BIG DEALS ON WHEELS
Richard Hudson-Evans has been tracking the classic market since CCW’s very first issue 30 years ago. Here, he picks the classics that stood out at auction
From unlined village fete-type marquees pitched on grass to carpeted event complexes with air-con, collector auctions have evolved a very long way, even in the 30 years that CCW has been covering their results.
The old-style ‘drive-through’ car auction, where the classics on offer can reassuringly be seen, heard and smelled running, has become by far the best-attended format, with Anglia Car Auctions, South Western Vehicle Auctions and – more recently – Bonhams’ MPH sister brand all firing up cars during sales, and achieving strong sale rates in the process.
The increasingly global market, where bidders can take part from their laptops rather than heading to sales, has changed the market dramatically in 30 years, too. Even before the relatively recent online revolution, there had been a marked increase in the number of bidders opting to buy cars via the internet. This has become even more pronounced during the latest change forced upon the classic market – the coronavirus outbreak, which over the past month has left most auctioneers with no choice but to head online, with more traditional sales called off due to trading restrictions.
We’ve also seen prices fluctuate, from the weakening market that CCW was covering in its very first issue to the strengthening prices of the last five or so years, which is where so many of the UK and global prices at auction have been achieved.
What you see here aren’t necessarily all record prices, but they are the cars that prompted audible gasps at sales – the deals that wowed the experts.
ACA, King’s Lynn, November 2019. No Reserve
SOLD £84,900 The rise in interest in – and values of – fast Fords has been one of the most market-significant trends at auction during the last 20 years. Anglia Car Auctions 1988 Sierra Cosworth auctioned had only been driven 7349 miles by one owner before emerging from a domestic garage after 30 years to make £84,900 – a strong result for a no-reserve car, and shows just how healthy the appetite for performance blue oval classics is.