Desirable Fords available at Burns & Co. June auction

A wide variety of Fords will be going across the blocks at Burns & Co’s Classic Car & Motorbike Auction this coming Sunday, 19 June, including modern and classic muscle, four-wheel drives and light commercials.

In total, there are 93 consignments for this auction, covering cars, motorcycles and collectable memorabilia.

Selling commences from 12 Noon on Sunday, 19 June, at Burns & Co’s Melbourne auction rooms in Bayswater, but pre-bidding (for registered bidders) is available now.

For more details on this live webcast auction, click HERE.

For Ford fans, there’s a car to suit just about every taste and budget. Here are a few of the Blue Oval highlights.

2020 Ford Mustang R-Spec

In response to customer demands for a more potent Mustang than the GT that was first offered in factory RHD form in 2015, Ford Australia and Herrod Performance developed a home-grown special edition – the Mustang R-Spec.

Introduced in late 2019 as a 2020 model and limited to 500 units, the R-Spec was defined by the addition of a Roush 2650 supercharger on the factory 5.0-litre Coyote V8, which substantially increased power and torque - from 339kW to 522kW and from 556Nm to 830Nm.

To complement the supercharger, changes were made to the V8’s internals, too, with other additions including a Herrod active cat-back exhaust system, Ford Performance MagneRide suspension, Ford Performance 19-inch wheels, Ford Performance engine covers, a rear spoiler, numbered plaques in the engine bay and interior, Recaro sports seats and several cosmetic changes.

The plus is that all these extra goodies were still backed by a Ford factory warranty, but the minus was a hefty premium of more than $35,000 over the GT that the R-Spec was based on, with pricing starting at $99,980.

Number 359 of the 500 R-Specs produced, the car featured is finished in Grabber Lime, which was one of four colours offered on the R-Spec and arguably the most attractive. The others were Velocity Blue, Oxford White and Twister Orange.

This one-owner car has never been registered and presents as new, with only 3,820km on the odometer. Being so new, the balance of the factory 5-year warranty remains, too.

The car will be sold with all books, but it’s unclear whether the ‘welcome pack’ goodies that Mustang R-spec buyers received, like the Ford Performance jacket, 1:18-scale Ford GT and presentation box, will also be included.

For more details, click HERE.

1975 Ford P5 LTD Town Car

In the mid-1970s, the LTD was the most prestigious Australian-made Ford you could buy – a step above even the luxurious Fairlane. Introduced in August, 1973, the LTD was influenced by American luxury cars of the period, like the Lincoln (the name is believed to have stood for ‘Lincoln Type Design’) and came with a different grille treatment and hideaway headlights to separate it from the Fairlane.

The first Australian-made car fitted with four-wheel disc brakes as standard, the LTD also featured power windows, power steering and air conditioning as standard, while the sole drivetrain combination was the proven 351 V8, matched to a three-speed automatic.

From its debut in ’73, LTD production continued alongside the Fairlane right through until 2007, when Ford Australia scrapped both nameplates due to declining sales that made the production of these long wheelbase models unsustainable.

Throughout this time, annual production of the LTD never exceeded that of the Fairlane, meaning it was always the more exclusive choice.

More exclusive again was the LTD Town Car, which was introduced in May, 1975, to mark 50 years since the foundation of Ford Australia. It’s believed that only 250 units of the LTD were built, all finished in gold with a matching “leather grained” gold vinyl roof.

An equivalent Fairlane, the Anniversary Edition, was offered later in 1975 and could be optioned up with some LTD components, including leather seats and a 351 in place of its standard 302 V8.

This LTD Town Car was sold new in Mildura and has been in the Victorian border town most of its life. Described as rust-free and presenting very well inside and out, an aftermarket UHF CB has been fitted, but the rest of the interior appears to be original.

Listed mileage is just 84,249km and numerous extras are included in the sale, from the owner and workshop manuals to period maps, logbooks and a small quantity of spare parts. 

For more details, click HERE.

1979 Ford F-100 XLT
It took 25 years since Ford created the F-Series for the pickups to be officially available in Australia, but when they did come in 1973, they came en masse, with F-100, F-250 and F-350 variants available.

Later, an F-150 was added to the lineup, but the F-100 seemed to slot best into the Australian market, serving as the base for countless ambulances, as well as tradie and tow vehicles for those who needed something bigger than a car-based ute.

The F-100s that came to Australia from 1973 represented the sixth-generation of the F Series and were initially offered with a choice of two six-cylinder engines and an automatic transmission, while the larger F-250 and F-350 used a manual. A 302 V8 was available from 1974, with a 351 V8 added two years later.

From 1978, the 351ci became the standard F-100 engine, but it could be matched with a four-speed manual, three-speed auto or four-speed manual with four-wheel drive. A year later, the four-speed for 2WD was dropped and the three-speed auto was also offered with four-wheel drive.

The 351 delivered 162kW and 410Nm maximums in 2WD F-100s, with torque increased to 429Nm in the four-wheel drive versions.

