Out of Action

The genius who orchestrated the publicity extravaganza involving ‘Mothball the XA Falcon GT’ should take a bow. ‘Mothball’ was a star of the Shannons-sponsored Survivor Car and Barn nd show in Melbourne over March 3-4 at Shannons’ Heatherton HQ. Ahead of the inaugural show, organisers created a media event where Mothball was extricated from his shed via crane after being in hibernation for decades. Mothball had become landlocked after an in-ground swimming pool was installed on the property in the early 1990s, blocking vehicular access to the shed. Hence, the crane was called in, along with celebrity crane operator Allan Moffat! Yes, yes, we know... Allan’s real job was to act as a magnet for the TV cameras and to provide a quick ‘grab’ for the evening news. Well, the TV news crews fell over themselves to shoot the moment Mothball took the skies and Shannons’ show received priceless publicity. These stories took on a life of their own when aired on social media. It was no surprise then, that a bumper turnout eventuated at the actual show to see the star – the Holy Grail of Falcon GT barn nds. Mothball was nally ‘officially’ revealed to the public at the show, complete with at tyres, dust and spider webs, exactly as he was found. Surrounding Mothball was a huge array of other barn nd cars, all of which were displayed as found – surprising many car show goers who expected to see every car in the show shiny and tidy. There were cars from the Big Three Australian manufacturers, including highly desirable muscle cars with Bathurst pedigree like the Valiant VH Charger E49, the Ford XY Falcon GT, and the Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1. But it wasn’t all about the muscle cars, as there was an abundance of other chrome bumpered classics on show including an incredible 1965 Morris Mini nished in Porcelain Green, which had travelled only 52,000 miles since new! Another very popular car was the ex-police-driven Holden VK Commodore BT1, with functional lights and sirens. Special guests included the aforementioned crane driver, Fred Gibson and John Harvey. In short, this was a show with a difference.