Ford GS, Blue Meanie, Land Rover - tonight's auction tempters

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 18.02.2019

Holden VK Blue Meanie

Falcon XC GS wagon

Series 1 Land Rover

Holden VK Blue Meanie

Falcon XC GS wagon

Series 1 Land Rover

Interesting toys for the rich and not-so-rich on the block tonight

Ford Falcon XC GS wagon

Some 81 lots are on offer at Shannons in Melbourne tonight, with a mix of cars, motorcycles, memorabilia and of course numberplates among them.

For us, the greatest appeal is the offering of three sixties to seventies Aussie wagons from the big three: Chrysler, Holden and Ford. Family wagons have definitely come back as collectibles in the last few years, with people appreciating the combination of rarity and practicality as a get-away vehicle.

While much will depend on your brand loyalties - if any - the 1978 Ford Falcon XC GS wagon is a bit special. Not only is it running a desirable 302 V8, but it's a manual. We reckon that's a very rare combo to still be running around on the streets.

These old things have a few benefits, with similicity of maintenance and huge amounts of space being among them.

If it checks out, the $22-28k guiding range seems like good value.

Next on our list is the Holden VK Blue Meanie, or lot 81. These are definitely an ongoing collectible and, now that the market has settled a little, should represent good value.

For many, this was the pinnacle of Peter Brock's influence on Holden's performance product and they're always in demand. The estimate is $160-190k.

Another lot that caught our eye was number 17, a Series 1 Land Rover. This series has been popular with restorers over the last decade, who appreciate the extraordinary workhorse history they represent.

This example is a 1954, so it's not the uber-valuable 1948-49 product. The payoff is this later unit still has the Series 1 look (most notably the narrow headlight displacement) and some useful mechanical updates which makes it an easier thing to drive.

The estimate of $14-18k means it should be affordable for many.

There are of course a host of other highlights that caught our eye, such as the BMW M6 (lot 71) with an estimate of $70-80k. These are proper high-end performance cars of the day and are probably a little undervalued at the moment.

Another worth watching is the Chevrolet Corvette (lot 38) C3 targa top that's carrying no reserve and a relatively low estimate of $20-25k. It needs a fair bit of work to finish off, but could turn out to be a very economical project.

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