An original ultra-rare ‘barn find’ example of one of Australia’s most iconic muscle cars is being sold by its first owner, having not been road-registered since 1973.
The first owner of a 1970 Ford Falcon GT is sending the prized possession to auction with no reserve after sitting untouched in storage since its registration lapsed in 1973.
The V8-powered XY GT – now one of the most sought-after and collectible Australian-made cars – was bought new by its current owner in 1970, who put it into storage after driving it for only three years.
One of only 163 standard XY GTs produced in Yellow Ochre, the original condition Ford sedan has been off the road since its Victorian registration expired in 1973 and, apart from regular starts to keep it in check, hasn’t been driven in anger since.
With only 24,000 miles (38,624km) on the clock – Australia switching to kilometres in 1974 – the now 88-year-old original owner has sent the rare machine to be sold at Chicane Auctions in Melbourne on 30 January 2025.
“It was a weekend car; he was a full rev-head… he had various cars,” said Daniel Lamprell, Managing Director at Chicane Auctions, in a media statement.
“The car lived in Richmond [Victoria] its whole life – right under the Nylex sign. The owner had a second car, and he had jobs overseas – so he parked it up and never put it back on the road.”
It comes with owner’s and service manuals showing all the documentation to prove its originality and one-owner status.
“He stored it well, it’s dry – it not rusted or anything like that and he kept the books so they’re in pristine condition.”
Ford Australia built about 1557 XY GT Falcons at its Broadmeadows plant between 1970-71, powered by the famous 351-cubic inch (5.8-litre) ‘Cleveland’ V8 petrol engine with a ‘shaker’ air intake attached to the top of the engine poking through a hole in the bonnet.
As well as its original, unrestored paintwork and black graphics, this example came with an automatic transmission, factory-fitted sunroof and dealer-fitted air-conditioning.
The black vinyl interior is untouched and in good condition, including the classic three-spoke GT steering wheel.
The car was purchased new in 1970 from Wright Ford, which was on the corner of William and Crown Streets in the heart of Sydney – the biggest Ford dealer in Australia at the time – before it was driven down to Melbourne on a permit and registered in Victoria.
Wright Ford pitched itself as a performance specialist, fitting the Shelby logo on the car’s front guard among a number of unlisted Shelby parts.
In terms of value, Lamprell estimates “anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000” for the classic Falcon, with recent sales stretching even beyond this to as much as $225,000 for an original, unrestored 1971 model recently sold in Sydney.
The even rarer GTHO Phase III version of the XY Falcon – a special run of 300 additional upgraded GTs made to win Bathurst – became one of the most expensive local collectors’ cars after prices exceeded $1 million late last decade.
However, the bubble seems to have burst somewhat, with an Electric Blue 1971 Phase III selling for $362,000 – a relative bargain – in January 2024.
The highest publicly known price for an Australian car belongs to a 1971 Ford XA Falcon GT-HO Phase IV – the stillborn successor to the Phase III – reportedly sold for $1.75 million in 2021, though some reports suggest the deal fell through after the auction.
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