UPDATE, 3 December:

Chris Bitmead’s all-conquering XBOSS Falcon has set what is likely to be an Aussie record for an elite show car, reaching $860,100 last night in an online auction.

The auction was thought to have wound up last Tuesday, with a winning bid of $464,900. However it has emerged that there were some technical issues based upon the huge volume of traffic directed to the listing, which hindered the bidding progress towards the close of the auction.

The normal process is that an auction is extended by 10 minutes after the final bid, but in this case, the auction was wound up three minutes after the final bid.

To resolve the matter, Grays consulted with both the vendor and top bidders, and reopened the auction for two hours yesterday afternoon, resulting in 102 further bids and a final price of $860,100, plus buyer’s premium. 

While Australian-built elite show cars have sold for big dollars overseas, this is likely at least an Australian record for this type of car and possibly the highest price reached worldwide.

“I was comfortable with the initial result,” Chris Bitmead told Street Machine today. “Yesterday’s result was a fantastic bonus.”

The story to here, 30 November:

Bidding on XBOSS has passed $455,000, with five hours still remaining.

Another 30 bids have been added since last Friday. With the 7.5% buyer’s premium added, the final price is likely to break $500,000 by 8:30pm.

UPDATE, 26 November:

The XBOSS auction has opened, with bids surpassing $400,000 in under 24 hours.

Though over four days are left before the hammer drops on the incredible Falcon, 158 bids have already been made at time of publication.

November 23: Chris and Colleen Bitmead’s XBOSS XB Falcon hardtop is heading to an unreserved auction with Gray’s Australia this week.

The Falcon is one of the successful Aussie show cars in history, with the silverware count including the 2016 Street Machine of the Year title, the 2016 MotorEx Grand Master award and a total domination of the elite judging at Street Machine Summernats 2017, including Top Judged.

For all its success in Australia, XBOSS was built with one purpose in mind – to represent Australia in the quest for the Ridler Award at the Detroit Autorama. The Ridler is the most-prestigious judged street machine prize on earth and demands that any potential entrants must be built in secret and debuted for the first time at the Autorama.

Those deemed worthy of a shot at the Ridler, entrants must earn a spot in the Great Eight, which is exactly what the XBOSS team achieved in 2016 – the first Australian-built car to ever earn that honour. And while Bill Thomas’s ’39 Oldsmobile won the Ridler award that year, XBOSS came away with a legion of fans and the CASI (Championship Auto Shows Incorporated) Cup.

And while Chris always planned for XBOSS to be a driver and has indeed put some clicks on the car, including around Bathurst at the 2017 Hardtop Anniversary event, he reckons that he hasn’t got the heart to subject the XB to serious road miles.

“It is just too nice,” says Chris. “My hope is that whoever buys it will put it on display so the public can enjoy it.” And indeed, the car was a major attraction at Museum of Vehicle Evolution in Shepparton prior the pandemic and is currently proudly on display at the Shepparton Ford dealer.

Chris still has his previous elite build – a blown ’32 Ford coupe that graced the cover of Street Machine Hot Rod Annual in 2006 – and drives it regularly. “We’ve just been through and refreshed the ignition and ECU set up on the ’32,” says Chris. “We get it out all the time, I take it to Bunnings, the lot. That car was entirely built with my mates, so I’ll never sell that one. I’ll get buried in it!”

Chris also has another project underway, one he says will be a pure streeter: “It’s an F100,” says Chris. “It has beautiful patina on it and we’re going to leave it the paint exactly as it is.” The underpinnings will no doubt be a different story!

Make sure you check out the full feature story on the car here. It’s mind blowing!

See the auction listing at Grays here, with bidding to open this Thursday November 25 and closing on Tuesday November 30.