Unique Cars Australia – September 2019

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JANUARY 1987

MASERATIMERAKSS

Justmonthsafterthiscarwasadvertisedthe

financialworldwasinturmoilandpeople

whosefortuneshadn’tbeenflushedturnedto

anyinvestmentthatdidn’tinvolveshares.Exotic

vehicleswereamongthebeneficiariesand

MaseratislikethisMerakwouldenjoysurging

pricebeforecrashingasthe1990srecessiontook

hold.Todaytheyarebackinthelimelightand

sellinEuropeforA$110-135,000.Theyareless

popularhereanda carsimilartothisonewith

32,000kilometresshowingandtrophiesinthe

bootwasadvertisedata littleover$90,000.

DECEMBER 1996

RENAULT DAUPHINE GORDINI

Small, fast 1950s cars with rear engines didn’t

always come with ‘Porsche’ on the build plate.

Engine tuner and racing driver Amedee Gordini

initially worked for Simca then switched his

attention to Renault in a relationship that lasted

more than 25 years. The Dauphine was Renault’s

big-selling family model and with Gordini’s

upgrade it produced 27kW and would reach

130km/h. Gordini-enhanced Dauphines once

were common in Australia but lack of affection

for the model and parts shortages make them a

rarity here and becoming valuable in Europe.

JUNE 2005

HOLDEN HR 186S FOUR-SPEED

Forget your RPO Falcons and A9X Hatchbacks, right

here is one of the rarest Australian cars you will

ever see. Holden in preparation for the arrival of its

HK range acquired four-speed manual gearboxes

from Opel and fitted some to just a few hundred HR

Holdens. The majority were Special and Premier

sedans which also came with the uprated 186S

engine, however a wagon in this specification

would be scarce indeed. Prices for Holdens of all

kinds have climbed since 2005 and this car will have

made money, however it will take an auction with

multiple bidders to confirm a true value.

JUNE 2000

FALCON XB GT HARDTOP

Do it now and the Political Correctness Police

will be booting down your door, but things were

different in 1975. Back then, Sydney Ford dealer

Ferdie Dominelli could spend a few bucks on

stripes and black-out panels and refer collectively

to the performance Fords he sold as ‘Horn Cars’.

Ferdie’s very obvious Falcons were popular with

younger and older buyers alike and this GT made

it all the way to South Oz while managing to keep

its annual kilometre average below 5000. Today,

even with 12-slot wheels and that ugly after-

market bull-bar, it should make six figures.

NOW

$15,000

$115-120,000

NOW

$50,000

90-100,000

NOW

5750

-20,000

NOW

$10,000

30-35,000

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$

$$ 16 -

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