Gangster's moll raced off

Pete Geoghegan drove his Ford Mustang GTA to many victories in Australia.

The rebuilt Rolls-Royce coupe that once belonged to a gangster's girlfriend sold for A$80,000 ($86,000) at a special Sydney motor show auction.

But the car that set all sorts of Australian auction records was the 1967 Ford Mustang GTA that won three Australian Touring Car Championships for owner-driver Pete Geoghegan in the late 1960s.

The white Mustang, restored to its trademark Castrol racing livery, surged easily through the A$250,000 to A$300,000 barriers, before being knocked down for A$320,000 to a Sydney enthusiast.

It is believed the buyer, who did not want to be named, intends to continue the Mustang's legendary racing history in Group N historic races. The Mustang was one of many special vehicles that sold for a combined A$1.1 million.

The rare silver 1934 model 20/25 Rolls-Royce coupe - featured in Superwheels in September - was nicknamed Cecilia after the girlfriend of the 1930s Melbourne gangster that owned it.

Restorers found bullet-holes in the car's chassis.

But it was the car's status as the only swept-tail sports Rolls-Royce 20/25 coupe in Australia that took the price comfortably over the auction reserve. Other notable sales were the A$100,000 paid for a dark metallic green 1962 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur saloon - almost the value of its restoration - and A$75,000 for a cream 1957 Jaguar XK150 drop-head coupe with red leather interior.

A low-mileage red 1988 Ferrari 328 GTS Targa coupe sold for A$79,500, and a red 1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 coupe stopped the hammer at A$48,000.

A rare 1942 Chevrolet Special Deluxe convertible came out of a private collection to sell for A$38,000; a 1966 Jaguar Mk II 3.4 manual saloon with an uprated engine sold for A$30,000; a 1978 Lotus Super 7 Series IV Clubman did better than expected at A$28,500; and a silver 1959 Borgward Isabella TS coupe went for A$20,000.

Five Harley Davidson motorbikes built between 1983 and 1992 - most still in their packing crates - were offered for sale from a private Sydney collection.

A Harley 1991 Fat Boy sold for A$24,000, a 1992 Dyna Glide Daytona for A$25,500 and a 1991 Dyna Glide Sturgis Anniversary model for A$25,000. A 2002 V-Rod with 11,000km on the clock went for A$28,000.

A 1954 BMW R25/3 sold for A$9200 after fierce bidding, and a 1998 Ducati 916SPS Carl Fogarty replica went for A$23,000.