American Classics Down Under!

During my years of writing for Barn Finds, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing some pretty amazing cars from across the globe that have found their way onto American shores. When I was considering this, I suddenly realized that while I had written about Australian cars in their homeland and those that found their way to the US, I hadn’t considered American classics that have reached the market Down Under. With this thought in mind, I performed a bit of a search and came up with five classics that our Australian buyers could park in their garage right now. As a point of comparison, I will list the price in Australian dollars, but I’ll then perform a conversion to US dollars utilizing the current exchange rate. That way, our loyal American readers can gain an insight into the sorts of prices their classics can achieve overseas.

The first cab off the rank is this stunning 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe. It is a thing of beauty finished in Tuxedo Black, and its presentation is easy to understand when you consider that it recently underwent a frame-off refurbishment. The owner says that it is his understanding that the car is 1-of-36 to wear this shade, and its overall condition and originality are verified by a December 2020 NCRS judging. It scored 97.6 points out of a possible 100, which is nothing to be sneezed at. Adding to its desirability, the Corvette comes equipped with a genuine set of knock-off wheels, along with the correct side exhaust.

If we turn our attention to the Corvette’s interior, we once again find an area of the car that presents beautifully. The Black leather trim shows no wear, while the same is true of the carpet, remaining trim and upholstery, and the dash. Not only is it spotless, but this is an area that once again features some desirable optional extras. The buyer will receive a tilt/telescopic Teakwood wheel, along with a factory AM/FM radio.

If all of that hasn’t been enough to tempt you so far, lifting the hood should provide the icing on the cake. The Corvette is a numbers-matching classic, and when it came to drivetrain choices in 1965, this was about as good as it got. What the buyer will be receiving are a 396ci big-block V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission. This brute of a V8 should be pumping out 425hp, which is enough to blast the vehicle through the ¼ mile in 13.6 seconds. The Corvette comes with a significant collection of documentation and is ready to be driven and enjoyed by a lucky new owner. It has been listed for sale here at John Conroy Classic Cars in Brisbane, Queensland. You could park it in your driveway for A$249,990, and on the current exchange rate, that equates to US$188,000.

If the Corvette is a bit too rich for you, perhaps this 1978 Pontiac Trans Am W72 may be more within your budget. It presents beautifully in its original Starlight Black, with paint that shines richly. The panels are extremely straight, and there’s no evidence of any rust problems in the supplied photos. All of the correct decals, including the iconic “Screaming Chicken,” are in good order, while there is no evidence of physical damage or staining on the alloy wheels. However, the beauty of this car is more than skin-deep.

Opening the doors and taking a look around inside the Trans Am reveals an interior trimmed in Firethorn Red velour cloth. Once again, the presentation is close to flawless, with no significant wear visible on any of the upholstered surfaces, the wheel, or the carpet. The factory pushbutton AM radio is intact, although a CD player has been installed below the ashtray. Apart from this and the floormats, there have been no other aftermarket additions. It is an interior that would seem to need very little, but it is also one that isn’t loaded with optional extras. I get the feeling that the car might have been ordered with air conditioning, but I can’t spot a compressor under the hood. Apart from that and tinted glass, there is no tilt wheel and no power assistance for the windows or locks.

The Malaise Era was biting deep when this Trans Am rolled off the line, but this car features the mighty 400ci V8 that produces 200hp. The desirability of this car is ramped up by it also sporting a 4-speed manual transmission, power steering, and power brakes. If it were pointed at a ¼ mile, the journey would be over in a neat 16-seconds. This Pontiac is a numbers-matching classic, and it found its way to Australia from Ohio in 2014. The owner has recently fitted a new master cylinder, and the car is in excellent mechanical condition. It comes with some documentation that includes the Owner’s Manual and original Sales Invoice. The Trans Am is located in Tullamarine, Victoria, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN on the vehicle has been set at A$78,000, which converts to around US$58,660.

