TWO KINDS OF MONEY

The old-money gentility of Bonhams’ Beaulieu Autojumble sale went head-to-head with the cash-flaunting Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace. And in many ways a greater classic sale contrast you wouldn’t find, each targeting the punters attending not only the auction but the event at which it was being held.

Standing in the Bonhams’ marquee you’d have the feeling many there weren’t averse to lifting a spanner, and most would probably have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the motor car – traits that might not have been quite so likely with those at Blenheim Palace, where the looks of a car surely took precedence over engineering.

That’s a reflection of the way the market has changed, and continues to, and in both cases the auctioneers did first-class jobs in recognising their audiences.

Whether the old guard likes it or not, the classic scene is one that will never stop evolving. That no doubt means more people with perhaps more money, but less old-car knowledge and less DIY inclinations, getting involved.

‘In both cases the auctioneers recognised their audiences’