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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.

Put a ring around that

18 October, 2024

Provenance is a valuable part of a classic car and DKW/Auto Union collectors Brendan and Bobbette Odell have a detailed documented history of a special car in their growing collection of these little two-stroke wonders.
Brendan’s hometown of Pretoria enjoyed more than its fair share of the marque, where their reliability and performance made them popular..
“There used to be a joke going round in South Africa that there were more DKWs in Pretoria per square mile than anywhere else in the world,” Says Brendan.
The Odells redressed that balance a little when they shifted to New Zealand as they brought some of the cars with them.
One of their DKWs also accompanied them to Tonga. Brendan’s green 1959 Auto Union 1000 two-door went with them from South Africa to Tonga from 2010 to 2013 where he worked for the local airline. It then travelled on with them to New Zealand. It is one of just 10 right-hand drive cars of the two-door basic model remaining worldwide.

Stag roars again

11 October, 2024

The Triumph Stag pictured here has been lovingly restored from what was once, in the owner’s words, “a horrible, terrible job”. Owners Glynn and Alison Gaston hail from Dunedin and along with their grandchildren now enjoy cruising in the Stag after a three-and-a-half-year restoration.
In 2011, Glynn was looking for a classic car to restore. After 21 years with Air New Zealand he was working as a Super Shuttle driver, with four days on and four days off, which gave him the time to take on such a project — something he had always wanted to do.
“I’d looked at quite a few cars over the years. The idea was to restore a car as something to keep me going. I had looked at different MGs and I would have quite liked an Austin Healey or something similar but they were really expensive.
“Then I saw a Stag and I thought, Ah, this is nice. This is what I would like.