A year that began in a blaze of positivity missed a gear during April, leaving some excellent offerings still searching for new owners and buyers chuckling over the bargains they snared. Retro Rides’ market analyst Cliff Chambers looks at the successes and failures of a conflicted month.
Lloyds’ Gold Coast Classic & Barn Find Auction used to resemble an old style, multi-make car show with something for everyone displayed and for sale.
Not this time though, with Lloyds’ April sale held during a week that had hosted two public holidays attracting barely 100 entries where 250-300 is typical.
The US contingent at Lloyds led out strongly with two sales including a rare 1955 DeSoto at $32,500 and a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am in ‘Bandit’ Black that made $32,000.
A few lots later came a high point of the day’s proceedings and one of the highest, albeit unsuccessful, bids of the day on a much-modified Ford Mustang Mach One, with 408-cubic inch engine which reached $137,000.
The Mustang missed out by $8000 on being top bid of the day; that honour taken by a 2017 HSV GTS R in virtually new condition. Similar cars some years back were topping $250,000 but values have tumbled since and during Lloyds’ previous sale this car’s vendor had turned down an offer of $152,000. When reoffered in April the top bid had fallen to $145,000.
There still were several sales on the day, but those we could confirm were all below $30,000. They included an early Land-Rover at $18,000, an even older Ford Prefect Utility at $7100 and a tidy 1970s Celica that reached a useful $17,500.
A fortnight earlier in Melbourne, the Burns & Co sale achieved just one sale at more than $100,000 but reported a gratifying clearance rate above 90 percent.
Standouts from an auction top-heavy with Holdens included a couple of Fords that attracted bids from buyers of very different persuasions. Early in the sale came an XY Falcon in GT warpaint but packing under its bonnet a 351 V8 that had been stroked to 427 cubic inches. Fiercely contested bidding saw it sell at $90,750.
The GT was followed some lots later by a 1968 Mustang in lovely condition and said to be one of only 696 convertibles built during ’68 with the big block 390-cubic inch engine. A year ago, open top Mustangs of this quality invariably made $70,000+ but at Burns the unreserved car struggled to a hammer price of $53,700.
Several British and European lots also found new homes but at minimal money. Most amazing of these bargains was a well-kept Triumph TR3 sports that made just $22,000.
Towards the end of the Burns & Co catalogue came two Holden vans that many in the room and bidding online had been waiting to see. Cue the most expensive car on the day, a scarce and perfectly restored windowless Holden FJ panel van, secured by an eventual winning bid of $105,000. The other very original Holden van in the sale was an FC Holden.
Of similar quality to the FJ but more practical as a recreational cruiser was the 4.2-litre V8-powered HX Sandman van in eye-catching Mandarin Red. It too was presented without value-sapping side windows and reached a hammer price of $94,000.
Online Sales Results
Also delivering strong results with their listings of locally produced classics were two prominent online sales sites; Trading Garage and Collecting Cars.
Both generate plenty of revenue from sales of heritage registration plates but also contribute via their trade in significant motor vehicles.
Highest priced of the local models sold during April was achieved by Trading Garage with its sale of an XC Falcon Cobra 351. The car was a manual, #60 of 400 produced, with the 5.8-litre V8 and a scarce combination of optional power steering, power windows and air-conditioning. It sold for $257,860 which is believed to be the highest auction result for a Cobra in some years.
Also from the classic 1970s era of locally made performance cars was an E49 Chrysler Charger in good and very original condition. Finished in Hemi Orange and with an almost untouched interior, the Charger was offered via Collecting Cars and eventually reached $210,000.
It would be followed also at Collecting Cars by an HSV VN Group A in excellent condition and showing a low 166,000km. This one made an excellent $163,500, which was just $27,000 shy of the highest recent VN Group A price paid in 2024 for the only remaining, black-painted ‘Tooheys’ giveaway car.
Collecting Cars also offered a diversity of lots at lower values, highlighted by one of 2500 Mitsubishi Pajero ‘Evolution’ models produced to qualify for off-road events such as the Paris-Dakar Desert Rally. It had travelled over 200,000km but at $31,350 it cost around half the price of a 70,000km Mitsubishi Lancer Evo sold a few weeks earlier for $61,000.
Please note: All figures quoted are Hammer Prices in Australian Dollars and do not include any applicable Buyer Premium.
