Underbelly Monaro up for auction

A 40-year-old plumber from south western Sydney is hoping to cash-in on the Underbelly phenomenon, putting up for auction the rare 1968 GTS 327 used in the filming of the blockbuster TV series. Brent Christian bought the immaculate blue coupe seven years ago for a "modest sum" but now hopes to sell it at auction for up to $160,000. The Monaro cost less than $5000 when new.

The car was used in the filming of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities in Sydney over three days last November. In the show, the car was owned by Judy Kane, played by actress Kate Ritchie, but Ritchie couldn't drive a manual and so the car was driven by actor Tim McCunn who played the character Brian Kane.

Christian, who has since fitted UBELLY number plates to the Monaro, says it is a reluctant sale.

"I bought the car off my mate's girlfriend's dad," Christian told the Carsales Network. "I couldn't afford it at the time but I'd always wanted to own that car.

"One day he finally said it was up for sale. I told my missus I was going to get a loan to buy it and she almost left me because of it. I told her I've known the car longer than I've known her. She eventually let me get it. I think she's kind of glad I bought the car now though."

The Monaro is for sale at the Shannons Classic Vehicle Auction at the Sydney Showgrounds on July 12 and is expected to fetch between $130,000 and $160,000. The prices of classic Australian muscle cars have reached ridiculous levels over the past couple of years. Some rare GT Falcons have sold for more than $600,000, but the market has softened slightly since the global financial crisis.

"I'm not really in a position to be able to afford to keep it," said Christian. "I never intended to sell it but if I can get that sort of money I'd be crazy to keep it. I can pay a chunk off my mortgage."

Christian attended the three-day shoot and said the actors and crew were respectful of the car and "didn't do any burnouts".

"They were really careful with it. Kate Ritchie said she really liked it, but she couldn't remember what it was when she was talking about it on her radio show."

Christian is only the second owner of the car, which has travelled a genuine 89,000 miles. The vehicle is in original condition except for Kate Ritchie's autograph on the glovebox.

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