Well Bought

One lucky buyer read the market perfectly in bagging this Renault 30, which is rarer than most Ferraris

Renault 30 TS

Its rarity alone had potential bidders hooked.

The 30 didn’t sell in big numbers in the UK; it may have been a comfortable, rapid and spacious cruiser, but buyers just didn’t get it. Swift depreciation didn’t help its case either, nor did its (for the time) horrendous parts prices. This car was described in the catalogue as being ‘one of a handful still in existence’.

Brightwells’ car had the right story behind it, too...

This example – which Brightwells sold on 4 September – had just two owners from new, the first being a dealer, and after 1989 it went into storage until the vendor bought it in 2014. Over some time it had been re-commissioned with work including a brakes overhaul and refurbishing the wheels as well as giving the mechanicals a check over. The body was in very good order – thanks in no small part to having covered just 39,000 miles from new and spending many years in storage. There was also no sign of corrosion, something that afflicted these cars all too often. The inside was equally good, showing very little sign of wear or neglect – a serious plus because finding any replacement trim could prove to be extremely difficult.

...but it’s not something that has a very wide appeal.

Newcomers to the classic scene could (almost) be forgiven for not knowing what a Renault 30 is. In much the same way that this Gallic cruiser failed to capture buyers’ imagination when it was new – and you can blame the likes of the Ford Granada and Rover SD1 for that – it also has a limited following with classic buyers today. As a result there aren’t as many bidders competing for good examples as there would be for comparable British and German classics from the same era. That played a big part in this example, for all its history and good condition, going for more than a grand below its lower estimate.

It’ll be a long time before you find another like it.

Any big 1970s executive or luxury saloon that’s covered few miles and remains remarkably original will always attract attention, but interest tends to climb dramatically when it’s a model as rare as this. The possibilities of any others coming along in the near future are frankly remote at best, so this was an opportunity to be seized. In all, it was a superb buy, bagged at a pretty much giveaway price.