built 20 years later can’t have been all that bad. However, the perfectly-proportioned BMW 2000C (and later CS) suffered from ‘great body, shame about the face’ syndrome and that hurt sales. BMW’s desire to incorporate unwieldy lighting units and its ‘double kidney’ emblem into the design left the front panel looking like it belonged on a totally different car. That would change with the arrival in 1971 of the handsome 2800CS but the harm was done and hardly any of the 2000CS made their way to Australia.
Then: $19,000. Now: $45,000-50,000
Chevrolet Impala Hardtop – Advertised October 1999
Basic criteria apply when identifying a viable collector car and this Aussie-built 1960s Chev fulfils the important ones. It looks to be absolutely as it left the factory, including correct wheels and rego plates. The majority of its life was spent with the original owner and presumably there would be paperwork to document its earlier days. Finally – and in Australia this is an important attribute – it came with an air-conditioner. The price was typical of money being achieved at the time for a decent Impala and we are sure subsequent owners would be happy with the way values have grown.
Then: $11,400. Now: $25,000-30,000
Classic Australian Family Car Value Guide home page
Muscle Car Value Guide home page
Japanese Classic Car Value Guide home page