[DJR-351]

Link to NZ Autocar report....

http://www.nzautocar.co.nz/autocar-n...r-over-400-000

RUINED BARN FIND FORD FALCON GTHO SELLS FOR OVER $400,000

Disheveled, engineless, and coated with dents, in another universe this 1971 Ford Falcon would have been long scrapped. But, last week, it instead sold at auction for an eye-watering sum.

NZ Autocar detailed the Falcon late last month; a Phase III GTHO that was missing its Cleveland V8 engine, modified with flared arches, and left untouched in a barn for 36 years.

Auctioned off by Grays Online in Australia, bidding for the roughed up muscle car closed at AU$350,000 ($377,000) — failing to hit reserve. But, according to a report by 7NEWS Melbourne, the Falcon was then later sold to a bidder, sight unseen, for a settled AU$400,000 ($431,000).



The report unveiled all sorts of new information about the Falcon, too. For instance, the 32 dents all over its bodywork apparently came from an axe attack. The car also raced, too, in the hands of its former owner Armando Perri.

To restore the car back to stock is expected to cost in the ballpark of AU$200,000, making the Falcon a AU$600,000 pet project for someone out there wanting an example of Australia’s most iconic sports sedan.

The question in the NZ Autocar office is whether the run-down Falcon is worth the coin. Past examples have sold in the region of AU$700,000, but those vehicles are numbers-matching, unlike what this Falcon will end up being assuming it receives a restoration.

Post-Covid-19, the classic-car market appears to be in excellent health, with numerous auctions out of lockdown netting positive results for sellers (including this one, it appears).

The classic car market is about more than just the pristine, too. As it becomes easier to track a vehicle’s history, more collectors are investing in cars that tell incredible stories. And, there’s little doubting that this Falcon tells a heck of a yarn.

7 News Link

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/1971-...tion-c-1364468

Whichcar link with video

https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/wild-gtho