mothball exhumed

The story of Mothball is well known to car enthusiasts, the Holy Grail of Falcon GT barn-finds which was parked-up for more than 30 years, eventually landlocked by a swimming pool.

Since the story was published, owner Neil Wilkinson has been thoroughly researching his unique Red Pepper 1972 XA GT Falcon. He’s also sadly lost his good friend Dave, who passed away late last year. Neil and Dave often talked about getting Mothball back on the road, but unfortunately time got the better of them and the car stayed exactly as it was.

Survivor Car Australia magazine approached Neil, asking if he’d consider putting Mothball into an upcoming car show. Not just any car show, the inaugural Shannons Survivor Car & Barn Find Show Spectacular! After giving it some thought and discussing the concept with his family, Neil agreed it was time to get Mothball out of the shed – more than 30 years after it was parked.

Between a Pool & a Hard Place

But just how could Mothball be exhumed? As previously reported, the garage is not accessible by traditional methods. With a large garden and swimming pool blocking the way, simply rolling the car out and pushing down the driveway was not going to happen.

The idea of removing the pool fencing, and placing steel beams and planks across the swimming pool was a possibility – but after all that time parked, the car may not roll effectively and might get stuck – or worse fall in to the pool!

The only feasible way which provide a level of safety and security for the car was to crane lift the car over the roof of the house, and on to the street below. However, with the street full of large and leafy trees – and don’t forget the power lines and telephone cabling – it was going to be extremely difficult. After consulting and discussing the situation with specialist crane company Rigweld, we had a plan in place and permits from the local council. A date was set, Mothball finally had a chance to be retrieved.

Ready to Launch

On the day of the crane lift, Neil invited his family and close friends to witness the event. They’d all known of the car for many years, and knew that it held a special place in Neil’s heart. Racing legend Allan Moffat was also there to witness this monumental event, and given his connection to the Falcon GT nameplate – it seemed fitting. The media had also arrived to watch it all unfold, with all three major TV news channels running stories on their nightly 6pm news programs – leading to more than 2.5 million views on one story alone! Mothball had gone VIRAL!

As the crane arrived onsite – setting up in the street, there was one major problem – Mothball was still inside the shed! It took a chainsaw, and angle grinder, and a few strong men, and within minutes the fence between Neil’s home and his next door neighbour was removed, as was the wall of his double garage. This was the first time that the front of the car had seen sunlight in over three decades! After spreading some crushed rock and carefully laying some concrete pavers, Mothball was slowly pulled out of the garage – with Neil behind the wheel carefully steering his beloved car through the sharp metal and overgrown trees.

Cheers and applause followed as Mothball rolled from the garage in to the grassy yard next door, and a huge sigh of relief from all involved. Step one was complete – but step two involved way more risk. A steel platform was lowered into the backyard by the crane, where Mothball was carefully loaded and strapped down. This was the moment where the entire operation was held in the balance. Family and friends scrambled to get the best view as the crane lifted the car in to the air slowly. After many months of planning, the lift began with the car on top of the platform dangled high in the sky – across the roof of the Wilkinson family home – and ever so slowly towards the street below. Two drones appeared and followed the move. And thanks to the media interest there was plenty of incredible footage and photographs captured – this was a moment not to be missed.

Hanging by a Thread

By the time the car was ready to land on the street below, quite a crowd had gathered to see what all the fuss was about. It didn’t take long before Mothball was back on the ground, after some skilful work from Ray the crane operator, and his spotters (and with a little help from Moffat). Once the car was back on terra firma, it was loaded on to a tilt tray supplied by Hop-Tow It and moved to a secure location to ensure the car remained exactly as it was found – dust and all! After a few days in hiding, Mothball was then loaded into a fully enclosed transporter with PCD Transport and delivered to the show.

The next time Mothball would be seen was at the Shannons Survivor Car & Barn Find Show Spectacular, where it was showcased in all its glory and eventually crowned the Best Barn-Find in the show.