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Keep a piece of automotive history in your garage

13 February, 2015

The new Ford Falcon FPV GT F is the most powerful production Falcon GT ever built — the supercharged five-litre quad-cam V8 boasts all-alloy construction and produces 470hp (351kW) and 420lb·ft.

Only 50 GT Fs were built for the New Zealand market, and the very last of these, number 50, will be up for auction on Trade Me for two weeks, from February 16 to March 2. A portion of the auction’s proceeds will go towards Ford NZ’s charity partner of 25 years , Variety — The Children’s Charity.

FPV GT F build number 50 is guaranteed to be a collectable, and includes the personalized plate ‘GTF 50’ and a custom GT F car cover. The car comes in silhouette black with matte-black stripe package, and the supercharged V8 is backed by the popular automatic transmission.

The GT F wears a ‘351’ badge, not just symbolic of the car’s huge 351kW power output, but also reminiscent of the legendary 351ci V8 that made history in the Falcon GTs of the ’60s and ’70s. Just as those superb vehicles are now sought-after collector’s items, so too will the newest version.

Corey Holter, managing director of Ford NZ, says, “Not only will it be a high-performance vehicle that is fantastic to drive, it will also make a very fine and valuable addition to any enthusiast’s collection.”

Head of Trade Me Motors Darren Wiltshire reckons it’s going to be one of their more popular vehicle auctions, saying, “We know lots of Kiwis love their Fords and will get pretty excited once they spot this one. We reckon this will be one of the most popular vehicle auctions on the site so far this year.”

It’s not just a collectable, but an all-round great car — make sure to check the auction out, even if just to see what all the fuss is about. Given that the last GT F built for Australia was put up for auction and sold for over $260,000, there could be a high-stakes bidding war happening on March 2. Could be a touch more exciting than the Baccarat tables at the SkyCity casino.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2025 issue 398, on sale now

23 February, 2025

An HQ to die for
Mention the acronym HQ and most people in the northern hemisphere will assume this is an abbreviation for Head Quarters. However, for those born before the mid-’80s in Australia and New Zealand, the same two letters only mean one thing – HQ Holden!
Christchurch enthusiast Ed Beattie has a beautiful collection of Holden and Chevrolet cars. He loves the bowtie and its Aussie cousin and has a stable of beautiful, powerful cars. His collection includes everything from a modern GTSR W507 HSV through the decades to a 1960s Camaro muscle car and much in between.
In the last two Holden Nationals (run biennially in 2021 and 2023), Ed won trophies for the Best Monaro and Best Decade with his amazing 1972 Holden Monaro GTS 350 with manual transmission.
Ed is a perfectionist and loves his cars to reflect precisely how they were on ‘Day 1,’ meaning when the dealer released them to the first customer, including any extras the dealer may have added or changed.

You’re the one that I want – 1973 Datsun 240K GT

21 February, 2025

In the early 1970s, Clark Caldow was a young sales rep travelling the North Island and doing big miles annually. He loved driving. In 1975 the firm he worked for asked Clark what he wanted for his new car, and Clark chose a brand-new Datsun 240K GT. The two-door car arrived, and Clark was smitten, or in his own words, he was “pole vaulting.”
Clark drove it all over the country, racking up thousands of miles. “It had quite a bit of pep with its SOHC 128 hp (96kW) of power mated to a four-speed manual gearbox,” he says. Weighing in at 1240kg meant the power to weight ratio was good for the time and its length at almost 4.5 metres meant it had good street presence.
Clark has been a car enthusiast all his life, and decided around nine years ago to look for one of these coupes. By sheer luck he very quickly found a mint example refurbished by an aircraft engineer, but it was in Perth.