1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 sells for $250k following ‘Chicken Coupe’ record sale
This pristine 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 sedan has just sold auction for more than $250,000.
This follows on from the recent sale of the 'Chicken Coupe' – a 1973 Ford Falcon GT RPO 83 Coupe that fetched $300,000, despite being left to rot in a barn for more than 30 years.
The RPO 83 is a rare variant of the Falcon, with Ford discreetly adding surplus high-performance parts under the RPO 83 designation, following the company's decision to scrap the Falcon GTHO Phase IV that was supposed to be homologated for motor racing.
Politicians and the media waged a campaign against the emerging power war between Ford and Holden, leaving Ford with a handful of parts destined for the stillborn Phase IV.
Without announcing its plans, Ford created the Falcon GT RPO 83. Only 259 vehicles were reportedly made, and the models were quietly distributed across Australian dealerships.
In July, a true 'barn-find' Ford Falcon GT RPO 83 coupe broke records at auction. Known as the 'Chicken Coupe', the vehicle sold for more than $300,000, exceeding estimates.
This particular Wild Violet XA GT RPO 83 sedan was offered by auction house Lloyds, with only 91,000 miles on the odometer. Only eleven were produced in this colour, and this vehicle has had five owners in its lifetime.
The unreserved auction closed on Saturday at $235,000, but incurred a buyer's premium of 7.5 per cent, equating to more than a quarter of a million dollars.