Ford Falcon 1971 News

Actually, it's not a toy because it's an exact scale replica of one of the most memorable cars of my childhood.It's the Ford 'Super Falcon' raced by Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan in the early 1970s.The original raced towards the end of a golden era in the Australian touring car championship, running up against Allan Moffat's Coca-Cola Mustang, Norm Beechey's Monaro and Bob Jane's brutal Chevrolet Camaro.I have 1:18th scale replicas of those cars as part of my car collection.The difference in the Super Falcon is the amount of detail in the latest product from Classic Carlectables which, together with Biante, is tapping a rich vein of Australian motoring history. Both brands do a lot of work on current V8 Supercars, but more and more people are turning to everything from Classic's replica of Allan Moffat's 1978 Bathurst Falcon to the 1971 Valiant Charger.The cars look great, and more as I remember them than the way they look in 2009, and the detail work is incredible on everything from dashboards and seats to engines and suspensions. They are way, way, way down the road from anything in the Hot Wheels lineup.A model from Classic Carlectables is not cheap, and you have to go to their website or a specialist shop, but they are well worth the investment.

The share market is shot, superannuation is in “negative growth” whatever that means, house prices are dropping alarmingly and interest rates look like falling. Where can you make an honest investment dollar these days? Well, art has some attraction but the numbers involved would make plenty of people tremble in their boots.What about collectable classic cars?We have all heard the stories about the six figure Falcon GTHOs and Monaros not forgetting the European thoroughbred classics, some of which go for multi-million dollar prices.But what if you're just an average punter and want to get in on the action.Take a look at Japanese collectable cars - is the advice coming from those in the know.This is because they have the potential for increased value from a relatively low base. And depending on the car (and luck) you could have a tidy little nest egg in the garage, one that you can take out and actually enjoy at your discretion.Christophe Boribon is the National Auction Manager for Shannons Auctions and he has some firm ideas on what cars are good buying with potential appreciation and those that are dead certainties.Chris' named the Toyota 2000GT as the most collectable classic Japanese car in Australia because of its rarity (only eight imported) and the specification of the car. He says a good one will go for between $2-300,000.Hardly accessible to the average punter.But other cars from most Japanese manufacturers operating here are shaping up well at the auctions and as long term prospects.Mazda's 1960s R100 coupe is worth a look at 10 grand according to Chris' as is the original, glass back RX7.“The RX3 is also good buying at $25-35,000 if you can get a good one and it should appreciate if looked after,” Chris' said.”Then there is the late '90s twin-turbo RX7 and RX7 SP - a locally fettled hotrod that will appreciate because it was a low volume performance car.”“You will pay big dollars for a Mazda Cosmo (up to 100 grand) but the first MX5 is a good proposition for not much money.” He said the SP versions of the later MX5 will be worth more in the long run and even the Japanese turbo model, the SE, should appreciate over time.Toyota has a few potentially collectable models including the late '60s Celica RA23 and TA23 models as well as the rear drive Sprinter 1.6. Celica GT4s should also be good buying if you can find one that hasn't been raced. Honda's most collectable car is the NSX but Chris' says the first S2000 sports cars are worth a look if you can get one that hasn't been thrashed. The tiny S600 and S800 sports cars are good property and even the quad headlight Integra TypeR could appreciate given time.Any Mitsubishi Lancer Evo in reasonable road condition will be worth a punt as a collectable particularly the Evo 6.5 Makinen edition. And if you can get hold of a twin turbo GTO 3000 (non-factory import) it should be a solid investment.Nissan has plenty of collectable cars dating right back to the 1960s. Think Datsun Fairlady sports cars, Datsun 240Z and 260Z coupes and of course the R32 Skyline GTR Godzilla Bathurst winning car - (Australian spec) of which only 100 were imported by the factory. You'll pay about $35,000 for Godzilla these days and it's on the way up for a decent standard one.Subaru has a couple of collectable cars too, the SVX coupe 3.3-litre flat six all-wheel-drive has possibilities and the 22B two door Impreza WRX STi for which you'll pay about $100,000 and going up.Good luck. 

