JOHNSON’S 1977 FORD FALCON SET TO FLY FOR $500,000
CAR collectors will rev into action today when a piece of motorsport history goes under the hammer on the Gold Coast.
A 1977 XC Falcon driven by racing legend Dick Johnson around the old Surfers Paradise International Race- way is expected to sell for more than $500,000 at Lloyds Auctions.
And that’s a conservative estimate according to Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames.
He said it comes on the same weekend a Holden Torana which had also raced in the Australian Touring Car Championships in the 1970s was tipped to sell for about a million dollars in Sydney .
The “Tru Blu” car is registered by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport to take part in Australian Group C races – if buyers are willing to risk pushing it to its limits.
Editor of race car history website V8 Sleuth Aaron Noonan said such cars rarely appear on the public market and, with Holden and Ford manufacturing shutting down in Australia, it makes them even more sought after.
“It’s not often cars of this late 1970s ‘golden’ era of Australian touring car racing appear for sale, so when they do there’s always plenty of inter- est,” Mr Noonan said.
“Quite often they are sold privately among collectors.
“Dick Johnson is one of the true icons of the sport and, while this particular car is not one of his Bathurst winners or championship winning cars, it’s from an era that will be celebrated for many years to come.”