Looking back through the Unique Cars classifieds
Ford Mustang GT350 Shelby – Advertised August 2003
By 1969 when the last Fords to include ‘Shelby’ in their names were being built, the tall Texan who made the Mustang a race winner was pretty much absent from the picture. GT350s built during 1969 were effectively the last of their kind because cars plated as 1970 models had been built a year earlier. Production totalled 1085, supplemented by 194 of the GT350 convertible. Several Shelbys from that momentous final year now call Australia home and August 2003 wasn’t the only time this distinctive orange and white car would be seen for sale.
Then: $105,000. Now: $175,000-195,000
Buchanan Cobra – Advertised March 1989
Long before Carroll Shelby decided to use the name for his V8-based sports cars, Australia had a Cobra that was way better behaved and affordable. Nat Buchanan was experienced in fibreglass body construction well before 1958 when he designed
a basic steel chassis with the engine and gearbox from a Standard 10 and attached a body with more than a hint of Aston-Martin DB3S. An estimated 60 were made before the demand was killed by BMC’s Austin Healey Sprite, however a lot of Mr Buchanan’s Cobras do seem to survive.
Then: $11,999. Now: $25,000-30,000
Ford Bronco XLT – Advertised November 1997
It isn’t often we find a 40-year-old 4WD with its value up appreciably, but here’s an exception. The US-sourced Bronco was marketed locally from 1981-87 and for most of that time was available with the heavy-hitting 5.8-litre Cleveland V8 engine.
Manual transmission was standard but air-con was, until 1985, an option. These Broncos sat for years not attracting much local attention, at least not until people in the USA started paying extreme money for 1960s Gen 1s. Second and third-gen (this series) Broncos then came under scrutiny and values since 2015 have doubled.
Then: $16,499. Now: $40,000-45,000
Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn – Advertised January 2005
Back when being just rich rather than mega-rich was sufficient for Rolls-Royce ownership, Britain’s leading luxury car supplier sold cars of this kind with Rolls-Royce or Bentley emblems. Bentley versions were dubbed the Mark 6 (later Type R) but Rolls-Royce gave its compact a properly evocative name. Just 761 Silver Dawns were built; most sold to status-seekers in the USA but Australia did get a few and they occasionally appear with specialist dealers or at classic auctions. Prices realised won’t go near to covering costs if you tried to restore a neglected Dawn from scratch.
Then: $38,500. Now: $50,000-60,000
From Unique Cars #473, Dec 2022