Ever since Rob Claridge was 10 years old, he has yearned for a 1969 XW Falcon. There was something about the boxy square lines of the big Aussie sedan that just appealed, and at that early age he decided one day he would own one. He and wife Lana have owned some pretty neat cars over the years, mostly modern Fords and Lana’s current daily driven 707hp Jeep Trackhawk – that’s some serious street cred right there!
Rob’s desire to own something a little older, though, was still front and centre in his mind, and one day, while trawling through Trade Me’s listings for classic Aussie tin, he stumbled across a 1978 XC Falcon for sale in Christchurch. While the XC wasn’t his first choice for a classic Ford, it was closer in age to what he really wanted. However, it was two cylinders short for his liking, which thankfully wasn’t really a deal breaker for him.
After many phone calls and photos sent back and forth with the owner, and after many questions being asked and answered, he took the plunge and bought the Aussie icon sight unseen. We’ve often heard horror stories about ‘take the risk and hope for the best’ purchases, but, luckily for the Lower Hutt couple, this was not the scenario — when the
