There was a really interesting selection of Classics in the 2nd April sale which attracted bidders from all corners of the UK and beyond. By the time proceedings came to a close, 70% of the 73 lots on offer had successfully changed hands for a total of £560,200.
Top price of the day went to a car that had generated much press interest prior to the auction, a 1963 Triumph TR4 with a transferable TR4 number plate. It was easy enough to work out roughly what the car was worth (around £16k - £18k) but the burning question was how much the plate would add to that price. About £40k was the answer and it was finally hammered away for £54,992, thus setting a new UK auction record for the model.
By way of comparison, a nicely presented 1963 Triumph TR4 with desirable Surrey Top and overdrive fetched £20,160 – this being the going rate for a smart and usable example in the current market.
Also setting a record price, certainly for Brightwells and most likely for the UK, was a stunning 1991 Land Rover Defender 110 County Station Wagon V8. With effectively one owner from new and recently treated to a major restoration which included a new galvanized chassis and a rebuilt engine uprated to 3.9-litres, it looked virtually new and was gamely on offer at no reserve – a good tactic which usually pays off handsomely, especially with vehicles as nice as this one. Attracting bids from all over the world, it was finally hammered away for an impressive £44,800 and is now on its way to a new home in Singapore.
Brightwells always have an interesting selection of pre-war cars on offer and the April sale certainly lived up to expectations with several exceptionally rare and delightful machines to wow the crowd. This translated into some keen bidding and by the end of the day, all but three of the 17 pre-1950 cars had successfully changed hands, proving that there is still strong demand for quality machines from the Vintage and Post-Vintage eras.
Top price went to a vanishingly rare and utterly gorgeous 1927 Star 20/50 Stella, almost certainly the only surviving example of this quality Wolverhampton-made machine. In stunning condition following a meticulous 25-year restoration, it was on offer at no reserve and was worth every penny of the £28,250 required to secure it. A sister car from the same vendor, an imposing 1931 Star 20/60 Planet, made £11,140 which looked like a bargain by comparison, considering that it too was the only known survivor with prodigious 70mph performance.
Equally wonderful in its own way was a fabulous ‘oily rag’ 1911 EMF Studebaker which had never been restored and even retained its original much-weathered paintwork. This kind of patina is often described as ‘priceless’ but of course it does ultimately have a value which in this case translated into a £16,800 result. We only hope that the subsequent custodians of this remarkable ‘brass era’ survivor will continue to preserve it for the next 100+ years.
A lovely 1933 Riley Nine Lynx Tourer which had been restored in the 1970s and carefully maintained since also found a new owner at £24,260, although it is worth noting that this very same car made £32,000 when originally sold by Brightwells in 2016. A really charming 1928 Austin Seven Chummy was also snapped up for £12,150, again about 30% less than it would have made a few years back but a very decent price nonetheless.
Another car much-admired during the viewing was a 1951 Sunbeam-Talbot 90 MkII DHC which had spent its first 40 years in New Zealand, always a good sign because the Kiwis have a great reputation for looking after their classics properly. Nicely patinated and running beautifully, it had no trouble romping past its £12k reserve to finish on £15,170. Equally charming was a 1963 Sunbeam Rapier Series IIIA Convertible in delightful two-tone green which almost doubled its reserve at £11,870.
The same was true of a 1968 Austin Light Van with some choice upgrades including a Ford 1300cc engine and gearbox and attractive Persian Blue paintwork which flew well beyond its £8k reserve to finish on £15,800, an excellent result for the model and further proof of just how popular modified classics have become these days.
To reinforce the latter point, a 1973 Ford Escort Mk1 two-door which had been upgraded from 1100 spec to RS2000 spec comfortably sold for £20,160. Sticking with the sporting British theme, a nicely restored 1968 MGC GT in gleaming Snowberry White with a smart red interior made £22,400. An aristocratic 1960 Bentley S2 with slightly scruffy oyster gold paintwork and a nicely mellowed burgundy leather interior looked like a lot of car for £16,240.
Other results of note included a sympathetically restored 1973 Citroen DS23 in desirable Pallas spec with 5-speed manual transmission and factory RHD which made £23,520. Rather more modern but equally glamorous was a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300SL from 31-year ownership and with just a few minor paintwork issues which fetched a healthy £24,670.
A final mention should also go to a couple of the more unusual entries in the sale, the first being an utterly delightful Art Deco-style 1948 Thomson Dart Caravan. One of only four known to survive and complete with many charming features including leaded windows, a period tea set and a bed/settee trimmed in the same cloth as used on the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive, this two-berth cutie looked a wonderful buy at £4,540.
The other was a rare aluminium-hulled 1961 Simmonds Ski-Boat, one of only around 40 known to survive of the c.250 made. A top-quality craft fitted with a Ford 3.0 V6 engine which should make it good for around 50mph, it was in need of some cosmetic TLC but looked excellent value at £3,360. Now on its way to a new home in Italy, it will no doubt attract as much attention as the far more valuable Riva speedboats that are also seen zipping around the glittering waters of Lake Como.
The next Brightwells Classic Vehicle auction will be on 14th May with a closing date for entries of 2nd May so if you are thinking of selling, please get in touch by calling 01568 611122 or by emailing [email protected]
