Auction watch: XB John Goss, XD Fairmont V8, VL Turbo Berlina

Fancy a bit of Friday arvo window shopping? Then the Grays’ weekly classic car auction is just what the doctor ordered, so here’s our top picks from this weeks crop.

All the listings are live now with the top bids accurate at the time of writing, with bidding wrapping up on Tuesday, May 3.

If you’re in the market for an XB coupe project, then there are two perfect candidates crossing the block – including this genuine Gossy.

It’s definitely a fixer-upper, but it still wears the original John Goss colours, and unlike a few other rolling shells that have hit the market in recent times, it has an engine. Bidding has already hit $35,000 early in the auction, with a reserve still to barter with.

The second coupe is a V8 much like the Gossy, and looks to be more of a complete bird as well. The interior may be in tatters, but we reckon a comb through the Rare Spares catalogue and a trip to the trimmers could turn that around pretty easily.

If it was us, we’d fix the inside, give the exterior a buff and just get out there and cruise in it! Bidding is only at AU$23,000 with no reserve, which is cheap as chips in the modern day coupe market.

Not a fan of a project? Then this super nice 1979 XD Fairmont Ghia V8 looks the perfect walk-in machine, complete with the beefier 351-cuber V8 sitting underneath a shaker scoop.

The paint and panel look top notch, as does the interior, with shift from a manualised C4 ‘box. Fifty-three bids have already seen it climb to AU$25,500.

Don’t fret Holden fans, because we’ve got you covered for some spicy lots as well. Kicking off the Iron Lions is this 1978 HZ Sandman panel-van tribute, which is just about as good as the real deal.

It’s a rarer windowless pano, given a lick of purple paint and a conversion to the twin headlight front end and Sandman-spec GTS wheels. For stonk there’s a trusty 253 thongslapper paired with an auto, and we also spied some cheeky air-con vents underneath the stereo.

Genuine Sandman vans have been fetching up and over the AU$100k mark in recent months, so it’s not surprising the highest bid of AU$15,700 is still a way off of toppling the reserve.

Turbo VL Commodores are like Bitcoin in the classic car market now, so we’re expecting a pretty penny in exchange for this genuine 1986 VL Berlina turbo.

The hubcaps alone are worth more than a month’s worth of groceries, and then there’s the unmodified A8 turbo RB30. While it presents well inside and out, it’s still not perfect. There’s evidence of rust in both sides of the boot floor, and the interior could use a tidy up.

CV8 Monaro’s have always been stonks in the post-2000s Holden market, so the fact this 2004 V2 III CV8 is only at AU$25,000 with no reserve is the rare chance for someone to grab a bit of a bargain.

Like most Monaros, the mileage is on the lower side at 120,000 kilometres, with a few minor modifications like; the VCM OTR intake, engine covers and bronze wheels. We expect that top bid figure of AU$25K to climb, but it’ll certainly be one to keep an eye on.

Wrapping things up is this rare and very cool first-gen 1988 Toyota MR2, which is a real gem in a Japanese car market usually filled with bogged-up, rusty piles.

It’s an Australian-delivered car, in all original condition and documentation to show for its 234,000km. Being white means it hasn’t suffered from severe paint fade like the red MR2s did, and the best bit is that it could be all yours for just AU$5300!

Well, not quite. But that is the top bid as we write, and with no reserve to worry about someone could walk away with a real bargain.