V8s smash estimates at Shannons

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 18.07.2017

Falcon coupe fetches top dollar

Bent eight muscle continues to be the hero at local auctions, with a 1976 Ford XB coupe powered by a 351 fetching top price at the Shannons Melbourne event last night, at$134,000.

The results proved two things: there are some deep pockets out there and people will bid big amounts of money for the right vehicle.

That was sentiment was evident immediately when the first car in the catalogue, a 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, sold for a whopping $66,000!

That may not seem like an excessive amount of cash, but you have to consider that the estimate for the Stuttgart luxomobile, which needed some work, was a mere $8000-$12,000!

So why did the Benz go for so much more than estimate? Well there were probably a couple of factors at play.

Firstly, everyone, especially us Aussies, loves a potential bargain at the auctions. The other is that this was the right vehicle for someone looking for a very, very original example with exceptionally low mileage - 66,700 kilometres to be precise.

It wasn’t perfect, the paint job needed a fair amount of work and the front bumper had a bit of damage, but, for the most part, it was a very nice car.

Other standouts from the auction included a 1971 Holden HQ Monaro GTS Coupe that was in what Shannons described as ‘Barn Find’ condition.

The estimate for the HQ was $20,000-$30,000 and it sold for a healthy $42,500. There’s a fair bit of work for the new owner but with some (a lot of) TLC, it could be a great car again.

 In addition, a lovely looking 1972 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Coupe in a striking Lime Green Metallic stood at $102,000 at the whack of the auctioneer’s gavel, with the estimate for the green Aussie being $90,000-$100,000.

A 1980 Holden HDT VC Commodore also commanded a healthy amount of interest and bids at the auction, with the Firethorn Red Brock Commo’ eventually selling for $52,000.

The poster child of the auction and a car, which has previously been on the front cover of this very magazine, the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, went for $101,000, which we reckon is a pretty good buy.

Another former Unique Cars mag feature car, a 1973 Ford XA Fairmont GS Rally Pack in Wild Violet, went for $63,000.

Our pick for bargain of the night has to go to the 1973 BMW 3.0 CSi manual Coupe, which commanded a winning bid of $53,000 - a great buy.

Results:

Lot 1 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 $66,000

Lot 2 1989 Jaguar Sovereign XJ40 $6500

Lot 5 1999 Rover 800 $3000

Lot 6 1999 Ford Mustang Saleen $15,000

Lot 7 1985 Gazelle SSK replica $38,500

Lot 8 1974 Triumph Stag $9500

Lot 9 1970 Puch Steyr Haflinger $16,500

Lot 12 1972 Volkswagen Beetle S $15,500

Lot 13 1953 Holden 48-215 $24,000 (passed in)

Lot 14 1965 Holden HD wagon $25,000

Lot 15 1970 Holden HT Belmont van $33,500

Lot 16 Ford Falcon Futura 250 sedan $12,000

Lot 17 1952 Ford Customline sedan V8 $9000

Lot 18 1978 Ford Falcon 500 V8 $17,000

Lot 19 1980 Litre speedway car $11,000 (passed in)

Lot 20 1986 Autocraft speedway car $14,000 (passed in)

Lot 21 1965 Ford Falcon ‘Gasser’ show car $14,000

Lot 22 1971 Ford Fairlane 500 $22,000

Lot 23 2007 RCM Cobra replica $50,000

Lot 24 1948 Packard Deluxe sedan $13,000

Lot 25 1941 Plymouth P12 coupe $24,000

Lot 26 1951 Diamond T 522 truck $60,000

Lot 30 1926 Rolls-Royce saloon $89,500

Lot 33 Holden HQ Monaro project $42,500

Lot 34 1980 Holden HDT Commodore $52,000

Lot 35 1969 Holden HT Monaro upgraded to 350 $64,000

Lot 36 1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible $120,000

Lot 37 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 $101,000

Lot 40 1981 Mercedes-Benz 280E sedan $12,000

Lot 41 1965 Honda S600 roadster $28,000

Lot 42 1973 BMW 3.0CSi coupe $53,000

Lot 43 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible $95,000

Lot 44 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL $175,000 (passed in)

Lot 45 1990 Maserati Biturbo $16,000

Lot 46 1974 Citroen DS23 Safari wagon $30,500

Lot 47 1989 Lancia Delta Integrale $40,000 (passed in)

Lot 48 1959 Jensen 541R $95,000

Lot 49 1972 Holden LJ Toranba GTR XU-1 $102,000

Lot 50 1976 Ford XB Falcon GT coupe $134,000

Lot 51 1973 Ford Falcon Fairmont GS 351 $63,000

Lot 52 1973 Chrysler Valiant Charger XL $37,000

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