V8s galore at Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic

In an auction with lots ranging from Austrian military vehicles to speedway racers, there was bound to be something for everyone’s tastes.

But what had MOTOR most interested was the presence of a few Australian muscle legends, as well as a few bidding estimates that were well and truly demolished.

Topping the wallet withdrawals was a ’71 XB GT Coupe, which once graced the cover of sister-title Unique Cars. Shannons estimated the restored example in ‘Yellow Blaze’ would sell for $85,000-$100,000, just a tad short of the $134,000 it eventually sold for.

It certainly pipped the ’72 LJ Torana GTR XU-1 which sold just before it, though the little straight-six still cracked the $100K mark by $2000. Though it wasn’t a V8, nostalgia of Brock’s Bathurst victory that same year may have upped prices over time.

Back up towards the higher end of the displacement ladder, a HT Monaro with a 350 (5.7-litre) V8 swapped into it drew a fair few bids, though its resting bid landed just over its estimate of $50,000-$60,000, with the new owner having parted with $64,000.

Though not as much a ‘hero car’ to most, another desirable bit of metal at the Winter Classic was the 1980 HDT VC Commodore, which did break its estimate. With Shannons having stickered it with $40,000-$48,000, the “very original” example proved them wrong when someone forked out $52,000 for the thing.

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Not to be outdone, a glamorous American had to step in and give its estimate a good bash. A lovely looking ’59 Caddy, which Shannons said was restored at a cost of over $150K for “a senior executive of Melbourne’s St. Kilda Football Club”.

It was expected to go for $80,000-$95,000, but rolled out the door for a respectable $120K.

Our last highlight of the auction was actually the first lot to sell. Lot 1, a 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, was estimated by Shannons (though likely few others) to sell for a very reasonable $8,000-$12,000.

A cool $66,000 later, and someone was able to call the car their own.

Anyone expecting to drive away in a German luxury car with a 6.9-litre V8 in the snout and only 66,700km on the clock for under $12,000 is very optimistic indeed.