VW Kombi Ambulance + Pontiac 2+2 + XW Falcon - Gotaways 406

By: Cliff Chambers

Date: 29.10.2017

VW Kombi Ambulance, Pontiac 2+2, Dodge Challenger SE and a 1993 Ford XW Falcon - just some of the cars we look back on from the Unique Cars classifieds archives

1954 VW KOMBI AMBULANCE - Advertised May 1995

‘Beats walkin’ mate’ might have well been the response from a bush ‘ambo’ when being overtaken by kids on three-speed Malvern Stars. Early Kombis battled to reach 95km/h and when loaded down with medical gear, a patient and couple of medics the trip to hospital would have been torturous indeed.

Although its time in active service might have been brief , we reckon this Kombi found its way into caring hands and this appearance will prompt a current or past owner to pass on some additional detail.

PONTIAC 2+2 - Advertised April 1993

Known simply as a ‘2+2’, one of these Nascar-kitted Pontiacs so effectively convinced a US car magazine of its performance credentials that they scored it ahead of a Ferrari 330GT 2+2 in a head-to-head comparison test. Top speed at 210km/h didn’t quite match the V12, however the Pontiac won based on ease and cost of maintenance, overall performance and, of course, price.

This 2+2 was likely built RHD at a Canadian GM factory and exported here as a brand new car. Back in cash-strapped 1993 that $18,000 may have looked a mite high but overseas values since then have soared.

DODGE CHALLENGER SE - Advertised May 1992

No the price is not a misprint, the car does have an engine (although maybe not the correct one) and it does look to be in decent condition. Then why so cheap? In simple terms it took Australians a long time to form attachments to Chrysler-made ‘Mopar’ performance cars and prices during the 1990s hardly moved at all.

To enjoy the freedom of full registration the buyer would need to find the price of a RHD conversion but that still wouldn’t have driven the value of this scarce SE-spec Challenger beyond the cost of a basic 1970s Mustang.

XW FORD FALCON - Advertised June 1993

There are arguments over ‘authenticity’ vs ‘originality’ but this XW kicks goals at both ends of the park. With the Falcon averaging just 1500 miles (2400km) a year since new, not much under the skin would be worn out, however some parts probably succumbed to age-related fatigue.

Those ‘starfish’ wheel trims are unusual but were available across the XW Falcon/Fairmont range and came from the USA where they were a common sight on compact Fords. With a 5.0-litre V8 humming under its hood, we hope this well-preserved Falcon is set to soon tick off half-century of existence.