The F-100 featured is a 1979 model 2WD 351 auto in ‘XLT’ trim, which was the more upmarket of the two grades Ford offered locally (‘Custom’ being the other). The engine is the original, but the transmission has been upgraded to a C6 quick shift automatic, with the 9-inch diff rebuilt with heavy duty bearings.

Converted to LPG, other additions and updates include an aftermarket air intake, a new radiator, rustproofing and sound deadening for the body. A roof rack has been added to the aftermarket canopy, storage cabinets have been incorporated into the tray and electric trailer brakes are fitted. Aftermarket air conditioning has been fitted, too, with an unusual touch being the incorporation of the dash from a Cortina GT.

Coming from long-term ownership, well maintained and serviced regularly, this F-100 presents well, finished in blue, with the canopy and popular Sunraysia wheels complementing the body. Mileage is a high 336,606km, but Burns & Co. say that this F-100 is in A1 condition mechanically and inspection will not disappoint.

For more details, click HERE.

1965 Shelby GT350 replica fastback

There are plenty of Shelby Mustang clones around, but this one has arguably been done better than most. It comes off a good base, too, being a K Code fastback, meaning it was one of only 7,223 Mustangs for 1965 equipped with the higher horsepower 289 V8 from the factory.

Matched to a four-speed Toploader manual, the engine in this car has been modified to Shelby GT350 specs, with listed additions including a Cobra air cleaner and Tri-Y headers, a strut tower brace and side-exit exhausts.

Visually, the Shelby GT350 lookalike treatment includes dual stripes in Guardsman Blue over a Wimbledon White base, bonnet pins, a bonnet scoop (the bonnet was fibreglass on genuine GT350s), “open” grille treatment, modified front valance (also in fibreglass on the genuine GT350), ‘GT350’ identification in the lower body striping and GT350R-style alloy wheels.

Inside, there’s standard Mustang black vinyl trim, with a tachometer and oil pressure gauge added to the dash, as well as a special shift knob for the four-speed manual and a Shelby-badged woodrim steering wheel on what appears to be a modern steering column. A push-button radio remains, as do lap belts for the front bucket seats, with modern floor mats added.

This car’s conversion to Shelby GT350 spec is part of what’s described as a professional restoration, with Burns & Co. adding that this car, looks, sounds and drives like a dream.

At time of writing, pre-bidding on this car was already in excess of $100,000.

For more details, click HERE.

1996 Ford XH Falcon Longreach GLi ute

Working vehicles tend to lead a hard life and get driven into the ground, so the condition and low mileage of this ’96 XH Falcon Longreach ute is a pleasant surprise. Sold new by President Ford in Elsternwick, but residing in country Victoria, this ute is exceptional all round and has just 30,355km on the odometer.

Being in XH, this ute is something of a mish-mash of Ford styling of the time, combining the front panels from the EF Falcon (then EL Falcon from late 1996) with a rear section that dates back to the XD from 1979. The same combination applied to the XH panel van and it wasn’t until 1999, under the AU series, that front and rear styling became unified for the ute and panel van.

The XH Falcon ute could be had with a 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine or 5.0-litre V8, the latter returning after more than a decade away from Ford’s light commercial range. Transmission options consisted of a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual. These were the same as what was available in the EF Falcon sedan and wagon, but the XH benefitted from improvements in several areas that were lacking in the previous XG ute and panel van.

All XH Falcon utes outside of the performance XR6 and XR8 models were badged as ‘Longreach’ and available in a choice of GLi, S or Outback grades. The ute featured is in entry-level GLi trim, but includes the 1 Tonne payload capacity upgrade that was optional on this grade.

Running gear in this ute consists of the standard 4.0-litre six and five-speed manual, with the rest of the vehicle appearing to be of authentic factory specification.

The remarkable condition and low mileage of this ute is explained by the fact that it was in storage for the first 16 years of its life. Started routinely to keep everything working, it wasn’t driven regularly until around three years ago. The alloy wheels in the photos were purchased with the vehicle, but only used in the past three years. These and a set of steel wheels will be included with the sale. 

That Bermuda Green exterior and grey cloth interior are in remarkable condition. Even the ute tub, which normally cops a pounding, is tidy and unblemished, reflecting this vehicle’s minimal use.

Consigned by its second owner, who has known of the vehicle since it was new, the exceptional condition of this low-milage ute should see it sell strongly.

For more details, click HERE.

Other Fords and Ford family vehicles consigned for this auction include a 1972 XA Falcon GT tribute, XY Falcon GT tributes in sedan and ute form, a 1936 Lincoln Zephyr, 1995 EF Falcon XR8 sedan, 1965 Galaxie 500 convertible with an RHD conversion and a 1964 Thunderbird, also in RHD.

Burns & Co’s June Classic Car & Motorbike Auction will be held on Sunday, 19 June. Selling commences from 12 Noon on the day, but pre-bidding is open now.

For information on how to register for online pre-bidding and bidding, pre-auction inspection times, the full catalogue and all other details, click HERE.