Top picks from Grays October classic auction

From heavy hitters to sneaky bargains, this months crop at Grays is a good 'un

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We’ve been glued to classic car auctions in last 18 months or so, with prices of just about everything going up – and plenty of forgotten and oddball cars being dusted off and put up on the block as a result.

We scoured the latest fodder up for grabs at Grays, and here’s some which took our fancy.

First things first, this Torana isn’t an LX or an SS. It’s a 1978 UC, converted to an LX SS replica with an LS1 under the bonnet.

It may not be a matching numbers car – but at the end of the day it’s a Torana hatch in good condition, and with the prices of even UC hatches going postal it’s really not a bad prospect.

At the time of writing, the bidding is ‘only’ at $35,000 with a touch over three days left, so it’s definitely worth watching.

If you’re after a more original collector’s item, then this should be just what you’re after. A 1987 VL Calais Turbo, that’s factory fitted, with three pedals and only 65,000 kilometres on the clock.

Sure, there’s a big intercooler hanging below the front bar and a few aftermarket bits and bobs, but a look in the boot will reveal some of the stuff needed to reverse that if you’d prefer.

As we write, bidding is already at $80k, showing how far VL values have come in the last few years.

It’s one of the most iconic shapes to come off of an Australian production line, with eight cylinders, a nice lick of blue paint and a top bid of only $51k.

Just about everybody wants an XB coupe, and this one looks like it’s built to be the perfect weekend cruiser. It isn’t overdone, and because it isn’t festooned with GT badges and tags, there’s half a chance you might get a modern day bargain.

1990s Commodores and HSVs have been climbing in value almost daily, and we’d love nothing more than to put this VP Clubsport to our garage.

It’ll help you stand out from the sea of Atlas Grey VN SSs, and with 160,000km ticked over, as well as a seemingly all original exterior and interior – it’d be an awesome club plate cruiser to take to your local Cars and Coffee.

Bidding is at $18k at the time of publication, with a reserve still to be met.

If your heart really is set on a VN and you’re not much for originality, the LS1-swapped BT1 could just be your poison.

First things first – yes, it’s engineered. The LS-Juan has been given a tickle up with a high volume oil pump and upgraded fuel system, and the Tremec T56 is rip shifted for your pleasure.

Bidding is at $20k, and with prices of VNs these days, you’d struggle to build the same thing for less.

If you want a boxy sedan but you haven’t got that kind of coin, then this dard is a good compromise.

This 1986 Clayton-built example is a Silhouette, which in Nissan language is the equivalent of an XR6 or S Pack/SV6.

There’s no extra power from the aspirated RB30 straight-six, but you do get; bucket seats, front and rear lip spoilers, special alloys with ultra-rare hubcaps and five manually selectable gears.

Bidding is at $5300 as we write, but the reserve hasn’t been met. If that proves to be too expensive, there’s two other lower-spec GX R31s in the same auction.

If you’re in the market for a GT-R but you don’t want to sell a kidney, then this 1998 Mitsubishi GTO follows the same recipe for a fraction of the price.

Twin-turbo, six-banger, AWD and enough 1990s Japanese tech to give Bill Gates a headache – and all for just $12,000!

You’d need to add an extra zero there if you wanted an R34 GT-R, and while bidding will likely rise from that $12k (given the reserve is yet to be met) it’ll probably still come out a lot cheaper than the Skyline. Plus, with those factory fitted BBS wheels and massive rear wing you really can’t go wrong!

Most of these listings will start wrapping up from 7.00pm AEDT on October 19, so make sure you get bidding if anything interests you.

You can find the field of cars on offer here.

MORENews

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