A 1963 Holden EH Special Station Wagon, restored by disadvantaged young people with the encouragement of the late Peter Brock, has turned in one of the more impressive auction results of recent times, and all for charity, at the Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction last night as more than $600,000 of vehicles sold under the hammer.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd, the shiny grey wagon, with its white roof, period sun-shade, and red vinyl interior, sold for $19,750, approximately double the anticipated result, a tribute to the skills of those who lovingly restored the Australian classic and the legacy of Brock, the patron of the EH White Lion Restoration.
The project took close to two years work by a Whitelion’s Young Lions team in conjunction with volunteer mentors at Penfold City Holden of Burnley and was originally launched by Brock in June 2006, just months before his tragic death.
Whitelion supports young people leaving custody and the out-of-home care system by helping them develop confidence and self-esteem as they learn and practise new skills.
All proceeds of the sale went to Whitelion to assist its further work with disadvantaged young people.
Also, making a significant rumble on the night was the Acapulco Blue Shelby GT500 Fastback Coupe, one of the last of the coveted Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s, which fetched $145,000.
Identified as, number 508 of the 1,534 GT500s built from 1969-1970, the iconic muscle car is powered by Ford’s legendary 428-cid big block V8 and fitted with the optional C4 three-speed automatic transmission.
This particular Shelby spent most of its life in California. However an immaculate recent restoration by the current Melbourne owner, who had Carroll Shelby autograph the glove box lid while he was in America sourcing parts, saw the vehicle present in perfect order.
Other highlights included the sale of Porsche’s Junior tractor of the late 1950s and the mid-engined Porsche 914 built in the early 1970s, of which neither were ever sold in Australia.
The bright red 1958 Porsche Junior Type 108 Short Tractor, once owned by Porsche CEO Dr Wendelin Wiedeking was one of more than 125,000 single, two, three and four-cylinder diesel-engined Porsche tractors built from the mid-1950s until the early 1960s.
Powered by a single cylinder air-cooled 822cc engine underwent a comprehensive restoration before being privately imported into Australia by the present owner in late 2006.
With most Porsche tractors having long disappeared after tough working lives on farms across Europe, the rare vehicle was picked up by a private collector for $22,000, slightly above the expected price range.
Another rare Porsche now calling Australia home was a Porsche 914, upgraded from the four-cylinder to the more powerful 914/6 specification, for $24,000.
Starting life overseas as a four-cylinder, the Porsche was professionally rebuilt to 914/6 specification with a six-cylinder Porsche engine, a 5-speed Type-901 gearbox and was converted to right-hand drive for its Sydney owner.
An unreserved 1970 Falcon XW GT with a 351 4V Cleveland motor presented in Brambles Red with Black trim reached an impressive $35,000 while an Alfa Romeo 2000 Veloce Spider also sold unreserved for $11,500.
Two fantastically restored mini-bikes, a 1971 Honda SL70 KO and a 1973 Honda XR75 KO, also sold strongly for $4,500 and 6,000 respectively.
Number plate ‘VIC 543’ sold for $75,000 while memorabilia items continued so prove popular, particularly the old petrol bowsers which sold for up to $5,750.