It’s auction time once again for classic metal at Grays, so naturally we’ve gone through and cherry-picked our favourites to drool over.

All the listings are live now, with most wrapping up on Tuesday, 10 May; all the top bids quoted are accurate at the time of writing.

One car that is wrapping up earlier than the others is this toughie 1973 XB GT sedan, with a top bid of $120,400 and the hammer falling on Sunday night (8 May).

The big beast claims a full restoration, rocking the matching-numbers big-port 4V version of the 351 V8 and the original four-cog manual ’box.

It’s said to be just one of 139 GTs built to the same spec, and extra options like the sunroof indicate some truth to that claim. Either way, it’s a matching-numbers XB GT that’s all done and ready to cruise, so if you’re interested, we highly suggest you keep an eye on it over the next two days and earn some brownie points with the missus.

Our next choice is a properly rare, HDT-fettled VL. Specifically, it’s a 1987 Group 3 Signature Series (yep, long before the HSV Senator version!) in all-original condition with 77,000km.

Just like any HDT, you get a wild bodykit, special wheels, a highly optioned interior and the original carby 304-cube V8 paired with a factory-fitted T5 manual.

We can’t remember the last time one of these even came up for sale/auction, but with ‘normal’ VL values sky-high right now, it’s anyone’s guess where the hammer will fall on this one.

The hot Holdens continue with a pair of chrome-bumper hero cars, including this super-tidy HQ LS Monaro rocking an engine swap that takes inspiration straight from its original badging.

Lift the bonnet and you’ll find a tasty, factory-supercharged, 6.2-litre LSA crate engine, which in standard form makes 556 horses. That’s why behind it there’s a Turbo 400 gearbox and beefy nine-inch rear end.

There’s also a new-school Haltech iC-7 dash, but styling has been kept appropriate for the big Quey with period-correct Center Line spinners and a retro-cool drop tank. Coupes have been commanding prices over $100K for some time now, so the fact that the current AU$85,100 bid hasn’t gone a long way towards breaking the reserve isn’t very surprising.

The second chrome-bumper iron lion we found this week is a ’78 LX Torana sedan, rocking bright SL/R 5000 colours and an upgraded Chevy driveline.

In place of the original L32 mill and four-speed manual is a 350 Chevy crate engine, Turbo 400 transmission and nine-inch diff. Good bones for anyone looking to build an angry Torana pro streeter. Wheels are also genuine Simmons items, and thanks to the SL/R 5000 flares, they measure 17×8 in the front and 17×10 up back.

Our last pick is for the Mopar crowd, but we’d say anyone would have to be hard up to not take a second look at this ’68 Dodge Charger.

It looks like a properly neat version, too. Still in original left-hook guise, it’s rocking twin carbs atop the Mopar V8 and an auto ’box. The black vinyl roof and interior look to be in good nick as well, making it a prime candidate to fulfil those Charger dream-car aspirations.

To check out these listings and all the others up on Grays this week, follow the link here.