Beaulieu Autojumble
Show report.
Held each September at the National Motor Museum in Hampshire, Beaulieu has been running for more than 50 years and has established a deserved reputation for being the best place to find difficult-to-locate spares for classic cars. As a regular attendee since 1978, I’ve noticed an increasing number of spares for more modern vehicles being offered, usually at bargain prices. This trend seems to be partly due to components becoming obsolete more rapidly than ever before, especially now with many car-makers offering scrappage schemes for vehicles that are as recent as 2009 and some garages taking early decisions to ditch their stock of such parts.
At this year’s autojumble, I came across large numbers of new-old body panels for models dating up to the mid2000s, including Vauxhall Novas, Astras and Zafiras, as well as Ford Fiestas, Mondeos, Sierras and Transit vans. Often genuine manufacturer items, these panels were priced at far lower than typical dealer figures.
More importantly, I spotted electronic management system components invaluable in terms of diagnostic maintenance and repair, including unused ECUS, new sections of wiring looms and a variety of sensors.
Even more plentiful were workshop manuals and handbooks covering vehicles of all ages, but including many for vehicles produced between 1990 and 2006. Some of these books were aftermarket manuals, although many were official handbooks intended as dealer-only publications.
Mechanical parts for vehicles produced up to 2008 were on offer, too: engine components, clutches, steering racks, balljoints, driveshafts, brake cylinders, discs and friction pads, coil springs and shock absorbers. I also found some newold stock mirrors for Rovers and electrical parts for recent Vauxhall and Ford models.
In addition to spares, complete vehicles are offered for sale in the Automart area. While most of these are over 30 years old, there were also some modern classics on offer, which again seems to be an increasing trend.