Aussie Muscle 'Gold' at Shannons Melbourne Winter sale
• Famous Group C racing XB GT Falcon
• Sought-after Big Tank E38 Charger
• Superbly-presented 1973 Chrysler VJ Charger with rare E48 option pack
Values of special road-going Australian Muscle Cars are on the rise again, but few Fords have more ‘track cred’ than the ex-John Goss Falcon XB GT that was also raced in period by Kevin Bartlett, Allan Moffat and later, Jim Richards and Sir Jack and Geoff Brabham.
Built new in 1975 by John Goss’s team to defend his Bathurst title of 12 months earlier, Special Order XB GT Number 13182 was walked down the Ford production line before making its debut at Mt Panorama in the hands of Goss and co-driver Kevin Bartlett. However, it lasted only a handful of laps before its engine failed.
Goss then raced it in the 1975 Surfers Paradise and Phillip Island endurance events before he stood down for the 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) season.
However, he loaned the Falcon to Allan Moffat for a couple of races that year when his XB Falcon coupe was destroyed in a transporter fire on the way to the Adelaide races, helping the expatriate Canadian claim the second of his four ATCC crowns.
Goss partnered with Jim Richards for the 1976 endurance races, leading the Sandown 500, retiring from Bathurst with clutch issues and then doing the Adelaide and Surfers Paradise races.
Finally in 1977, the Falcon did a few ATCC rounds, before being converted to XC-specifications for Sir Jack Brabham and his eldest son Geoff to drive at Sandown and Bathurst.
More recently, this important Australian racing Ford has been thoroughly restored to its original Bathurst 1975 specification by the man who built it in the first place, Grant O’Neill, with much input and advice from Goss, who has driven this car on numerous demonstrations and has provided a letter authenticating its history.
With a drivers’ roll-call matched by few other surviving Australian touring cars, Shannons expect this stunning XB GT to command $400,000-$480,000 on July 16.
If you want a great collectible Aussie Muscle Car to drive on the road, it’s hard to go past the 1971 Chrysler VH Charger E38 R/T 'Big Tank' Coupe in the auction for ‘bang for buck’.
One of just 224 Big Tank E38 Chargers made, the R/T being auctioned is finished in the model’s signature ‘Hot Mustard’. Adding to its value, it is fitted with many other factory options, including the bonnet and guards dress up pack (A66) and the interior dress up pack with reclining bucket seats, carpet and three-spoke sports steering wheel (A95) making it a stand-out in any Australian Muscle Car gathering.
Although not a matching numbers car, this original Big Tank Charger has a period-correct block from another E38, with the motor fully rebuilt in April 2014 and running strongly today.
A four-speed manual gearbox has also been installed at some point – a common period conversion with these cars – along with a single exhaust system.
Essentially unrestored, the Charger retains the chrome alloy wheels and many other factory-original items often replaced with reproduction parts, making it a good driver-level car at its expected $125,000-$140,000 guiding range.
The other charger in the auction is a 1973 VJ Coupe fitted with highly-desirable E48 factory option pack that included the 248HP (185kW) six-pack engine, four-speed manual gearbox and a Borg-Warner heavy-duty limited-slip differential.
Most E48-optioned Chargers, like the beautiful Super Blue example being auctioned, were also fitted with the A54 Sports Pack, with the machine-turned facia, sports steering wheel, sports steel wheel rims and a more subdued set of stripes.
According to Gavin Farmer and Gary Bridger’s authoritative book Hey Charger, just 122 VJ Chargers were optioned as E48s, making the few that survive now highly prized collectors’ items, as well as great drivers.
Because of its rarity and presentation, Shannons expect the VJ Charger E48 to sell in the $75,000-$85,000 range, making it a wonderful and usable Aussie Muscle Car for considerably less outlay than equivalent Ford and Holden performance models of the same era.
View all Shannons July 16 Melbourne Winter Classic Auction Lots
For more information on the auction contact Christophe Boribon on (03) 8588 0809, or 13 4646 (Option 5) or email auctions@shannons.com.au.
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