A rust-filled rare Aussie muscle car has flown the coop for a huge sum.
The 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT sold at auction for $323,000, more than three times original estimates. And a far cry from its 1973 purchase price of $7000.
The car is known in enthusiast circles as the “Chicken Coupe” because it’s owner parked it in a barn and surrounded it in chicken wire because he couldn’t afford to insure it.
The price is even more shocking when you take into account many of the vehicle’s main components were in a poor condition according to the Grays Online, which ran the auction.
The car was in a sorry state when discovered, covered in dust, scattered with rust, filled with rat droppings and surrounded by old cans.
And there is no guarantee that it’ll start either, with the vendor saying the Falcon’s engine hasn’t been started since 1988.
It is estimated that another $100,000 would be required to restore the Falcon back to its former glory.
But the vehicle is extremely rare and played a big part in Australian motoring history.
Ford only built 120 Falcon XA GT hardtops, and this example is a one-of-a-kind specification, featuring parts from the stillborn GTHO Phase IV.
It is one of only two painted in MacPherson’s Old Gold paint. MacPherson’s is the Australian chocolate company known for making Freedo Frogs and Cherry Ripes.
The Falcon XA GT was part of the infamous supercar scare of the early 1970s, and was born out of the Bathurst rivalry between Holden, Ford and Chrysler.
Grays classic car specialist Rian Gaffy says the car is “as Australian as it gets”.
“From its accidental birth after the supercar ban to its decades in a shed surrounded by chicken wire to its colour scheme that honours a local chocolate company, it’s a uniquely Aussie story surrounded by rumours and legend.”
- News.com.au
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