Muscle car prices shot up again at Shannons Sydney Winter Auction on 23 July. A 1969 Ford XW GTHO ‘Phase 1` sedan sold well above its estimate for $230,000 – an Australian record auction price for a Phase I Falcon. A meticulously restored LHD Shelby Mustang GT500KR Fastback Coupe also topped the market when it went for $282,000 – a top Australian auction price for a Shelby. A low mileage 1978 Ford XC Cobra 351 Hardtop kept in storage for many years sold for $86,000 – also exceeding expectations. The three Ford muscle cars were among 21 out of 26 vehicles in the auction to sell for a combined total of $1.2 million. A crowd of around 400 attended Shannons showroom in St Leonards.

The GTHO Falcon was a very original, rust-free country NSW car with 45,840 miles on the odometer, under 1,000 in the last three years. The car came from the factory fitted with rear seat belts, a deleted black bonnet and an 8-track tape deck. A Bathurst enthusiast bought it new from Peter Warren Ford. After he died, the car stayed in his garage for over 10 years before being sold on.

Genuine Muscle
The Shelby GT500KR, build number 03302, was originally delivered through an American Ford dealer with C-6 automatic transmission and 3.50 Traction-Lok axle ratio. It had only two previous US owners and was painted factory Candy Apple Red with bucket seats trimmed in black knitted fabric. After a full restoration in 2000, it had travelled just 100 miles, its odometer showing 90,521 miles in total.

The XC Cobra Hardtop was built with a 302-cid V8 but was later converted to 351 specification, reputedly by the dealer, although it kept its original numbered block. Importantly, it also retained both its factory ID and separate Cobra tags, while its Globe mag wheels were the original date stamped equipment. Other muscle cars bringing good results were a black and gold LHD1967 Ford Mustang Fastback 'Eleanor' Replica that sold as estimated for $75,000 and a 1973 Holden HQ Monaro LS Coupe fitted with a 202-cid engine with three-speed automatic transmission, for $23,500 – a top price for a six-cylinder HQ.

Super Sports
Sports cars were attracting good prices, TOO, though on a smaller scale. An excellent, one owner Jensen-bodied Volvo P1800 coupe went for $27,000. It was one of the earliest examples to reach Australia in 1963 and remained in exceptionally original condition. A 1962 MGA 1600 MkII Roadster earned $24,000, a 1968 VW Beetle ‘Karmann’ Cabriolet sold for $18,000 and a 1973 Triumph TR6 brought $17,000. Moving up the price scale, a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Convertible with both hard and soft tops, and a left hand drive 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible each made $40,000. A wide-body 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 sold for $42,000. But outdoing any of these beautiful classics was the right to display NSW white on black numberplate ‘1901’, going for a near-record $57,000.