If you aren’t that keen on buying a turn-key classic and want to try your hand at DIY, this 1973 Trans Am might be the car for you. It is finished in Black, but it will have undergone a color change at some point as this shade wasn’t offered in 1973. It probably isn’t a surprise to learn that it has some rust issues, but the owner is including the components required to address the rust located in the rear floors. It also features a few trim minor pieces from a ’76 Trans Am, so the buyer might need to replace these if they are seeking originality. The story is the same with the wheels, which feature a mix of Cragars and what appear to be later Pontiac items. All-in-all, there will be a bit of work required before the Trans Am presents at its best once again.

For our Australian readers, one of the attractions with this Trans Am will be lifting the hood to find a 455ci V8 occupying the engine bay. In 1973, the biggest engine available in an Australian-built passenger car was the 351ci Cleveland that found its way under the hood of many Ford products. The 455 would be something of a novelty, and that makes it an interesting selling point for our Australian readers. This one is bolted to a 3-speed automatic transmission, while this Pontiac is also equipped with power steering and power brakes. That V8 would be producing 250hp in its prime, which would be enough to fire the Trans Am through the ¼ mile in around 15.4 seconds. The owner doesn’t provide any information on the Trans Am’s mechanical health, but there is something interesting for potential buyers to investigate. Because this car is a 1973 model, it pre-dates Australia’s introduction of the ADR27a emission regulations by four years. Potential buyers will need to investigate the legality of this, but it might be possible to remove any emission equipment from this car to liberate more power from the 455. It is an option worth considering if improved performance is one of the buyer’s goals.

Since this Pontiac represents a restoration project, it’s no surprise that the interior will need plenty of work. The driver’s seat cover is badly shredded, as is the cover on the console armrest and the headliner. The owner gives us a starting point with a new carpet set, while the dash and pad look pretty respectable. The original radio has made way for a radio/cassette player, but there are no other visible additions. It seems that the car was ordered with air conditioning, but the compressor is missing from under the hood. It also appears that the Trans Am is equipped with a tilt wheel, although there is no power assistance for the windows or locks. The owner holds all of the correct and numbers-matching import documentation to pass to the buyer. The Trans Am is located in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN has been set at A$39,500 which converts to around US$29,700.

This 1970 Ford Ranchero GT represents one of those great “coals to Newcastle” moments. It is widely recognized that the humble “ute” was an Australian development, so the fact that this Ranchero has found its way Down Under is like it making a pilgrimage to its ancestral roots. It is finished in what appears to be Indian Fire Red and features the distinctive “laser” side stripes and a Black vinyl top. The paint is beginning to show its age, but it remains presentable if the buyer wants to continue driving it as a survivor. Given the relative rarity of these classics on Australian roads, there’s no doubt that it would command plenty of attention as it currently stands. The owner admits that the Ranchero did have a couple of minor rust issues, but that these have been professionally addressed and the car has also been subjected to a rustproofing treatment. The exterior trim generally presents well for a vehicle of this age, while the tinted glass shows no signs of flaws. The vehicle has been fitted with Magnum 500 wheels, and these are wrapped in a fresh set of BF Goodrich tires.

Regardless of what the buyer’s plans are for this Ranchero, they won’t need to spend much on the interior. It has recently received a new seat cover, headliner, and carpet set. The dash is in good order, although the pad sports several cracks. Replacements are available out of the US, but these will cost around US$500 plus freight and any import duties and taxes. It might be worth the buyer investigating some local repair options because these might produce respectable results for a lower outlay. The interior won’t need much else, but the inclusion of factory air conditioning will undoubtedly make life far more pleasant when the blazing Summer sun returns Down Under.

Lifting the hood reveals that the Ranchero is powered by a 351ci V8, while the rest of the drivetrain includes a C4 automatic transmission, a 9″ rear end, power steering, and power front disc brakes. That V8 should be producing around 250hp, and that is sufficient to send this Ford through the ¼ mile in a neat 16 seconds. The owner indicates that the Ranchero found its way to Australia in 2005, and it has spent some time in dry storage. It has recently received a complete service and a carburetor rebuild. The engine mounts have been replaced, along with the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, and some of the brake hoses. The vehicle is in sound mechanical health and is ready to be enjoyed by its next owner. The GT is located in Kippa-Ring in sunny Queensland and has been listed for sale here on eBay.  The owner has set the BIN at A$24,000, which translates to US$18,050 with the current exchange rate.

