KEY POINTS:
A couple of classic Holdens fetched record prices at the annual Sydney motor show auction.
The top price of the 32 vehicles offered for sale was the A$200,000 ($239,345) paid for a restored Sebring Orange 1969 Monaro GTS 350 coupe.
A low-mileage 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 finished in the colour Lone O'Ranger sold for A$143,000.
Two iconic Australian cars from Holden's great rival, Ford, were passed in. Bids on two GT-HO Falcons failed to reach the reserve but auction house Shannons were negotiating with the bidder who missed out on the 1971 XY GT-HO Phase III.
An immaculate 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190SL was knocked down for A$103,000; a rare 1929 Hudson Super 6 Dual Cowl Phaeton, originally owned by the Wirth circus family, sold for A$100,000; a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville coupe customised by legendary American hot-rod builder John D'Agostino went for A$80,000; a 1929 Austin 7 Wasp sports car made A$41,000; and a 1973 Ford Escort RS2000 brought A$50,000.
Cashed-up number plate investors and classic vehicle collectors drove combined sales to a record A$3.75 million, the best result achieved by Shannons in a single day in the company's 26-year history of classic auctions. The highest single sale of the auction was A$245,000 paid for the right to display the early NSW number plate 78.
