As previously mentioned in these sale reports, market conditions are still more challenging than they were a couple of years back as the world continues to go through turbulent times. Nevertheless, life goes on and there are still plenty of takers out there for the right stock pitched at the right level. Of the 134 lots on offer in the Brightwells October sale, 80 were successfully sold for a total of £960,800 to give a creditable 60% sale rate.
Top price of the day went to a beautifully presented 1958 Jaguar XK150S 3.4 Roadster with some choice mechanical upgrades including a tuned 4.2 engine and 5-speed gearbox which made £84,000 – a strong result in the current market which has seen many cars from this era dropping gently in value of late. The same could be also said of a tidy and usable 1969 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 which fetched a very creditable £36,000 despite being a LHD American import.
Eight of the 12 pre-war cars on offer were successfully sold, top honours going to a nicely mellowed 1929 Rolls-Royce 20hp Windovers Sedanca de Ville in good running order which made a top estimate £27,440. A 1928 Ford Model A Phaeton which had recently had a full mechanical rebuild more than doubled its estimate to finish on an impressive £23,070, a great result for this popular VSCC trials mount. A 1934 Singer Nine Sports four-seater fetched £12,950 (which was about £3k less than it had made when previously sold by Brightwells in 2020) and is now on its way to a new home in the Czech Republic.
A nicely presented 1974 Rolls-Royce Corniche Coupe in attractive Larch Green looked like a good buy at £23,520, this being another car previously sold by Brightwells for around £4k more in 2021. Utterly different but equally smart was a 1974 Ford Consul GT which made a healthy £15,680, this being a car with a loyal ‘blue collar’ fan base among those who fondly remember a similar car being ragged around the gritty streets of ‘70s London by John Thaw in the cult cop show ‘The Sweeney’.
The Volvo P1800 is another model that still trades on past TV glory as Simon Templar’s steed of choice in ‘The Saint’. Okay, the 1972 model on offer was a slightly less desirable ES estate version but it still raised a healthy £16,800 despite having more of an ‘antique dealer’ vibe rather than the ‘international man of mystery’ vibe of the sleek coupe version which generally fetches around 25% more.
Morgans always do well at Brightwells and both the 1999 Plus 8 models on offer found new homes, a very sharp two-owner example with only 15k miles fetching a market-correct £32,480 while an identical car with 41k miles and the stigma of a Cat D claim in the past looked good value by comparison at £18,480.
It is often remarked that the best buys at auction are cars that have had fortunes spent on them by previous owners and the 1975 BMW 2002Tii on offer was a case in point. Restored at a cost of over £45k in the recent past, it looked like a lot of car for a whisker under £25,000. The same could be said of a 1968 Triumph 2000 which had been prepared to Historic Road Rally spec at a cost of £40k a few years back yet cost the new owner a very reasonable £19,600.
Much admired during the viewing was an exceptionally rare and well-restored 1970 Austin 1800 Ute. An Australian market model in gleaming condition throughout, it flew way beyond its £10k bottom estimate to finish on £17,920. An equally rare Australian market 1972 Austin Kimberley pulled off the same trick to finish on £11,700 – find another, as they say...
Sticking with the rarity theme, an ex-WW2 1942 Bedford QLR signals truck, one of only around half-a-dozen known to survive in roadworthy condition, looked like an interesting buy at £15,000 and will be warmly welcomed at the D-Day 80th Anniversary event in Normandy in June 2024.
Another interesting buy was a partially restored 1976 Maserati Merak with most of the hard work done but with the engine and gearbox out and unrestored which fetched £16,800. Potentially worth up to three times as much, it looked like a worthwhile challenge for someone.
In the special Land Rover section of the sale, 24 out of the 40 lots on offer were sold, top price going to an extremely rare ex-MoD 1992 Range Rover Vogue with bulletproof glass, armour plating and full Police Special Escort Group livery which made £33,600 and is now on its way to a new home in America. Not far behind but not quite as interesting was a 2015 Land Rover Defender 110XS with lots of extras and 74k miles which made an above-estimate £30,240. A usable 1951 Series One 80” made £15,350, a tidy 1961 Series Two 88” made £12,550 and an interesting ex-Army 1984 Series Three Tactical Command Post with Sankey trailer made £15,230.
The next Brightwells Classic Car auction will be on 6th December and the deadline for entries is 24th November so if you have a classic that you are considering selling, please do get in touch by calling 01568 611122 or by emailing [email protected]
