'Stick shift' Aussie legends in demand at Shannons Sydney Winter Auction
• Manual transmission Muscle Cars produce strong result
• Buoyant market for NSW numerical number plates
• Great results for rare motorcycles
Australian performance cars with manual gearboxes were in strong demand at Shannons August 13 Sydney Winter Auction, led by a restored and modified one-owner 1973 Ford XA Superbird Hardtop that almost doubled its estimate under heavy bidding to sell with ‘no reserve’ for an auction record $86,000.
Reflecting the same growing interest in home-grown ‘stick shift’ heroes, a very desirable four-speed manual gearbox 1974 XB Falcon GT with just 77,966 miles showing on its odometer brought $78,000; a desirable ‘Hemi Orange’ 1972 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger XL Coupe equipped with the rare factory four-speed manual option brought $52,000 and a 1981 Ford XD Falcon GL ‘Police Pack’ four-speed manual ex-Highway Patrol sedan sold for a record $44,000 after strong bidding.
The Superbird result was significant as the vehicle had been cosmetically and mechanically refreshed in the 1990s by the original owner, including a colour change, some GT upgrades and the original 302-cid V8 stroked to 351-cid.
The result for the XD Falcon, with its 351 V8, four-speed manual gearbox and Pole Pack that included sports suspension, a limited-slip differential, four-wheel disc brakes, wide wheels shod with low profile tyres and Scheel bucket seats, reflected the growing collector interest in these highly-specified ‘Police Pursuit’ vehicles.
Black and white New South Wales numerical number plates continued their upward trend, with ‘138’ achieving an auction record of $310,000, contributing to a total of $1.4 million. In other notable results, the ‘birthday’ plate ‘1952’ sold for $104,000, while the pink numerical NSW plate ‘151151’ tickled a buyer’s fancy for $72,000.
Motorcycles were the other notably strong performers in the auction, with a 1912 Single Belt Harley-Davidson 500cc ‘project’ selling above its high estimate for $40,000; a 1974 Ducati 750GT bringing $32,000; a 1973 Laverda 750 SF1 going for $23,000 and a 1956 Harley-Davidson KHK 883cc bike bringing $22,000.
Amongst the notable vehicle sales:
• a right-hand drive 1958 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville in ‘barn-find’ condition sold with no reserve for $27,000;
• a 1968 Honda S800 Roadster sold for $29,000;
• two restored Holden Utes – a 1953 FJ and a 1967 HR – both sold with ‘no reserve’ for $32,000 and $23,000 respectively;
• a pristine 1954 MG TF 1250 Roadster made an excellent $40,000;
• a very well maintained 1989 Jaguar XJS V12 Convertible sold for $44,000, while a Brysons-delivered 1960 Jaguar MkII 3.8 saloon upgraded to an all-synchromesh manual gearbox sold for $38,000;
• the top-selling vehicle lot of the auction was a beautifully-presented 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II ‘Nur’ Coupe that brought $144,000.
One of the most most sought-after memorabilia lots in the auction was a signed 2011 HANS head-restraint system used by Michael Schumacher when he raced for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team, which sold with ‘no reserve’ for $7,500.
View all Shannons August 13 Sydney Winter Classic Auction Results
For more information on the auction contact Stuart Roberts (02) 8019 4179, or Damien Duigan (02) 8019 4180 or email auctions@shannons.com.au.
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