'Birds' Set to Fly High at Shannons Spring Sale

MELBOURNE – Aug 19, 2013: ‘Bird’ is the word at Shannons Melbourne Spring Classic Auction on September 23, with two great American sporting icons going under the hammer.

Ford enthusiasts have the unique opportunity to purchase a well-presented red, with red and white vinyl interior 1955 Thunderbird Convertible that is being offered with no reserve.

Production of the T-Bird for 1955 ran to 15,611 examples, easily eclipsing Corvette sales for the year and it remains one of the most instantly recognisable - not to mention collectible - American cars of the 1950s.

Coming form a deceased estate, this pretty left hand drive convertible with its 292-cid V8 engine comes with invoices totalling around $20,000 for work carried out over the past three years, including a rebuild of its two-speed automatic transmission.

Used primarily as a fun weekender, it is being sold with owners’, workshop and electrical manuals and with a little work this first generation T-Bird could be a great American dream car at its expected selling range of $28,000-$34,000.

An even higher-flying ‘bird’ in Shannons Melbourne Spring sale is an ultra-rare 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird Coupe finished in the model’s trademark Vitamin C Orange.

Built specifically to take on the Ford Torino Talledega in the 1970 NASCAR series, the Superbird was the first American car to be designed aerodynamically using a wind tunnel and computer aided design. The Superbird recently became famous all over again when the #43 Dinoco car raced in 1970 by Richard Petty played a starring role in the Pixar animated movie Cars, in which it was driven by ‘The King’.

Apart from its extended nosecone and huge rear wing, it incorporated many engineering changes and modifications garnered from its predecessor Daytona’s season in competition, including its 440-cid Super Commando Six Barrel V8 engine.

This fine left hand drive Superbird fitted with the optional three-speed automatic transmission and bench front seat has been in Australia for about five years and presents in fully-restored condition, with its numbers confirming it is the real deal.

With very few of these spectacular American Muscle Cars in Australia, this is a rare ‘bird’ in the hand that Mopar enthusiasts dream of owning.

Because of its legendary NASCAR history, its rarity and collectable status, Shannons expect the Superbird to sell in the $180,000-200,000 range.

Moving from ‘birds’ to ‘ponies’, there is also a brace of left hand drive automatic Ford Mustangs in the auction – a blue 1966 Fastback in beautiful restored condition, fitted with a 347 Stroker Windsor motor and a red 1967 GT Fastback that started life as an S-Code 390 model, but currently runs a 289 Windsor V8