Ferrari Testarossa + Falcon XY 500 + Lancia Lambda - Ones That Got Away 461

By: Cliff Chambers

Date: 26.02.2022

Looking back through the Unique Cars classifieds...

Ferrari Testarossa - Advertised January 2005

This makes three Italian brands in this month’s Gotaways, but following a recent auction result this one was a must-have. Bloke from England who plays piano and sings has owned some nice cars; one of them a Testarossa that found its way to Australia and into a Shannons auction back in November. The result for whomever owned it after Sir Elton was a $420,000 hammer price (plus $21K in Buyer premium) and hopefully an equally happy new owner. Whether celebrity association influences the value of such cars we can’t say, but this one is for sure worth more today than it was in 2005.

Then: $179,999. Now: $320,000-350,000

Ford Falcon XY 500 351 - Advertised December 2003

It may be forlorn, but we are allowed to hope that this well-preserved XY 351 has not been turned into yet another artless XY GT replica and survives in the same form as here. Cars like this one are significant for many reasons; not the least their ability to fool insurance actuaries into offering cheap premiums on this kind of 351 Falcon while pricing GTs with similar performance into another Universe. Survival without modification ensures that cars like this will soon – if they don’t already - sell for more than replica GTs and enjoy will enjoy a more certain collectible future.

Then: $22,500. Now: $115,000-130,000

Lancia Lambda - Advertised April 1997

If you couldn’t afford a Le Mans Bentley, Phantom 1 Rolls or Hispano, then the must-have alternative for vintage car collectors was the Lancia Lambda. These were the first open-top car of monocoque construction, with unique independent suspension and a robust V4 engine. Certainly, they were tough enough to set new records for journeys between various Australian cities and generate publicity which helped sales. Lambdas became common sights at vintage vehicle events and for decades they weren’t super expensive. Only recently has demand sent international values surging.

Then: $55,000. Now: $140,000-165,000

Reader's One That Got Away:

Ferrari F355
Jamie Charlson - email

It felt like yesterday my brother rang me to tell me about a red Australian delivered F355 for sale for $95,000 in Melbourne. I thought he was nuts to spend that kind of money and convinced him to buy a near new HSV for significantly less. Within a very short time span these iconic Italians simply sky rocketed in value and he won’t forgive me!

From Unique Cars #461, Jan 2022

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