Roz and John Bradbury paid just over double the selling price to buy the last Ford Falcon XR6 sedan produced in Australia.
And Roz, who owns Sunbury Ford, says having a piece of the country’s automobile history is worth every cent she spent.
The Saturday afternoon auction came after Ford shut down its Broadmeadows plant this month. Mr and Mrs Bradbury paid $122,000 to buy a winter white Sprint XR6 Ford Falcon sedan – the last of the 500 models to roll off the plant. The sedan is usually priced at $65,000.
The couple also picked up a smoke grey Ford Falcon ute XR6 for $82,000 – a mere $17,000 above the recommended retail price.
The American auto giant also auctioned a silver Territory for $68,500 and a Ford blue XR6 Falcon sedan for $81,500.
Ford raised $353,000 from the auction, which has been earmarked for the company’s robotics programs in Geelong and Broadmeadows.
Mr Bradbury said the Avalon Airport auction attracted about 1000 people. He said the couple had no intention to buy when they went to the auction, but got swept up in the excitement.
“It was very emotional,” he said. “There were so many people in the room.”
Mrs Bradbury said the Ford Falcon ute was “incredibly powerful” and “much sought after”. She said she will display her last Fords at the Sunbury showroom.
“To have the last ever ute produced at Broadmeadows is something we are very proud of,” Mrs Bradbury said. “It is the very last of the iconic car … [we saw] an opportunity to purchase a piece of Australian history.”
The Age
