1971 Ford XY GT Falcon up for grabs

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1971 Ford XY GT Falcon up for grabs
By Neil McDonaldHerald Sun14 April 2010
A rare XY GT Falcon is Steve Georgiadis's prized possession.

And now he is giving it away. he former security manager is flogging off his $120,000 classic and donating the entire proceeds to charity.

The highly collectable 1971 Ford will be sold in Melbourne this weekend. The proceeds of the Sotheby's sale will go to Soul4Give, a non-profit indigenous advocacy group run by Georgiadis's mate Rob Batzke. Soul4Give promotes forgiveness, mental, social and physical health for indigenous communities.

Georgiadis, from Kingsgrove in Sydney, admits he could do with the cash himself to help pay his mortgage. "But I do believe it will come back to me," he says. "Rob does great work for Soul4Give and I want to help out."

He has owned the pampered car for the past 20 years. Apart from a new yellow ochre paint job, it is totally original.

"It's a great car but it's time to move it on," he says. Georgiadis says Batzke had been there for him when he experienced his own problems. Both his parents died recently and other family members have been plagued with health problems. Before his mother died, Georgiadis was forced to quit his security job to care for her.

"I'm pushing 50 and have been through a few tough situations so I understand what forgiveness is about," he says. "Rob's been a good mate and he's helped me so I wanted to help him."

Sotheby's national head of collector cars, James Nicholls, says Georgiadis's generosity has stunned staff. "It's really quite an amazing offer," he says. "It makes you feel quite humble." Nicholls says the car was one of the best examples of the XY GT series. "We expect spirited bidding," he says.

Rare classic Falcon GTs are highly sought after, with six figure prices common. Some Falcon GT-HOs have even fetched more than $500,000 in recent years. Apart from Georgiadis's pride and joy, Sotheby's is auctioning off 28 cars, motorbikes and memorabilia.