British classics dominate
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80% of entries change hands
Bidders were out in force for Brightwells’ fourth online-only sale of the year with 80% of the 154 classics on offer successfully changing hands in a sale which came to £1.1m
Top seller on the day was a 1972 Jaguar E-Type S3 V12 Roadster with an original hard top, 5-speed manual gearbox conversion and only 31,200 miles on the clock which shot well above its £40k - £45k estimate to finish on £58,240. A 1989 Jaguar XJ-SC V12 Cabriolet showing only 25,400 miles also did well at £18,030, while a 1966 Daimler 2.5 V8 comfortably beat its £12k bottom estimate to finish on £19,430.
It seems that the Bristol 400 has become something of a house specialty at Brightwells – given that there are perhaps fewer than 50 still registered in the UK it is quite remarkable that Brightwells have sold no fewer than 10 of them over the last 15 years (including three this year alone), the 1949 example on offer making £44,800 which is currently the going rate for a nice one at auction.
Given that the Malvern factory is only a stone’s throw from Leominster, it is no surprise that Morgans also have a good track record at Brightwells and the 1993 Plus 8 on offer was no exception, the low 45k miles and good condition comfortably pushing it well beyond its £24k bottom estimate to a £34,270 result.
The same could be said of MGs which also do well at Brightwells, all ten on offer finding new homes, top price going to a smart 1954 MG TF 1500 which made £28,000 while a very original 1954 MG TF 1250 made £20,830 and a smart 1946 MG TC fetched £21,400. A nice 1968 MGC Roadster made £21,280, a fairly average 1958 MGA Roadster with an MGB engine and gearbox made £15,400 and a smart 1978 MGB GT V8 conversion fetched £15,120. A 1985 Naylor TF 1700 which looked virtually identical to the Fifties TF which inspired it made £12,320 and will shortly be on its way to a new home in America.
All eight of the Triumph models on offer sold well, top price going to a 1965 Triumph TR4a, fresh from a home restoration to a decent standard which made £19,040. A smart 1973 Triumph TR6 wasn’t far behind at £16,800 while a lovely 1964 Triumph Herald Estate made a strong £10,700.
Rather more upmarket was a beautiful 1974 Rolls-Royce Corniche in a very fetching shade of Larch Green and with much recent expenditure which fully deserved the £27,160 required to secure it. Equally aristocratic (if not quite so striking) was a battleship grey 1949 Bentley MkVI Sports Saloon from 25-year-ownership which was gamely driven over 200 miles to the sale and looked like a safe buy at £17,535, although it is fair to say that the market for this era of Rolls/Bentley has softened somewhat in recent times.
That being said, less complex Vintage cars still have a healthy following and all 13 of the pre-war machines on offer were successfully hammered away, top price going to a 1936 Alvis Speed 20 Charlesworth Saloon in ‘use-and-improve’ condition which fetched £31,585 while a lovely 1936 Rover 12 Sports Tourer made £22,000. A pair of Austin Sevens performed notably strongly, a beautifully presented 1928 Chummy raising an estimate-busting £19,710 while a 1934 Nippy in a rather marmite shade of orange made £14,560. A smart 1929 DeSoto Model K Roadster which had spent several years on museum display fetched £17,920 and a rare 1925 Daimler Landaulette Limousine which had once carried Winston Churchill in the back made £17,470.
Other noteworthy results included a nicely restored 1956 Chevrolet Apache Pickup which made £19,600 and a highly original 1965 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet which raised £19,950. In the same price bracket was a unique 1972 Reliant Scimitar GTE Ferguson 4x4 Prototype which looked like an interesting buy at £19,040 and has now left these shores for a new home in France. An Austin J40 Pedal Car raised an impressive £4,120 which is about double what it would have made a couple of years ago.
Among the more modern classics, a smart 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo with only 64,600 miles did well at £14,510, while a 2001 Toyota MR-2 with a miniscule 2,150 miles could yet prove a canny buy at £11,310.
Best seller among the 19 motorcycles on offer was an ultra-rare 1921 Zenith Gradua Sporting Model C which made £29,680 while a pleasingly battle-scarred 1951 Vincent Comet Racer fetched £10,702.
The next Brightwells Classic auction will be on 5th August with a closing date for entries of 23rd July. The market remains reassuringly buoyant across all sectors from veteran to modern so if you are thinking of selling, please get in touch by calling the team on 01568 611122 or by emailing [email protected]