Ford Performance Vehicles general manager Rod Barrett doesn't want buyers rushing to put in orders just yet, but he did let slip last week that he'd like to see the hot Ford back in circulation in 2010 or 2011.It is all part of his FPV 'vision' of the future.“I'm committed to that vision (of the GT-HO),” he says.A GT-HO is on Barrett's “to do” list and he says he is constantly researching what it should be.“As long as I'm here there will always be a commitment to do one, but I don't want people putting down deposits."“Every time we mention GT-HO people get a little too excited.”Barrett says his immediate focus is on the new Orion-based FPV Falcons, which go on sale on June 2, hard on the heels of the new Falcon.“I don't think there will be more than four weeks between the two cars,” he says. “I don't want it to be months later. Why wait?”At the launch of FPV's first all-wheel-drive turbo Territory last week, Barrett suggested FPV may move away from some of its “T” names.“Tornado and Typhoon will never be lost from the models that are there, but moving on with the car we've got, I don't think we necessarily have to nickname them,” he says.Carsguide understands the FPV turbo Territory was to be called the Tempest, but a change in Ford's naming strategy prompted the F6X.Barrett says this decision was taken before he joined the company.FPV as a brand is growing up and maturing, he says, and he can readily understand the HSV names and positioning of cars such as the Senator and Clubsport.“But the GT badge says a lot in itself and I can do variants, as I'm going to do,” he says. “GT-P says something different.”Apart from a GT-HO, Barrett is also entertaining the idea of small FPV cars like a Focus.He says when the locally built Focus comes on stream in 2011 it will provide a perfect platform for an FPV version.“It's 2008 now, it's not that far away. We're planning that far in advance,” he says. “That way we can determine what we want in a mother car.“I think the business model we have is the right model . . . and just be patient in developing what we have, then move into a smaller market in a couple of years.”He says a locally built FPV Focus would offer economies of scale and attract new FPV buyers.Barrett has been in the top job for six months and is firmly focused on FPV's future rather than its turbulent recent past, during which eight senior executives were sacked. 

A fully restored Sebring Orange 1969 Monaro GTS 350 coupe sold at auction for $200,000 this week.It was the highest price paid for the 32 cars on offer at the Shannons 2007 Australian International Motor Show Auction.Second best was a low-mileage 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 finished in Lone Orange that went for $143,000.The sales follow a similar auction in September when a record $450,000 was paid for a 37-year-old XW Ford Falcon GTHO.The V8 muscle car was bought for $4933.25 on April 24, 1970, in Mackay.When the car came up for sale again on at the Shannons Auction it was passed in at $620,000.The immaculate Monza Green 1971 XY was expected to beat the $683,650 record price, which a Queensland buyer paid for a similar car earlier this year.Owner Steve Ribarevski, 30, is still confident the muscle car classic will sell on the private market.He bought the fully-restored GTHO for $200,000 three years ago saying it was a promise he had made to himself years earlier.“I was told by everyone at the time that I was the biggest goose in town for paying that much money for the car but I had promised myself I would own one before I was 30,” he said.“I don't look that silly any more.”It could even turn up at the first Shannons auction, which is to be held at a Brisbane Motor Show next February.Shannons Queensland business development manager Philip Ross; said the auction was the beginning of what he hoped would be the first of many auctions in Queensland.“Generally speaking if a car is passed in at auction it turns up at the next one, so the GTHO could be there,” he said.“We're looking at having about 30 cars at the show."“I've been out west and had a look in some of the sheds at the stuff that may come out of the woodwork."“I'm thinking that we know there is a lot of interesting stuff in Queensland that owners weren't prepared to send to Melbourne or Sydney auctions, but may send to Brisbane because it's closer to home."“I have no idea of what we have so far, but we like to have a good cross-section of vehicles.”The auction vehicles will be on display at the show from February 1-10 with the auction at 2pm on the Sunday.The last Shannons Auction held reached a record $3.75 million with $2.64 million achieved for the 62 number plates; and more than $1.1 million paid for the eclectic mix of Australian; US muscle cars as well as American and European classics on offer.It was the best result achieved by Shannons in a combined single day sale in the company's 26-year history of classic auctions.It was beaten only by the $4.1 million achieved in last year's RTA plate auction at the 2006 Australian Internation Motor Show. The highest single sale of the auction was $245,000 paid for the right to display the early NSW number plate 78.Personalised Plates Queensland also holds an annual plate auction on the Wednesday of the Brisbane Motor Show, last year raising more than $531,000 for the Road Safety Fund of Queensland.  Does it make sense to waste your life savings on a 30-year-old car when for the same money you can buy 13 brand new Holden Barinas?   

The owner of a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III passed in for $620,000 at auction, confident the muscle car classic will sell on the private market.“I'm a little disappointed but the up side is that I get to keep the car for a little longer,” owner Steve Ribarevski said after the Shannon's Australian International Motor Show Auction at Darling Harbour.“The bidding wasn't very far away from the reserve so I think we will hear from the potential buyers pretty quickly.”The immaculate Monza Green 1971 XY was expected to beat the $683,650 record price, which a Queensland buyer paid for a similar car earlier this year.However, after starting at $560,000 bidding was restricted to a couple of buyers and quickly stalled at the $620,000 mark.Ribarevski, 30, bought the fully-restored GTHO for $200,000 three years ago saying it was a promise he had made to himself years earlier.“I was told by everyone at the time that I was the biggest goose in town for paying that much money for the car but I had promised myself I would own one before I was 30,” he said.“I don't look that silly anymore.”Also passed in at auction was number plate “6,” which had been expected to sell for more than $1 million.Confusion reigned when the winning bidder withdrew his $910,000 offer and the underbidder had hung up the phone and couldn't be contacted.The plate was put back to auction again but it failed to reach its undisclosed reserve, stalling at $895,000.It was only the second time since the number was issued to the Tramways Department in 1915 that it had come up for auction. The first was in 1983 at the first RTA number plate auction when it set the then record price of $50,500. 

