We put together our list of Top 5 'Future Classics'.
Inspired by our previous article, we loaded up on sponges, buckets and chamois and got to work cleaning our rides in readiness for the inaugural Eziway Car Club Car Show. Unfortunately, Melbourne’s fickle weather had other plans and we were forced to postpone until clearer skies were guaranteed. This left only one option; stay home, park ourselves on the couch and watch the V8 Supercars tear around Sandown. As it happened it was ‘Retro Round’ which got me thinking of yesteryear’s Champions and Classics.
For years we’ve seen Monaros, Toranas, Falcons and Chargers fetch the big dollars. Two years after V8s stopped rolling off local production lines, it’s no surprise to see Farewell Models being snapped up and stored by collectors gambling on the next Aussie Classic.
Chances of getting into anything affordable with a Brock badge are slim these days, even replicas and tributes are advertised for princely sums. For those of us who missed out on a Genuine XY GTHO, A9X Torana, R/T Charger, VK Blue Meanie, VL Walkinshaw or VS GTS/R, it’s time to scour the papers and auctions to find the next classic to hide in the barn.
Here is our Top 5:
Ford Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint
At full noise, Ford’s V8 with that sweet, sweet supercharged whine will put a smile on anyone’s dial. It’s quick, comfortable and technically the most powerful Falcon to drive off the plant in Broadmeadows. With 335kw/570nm and an overboost feature to give you 10 seconds of 400Kw/650Nm, this one’s already a classic.
HSV GTSR Maloo
Who doesn’t love a ute? And when you’re able to haul your tools around in a ‘Supercharged Toolbox’, why wouldn’t you? This car will inspire today’s apprentices to become the site managers of tomorrow. Big brakes, big wheels and a big engine contribute to a Big Price, but one day it’ll all be worth it. One ex-pat loved the Maloo (translated as ‘Storm’ or ‘Thunder’ in Aboriginal) so much that he lights-up the Mediterranean Island of Malta with his pride and joy in Spitfire Green no less.
HSV W1 GTRS
An Aussie icon fitted with a Corvette ZR1 LS9 engine and only 300 made; need we say more? Not long after one was sold in a dealership for well above RRP, it appeared for sale at an even higher price. There is good chance we won’t see too many of these on road as most of them are stored in sheds with delivery stickers and plastics still in place.
Ford Tickford TS50 T3
This is the contentious inclusion in the group. Many will disagree with its nomination, but for mine, the fact it had a hand-built 5.6 litre V8 with Tickford refinements makes it pretty damn unique. I mean a hand-built engine in an Aussie Car? Wow!
Holden CV8 Monaro
The market went crazy when this was released in 2001. Pimply teenagers from the 70s who couldn’t afford one back then finally had a chance to make one their own. For some, the pick of the bunch was the CV8Z which had a little more ‘oomph’ with a tweaked LS1, and if you were wise enough to buy it with the 6-speed manual for a fraction less at the time, you’d be fetching a little more than its automatic counterpart now.
Our Top 5 really could have been a Top 20, but that’s where you come in. What would you add to this list? Did you own a future classic that you wish you’d kept? Do you still have one now? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know in the comments section to this article.
AUTHOR
Nick Kotsonis | Corporate Relations
T 03 8768 5777
E nickk@eziway.net.au