Last but certainly not least, we take the time to head back to the upper end of the price spectrum with this 1966 Shelby GT350. It is a stunning car that is finished in Candyapple Red with Gold stripes. The car has just come off the back of a complete restoration and is a Concours Gold Award Winner. It is claimed to be 1-of-1,373 Fastbacks produced during the 1966 model year, and while that makes it a relatively rare beast in its home country, the fact that none were officially imported into Australia makes it like a rolling piece of gold to Ford enthusiasts in the southern hemisphere. However, as we are about to see, this car might be slightly rarer than we first thought. The paint shines beautifully, the Gold stripes look crisp and clean, there are no issues with the exterior trim, while the glass is flawless. There is one aspect that I find to be interesting. The distinctive stickers on the lower body carry the designation “GT350H.” This indicates that this car started its life as one of the Hertz “Rent-a-Racer” cars. It is also worth noting that the center caps on the Magnum 500 wheels appear to carry the correct Hertz signage, which increases this car’s rarity. The agreement between Hertz and Shelby saw the company produce 1,001 examples. Of these, 800 cars were finished in Black with Gold stripes. The balance of the build was either finished in Wimbledon White with Blue, while others wore Sapphire Blue, Ivy Green, or the same Candyapple Red that we see on our feature car. The owner doesn’t specifically indicate that this is a Hertz car, so that is a question worth pursuing further. It’s no surprise to find the car is completely rust-free. Its presentation is flawless, and all of the distinctive Shelby features like the fiberglass scoops and the rear quarter-panel windows are intact.

Lifting this Shelby’s hood reveals a beautiful little 289ci V8 that should be producing a very respectable 306hp. Bolted to the back of this is a 3-speed automatic transmission, while power steering and power front disc brakes are all part of the package. Being a Shelby, it was never going to disappoint its owner in the performance stakes. Point this beast at a ¼-mile and the journey would be a distant memory in 15.2 seconds. When you consider the target market for this classic, the owner doesn’t provide us with much useful information about the car’s mechanical health. He doesn’t indicate whether it is numbers-matching, or how well it runs and drives. If we use the engine bay appearance as our guide, the news should be positive. Everything presents in as-new condition, with the car looking like it must have the day that it was delivered to Hertz.

When we turn our attention to this classic’s interior, what we find is an aspect of the vehicle that is as immaculate as you might expect in a recently-restored Award Winner. The upholstered surfaces look flawless, as does the dash, carpet, and the beautiful GT350 wheel. The Shelby tach sits prominently on the dash top, and overall, it seems that there’s not much to be critical of. However, there is a single aspect of this interior that might require closer scrutiny. It seems that whoever performed this restoration put a lot of thought and effort into it. They have even gone to the trouble of reproducing the Instruction Card that would’ve hung off the heater controls when the vehicle was new. That is why I find the radio puzzling. It appears to be a new retro-look unit, and if that’s true, its inclusion is somewhat curious. That is one final little mystery for potential buyers to investigate. If you find all of this too hard to resist, you will find the GT350 located in Melbourne, Victoria, and listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN has been set at an eye-watering A$325,000, or US$244,400.

So, that’s a small snapshot of the American classics that have made their way onto the market Down Under. It is worth noting that every one of these vehicles would have been a private import because none of the manufacturers ever marketed these cars in Australia. When I selected these vehicles, I chose from a wide selection of price ranges in the hope that I would find something to interest all of our Australian readers. For those of you who are in the US, it will be interesting to get feedback on how you feel the prices compare between the two countries, and whether there are any cars on this list that have surprised you with their values. For our Australian readers, I hope that I’ve found something there that you might consider pursuing further. If you do become the next owner of one of these classics, we’d really love to know.