Millions of dollars worth of history's finest cars of all shapes and sizes will go for auction this weekend at the close of the Australian International Motor Show.All eyes will be on the 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, which is expected to sell between $600,000 and $800,000 with the value of Aussie muscle cars going through the roof.This could set a record price paid at auction for a Phase III, the previous sitting at $683,650.“It's one of the nicest Phase IIIs we've ever had on offer,” Shannons national auctions manager Christophe Boribon says. It features racing legend Allan Moffat's signature on the glove box.While seems like a lot of money for a car, it's an old number plate that is expected to be the biggest seller of the event. Organisers believe the No.6 plate will attract $1 million-$1.5 million.A 1929 Hudson Super 6 'Model L' Dual-Cowl Phaeton has a range of $100,000 to $140,000.A classic 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 Sedan is expected to be sold for $85,000 to $100,000.For '50s style, try a pink 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville “Cool 57” Custom (LHD). Restored in 87 days, it's priced at $70,000 to $100,000.But it's not just the big cars going under the hammer. A 1929 Austin Seven Wasp Sports is up for grabs, expecting to attract $10,000 to $15,000.The auction starts at 2pm on Sunday at the Australian International Motor Show; dont miss out.How much do you think the Falcon GTHO Pase III will go for?  

With recent auction prices exceeding $200,000, long-time owners are discovering their purchase many years ago, and for a much lower price, was a worthy investment. And of the models that made their mark in Bathurst in this era, the most valuable today is probably the Ford GTHO Phase III.Car enthusiast Angelo Sarigiannis is one lucky owner who has seen the value of his car shoot through the roof. He bought his GTHO Phase III 11 years ago for $42,000.Sarigiannis is now knocking back offers as high as $500,000. And there's one thing stopping him taking up the offers."My kids won't let me sell it," he says.Sarigiannis doesn't take his Ford out very often, but when he does his four sons, all aged under 12, love to go for a spin with dad.And while it may be worth a lot of money, Sarigiannis says it's not the most comfortable car to drive — far from it."There's no airconditioning, it's heavy on the steering, the clutch is heavy, it doesn't stop well, it doesn't corner well but I wouldn't swap it for the world," he says with great pride."You can't compare it to the new Commodores and Falcons, it's a different feeling of driving it. But you expect that. That's why you only drive them three or four times a year."Owning a valuable muscle car also means extra security precautions. As Sarigiannis says, you have to "lock it down"."It's not at my house. Where it's kept, I make sure no one's following me, it's locked up, with bolts and screws and an alarm and bits of the motor are pulled out so it doesn't start," he says. "It's worth it, people will try to pinch it if they can."According to the Ford fanatic, the reason these vehicles have become so highly sought after is their limited numbers. Sarigiannis says they built 300 Ford GTHO Phase III's in 1971 and there are probably only 120 to 130 left. His model is standard without any modifications, just as it was built more than 30 years ago. And he gets plenty of attention when he drags it out, mainly on club runs."Every time I take it out to a show, to the Shannons day and All Ford Day, I get offers, or people call with an offer," he says."Every year, it's going up. Five years ago, it was worth $100,000 and that was a big thing. Year after year, it's going up because they're rare these days, collectors are into them."When first released, the Ford GTHO Phase III cost $5300. Now, as the cashed-up baby boomers reclaim the muscle cars of their youth, they fetch between $250,000 and $350,000 at auctions, sometimes even more.Sarigiannis says the publicity the cars are given also adds to the hype and ridiculous figures people will pay for a piece of history.Sarigiannis has another GT Falcon, a 1969 model. It has increased in value from the $18,000 he paid for it 15 months ago, to the $50,000 it is now worth. Other GTs, Mustangs and what he calls your "average family cars" have also parked in his garage.Sarigiannis says it's great to be able to call these classic models your own. But he offers some worthy advice to anyone considering jumping onboard the muscle car trend."Definitely get someone to verify it's a GT and hasn't been rebodied," he says, listing the GT Club as a possibility. "They're very expensive to get now, these cars. But if they like it, they're definitely not going to lose investment wise, it's good."