The granddaddy of the in Australian muscle market is the 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III. The name is long and so is the price of a second hand one. According to Chris Boribon, National Manager at Shannons Car Auctions: "The GTHO is the holy grail of Australian Muscle Car. We saw prices peak at 3/4 million." GTHO fever really got out of hand in 2007 when one was stolen from a Perth panel beater, the thieves actually moved two Rolls Royces and new Monaro to get to the Falcon. This was the time of the cashed up baby boomer seeking to reclaim their childhood dream. Prices were regularly over $600k and speculation grew about when, not if, one would pass the magical $1 million mark.

Then the GFC hit, and the million dollar muscle was no longer on the cards. Says Chris: "Obviously we've seen that market come back a bit. A good phase three would still be about $300 plus. We think there are about 150 left in the wild."
Not bad for a car that was just $5,000 in 1971. While the price back then was reasonable, the car was not without its claims. It had the two critical elements required to become a classic collectable: performance and rarity. Its heavily modified 351 cubic inch V8 motor, aggressive race looks combined with the HO "Handling Options" (better brakes and suspension) made it a genuine performance vehicle. Record quarter mile times (14.3 seconds) and a 250km/h top speed resulted in the 'HO being rightly regarded in 1971 as the fastest four door car in the world.

If the GTHO is the grand daddy of the market, then Allan Moffatt's Bathurst race winning GTHO is the patriarch. Last year at the Melbourne Formula 1 event I asked Moffatt about the car and what happened to it. Ruefully he admitted that he didn't hang onto the car and park it somewhere dark and dry. Chris Boribon from Shannons: "Even today, the race car would be worth upward of a million dollars". Get a room full of salivating 'boomers and it could go well and truly north. No wonder Moffatt slapped his forehead when retelling the story. He could have been sitting on a four wheel retirement fund.
While the focus has been on the GTHO, other brands and models are also in demand despite the GFC downturn. For these cars, auction results are still strong- all are well exceeding their original asking price. Peter Brock’s Bathurst winning Torana showed that smaller 6 cylinders could win in the right conditions. They can also win at the auctions with a nice example being worth about $70-100K. What about an original 327 cubic inch HK (‘68/’68) Monaro? $100-$150k will buy you all the childhood memories you can muster. The odd one out- the 6 cylinder Valiant Charger- also devilishly quick over a quarter mile in the distinctive “Vitamin C” orange is fetching in the order of $60-$100k in the nation’s auction houses.
For Gen X and Gen Y comes the question- what car will be our childhood collectable? What car will we bid on in 20 years to recapture our youth?  It’s a difficult question as the elements required- performance and rarity- have been overtaken by the breadth of the market. So many manufacturers have entered the market with rare and high performance cars that it’s hard to know what is going to be valuable in the future. Here’s Chris and Tom’s list:
•    Chris: "Today, if you give me $100,000, I'd buy one of the original Nissan GTR Skylines of which 100 were imported to Australia. Not a grey import - the original homologated 100."
•    Original Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV- Aka “The Plastic Pig” are already going for up to $100k, so get in while the market is good!
•    A 2001/2 two door Subaru WRX STi. Only 50 odd made it into the country.
•    The Coupe 4- a variant on the Monaro, but with 4WD. Not valuable now, but in 20 years…
•    Mercedes C63. You’ll have to pay over $100K to get a second hand one, but maybe you’ll be rolling in more in the future.
•    HSV W427. The first seven litre production V8 in Australia. They were pricey new at $150k, but expect that to go up.
These we agree on, but I wondered if the first generation Prius might be a collectable one day…? (Chris says no way. I swear I heard him gag a little at the very suggestion. He’s a muscle car man though and through) Obviously it won’t be a collectable for reasons of performance- the combined petrol and electric motors are not going to set Bathurst afire, but perhaps they’ll go up in value  for the same reasons that first generation iPods are now rising in price; Geek Chic.
The Geeks won’t one day inherit the Earth, they already own it. Start-ups get flipped to bigger companies for millions and new start-ups begin. Being a Geek is not just a way to be rich, it’s a way to be cool. The Prius could be the poster car for this generation. Personally, I think if you have to drive electric, import a Tesla.
Gen X/Y entrepreneurs eschewing Porsche for Prius? That will make the baby boomers look cool in comparison.