Rare muscle car ‘freed’ from backyard after 30 years

A muscle car worth $150,000 has been salvaged after being trapped in a backyard for more than 30 years.

The 1972 Ford Falcon XA GT- nicknamed ‘Mothball’-  was bought by Melburnian, Neil Wilkinson, in the late 1970s.

“Dad said put your car into the garage before it turns into a rust bucket,” he told 9NEWS.

Dutifully following his father’s instructions, Mr Wilkinson locked the car in his backyard shed in Boronia.

He then installed a swimming pool in the backyard, sentencing Mothball to decades of collecting dust and cobwebs.

But today the Ford finally had the chance to ‘flex its muscle’, with a 90-tonne crane used to lift the beast over the pool and onto the street below.

Bathurst champion Allan Moffat was on hand to assist owner with the ambitious rescue mission.

Mr Wilkinson said he now plans to restore the Ford, one of only 1800, and show it off at a car show.

“We’ll bring it back, fire it up and get it going,” he said.

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