Real and 'unreal' Muscle Cars at Shannons Melbourne Classic Auction

MELBOURNE – Nov 29, 2013: Shannons have some very desirable Australian muscle cars – both real and ‘unreal’ – going under the hammer at its Melbourne Summer Classic Auction on Monday (December 2).

Very ‘real’ and collectable for Mopar enthusiasts is a carefully-maintained, matching numbers and original 1971 Chrysler VH Valiant E38 R/T Charger Coupe that has travelled approximately 10,000 miles since the early 1980s.

Delivered new via Harrisons Chrysler of Shepparton, Victoria, the Hemi Orange the E38 was with one long-term owner from 1983 and has been driven sparingly in the current owner’s hands since 2009.

Befitting its primary role as a homologation model to allow Chrysler to go racing, the E38 R/T being auctioned was built with all the ‘Bathurst’ essentials, including option codes A95 (Interior Dress Up Pack), A66 (Hood Fender Dress Up Pack), A84 ('Big Tank' Track Pack) and J82 (homologation special).

Nicely presented, inside and out, Shannons say the Charger would suit a muscle car collector at its predicted selling range of $75,000 - $85,000.

Also very ‘real’ for Ford muscle car fanciers is a 1975 Ford XB Falcon GT automatic sedan that is believed to have had just four owners from new.

Finished in the rare factory colour of Frosted Lime Metallic XB GT Sedan (one of only 14 XB GT Sedans finished in this colour) and one of the 109 sedans fitted with quarter vent windows from new, the car was sold new in Southport, Queensland and later spent time in Canberra then NSW, where it was owned by a NSW Ford GT Club member until 2005.

The Ford presents well throughout according to Shannons and recently had its suspension overhauled by Pedders to ensure it drives as well as it looks. It is being offered with Ford verification, a six-stack CD player and tinted window glass, with a predicted selling range of $32,000-$38,000.

‘Unreal’ in the auction is a nicely-executed 1975 Ford XB Falcon 'GT Tribute' Coupe that has all the looks and performance of a real XB GT but not the hefty price tag that an equivalent ‘real’ four-speed manual GT in similar condition could command.

Starting life as a beige 302 V8 Hardtop, the car was restored by the previous owner to GT specification, with a 351-cid V8, four-speed manual gearbox fitted, while it was repainted in the vibrant Porsche colour of Guards Red.

The Ford really looks the part, sitting on 15x8 (front) and 15x10 (rear) Hotwire mags and drives equally well according to Shannons, who expect it to bring $32,000-$36,000 in Monday’s auction.

All 39 vehicle and 30 automobilia lots in Shannons Melbourne summer Auction can be viewed this weekend at 321 Warrigal Road, Cheltenham from 9am-5pm Saturday and 10am-4pm Sunday, with the auction on Monday commencing at 7pm.