THE WEEK IN DEALS
RICHARD BARNETT’S WEEK OF LOOKING AT THE MARKET
THURSDAY
H&H has posted results from its Duxford sale and most cars sold went within estimate, but one notable exception was a 1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that sold for £24,000 – a long way beyond its £17,000 upper estimate. Why? Because it was one of three models painted Peninsula Green and shown at that year’s British Motor Show. It had history, too, H&H said, and it looked the part. Remember, there are plenty of Shadows out there but buying a cheap one is a good way of ultimately spending a lot – this was, while dearer than many Shadows, a far safer bet.
SATURDAY
Fair play to Bonhams for its SpeedWeek sale, which did a good job of mimicking its traditional Revival offering. The choice was top-class and one lot that truly fired me up was a 1936 Railton Eight drophead. I’ve been a great fan of these cars for many years – the mix of British bodywork clothing American running gear produced a rapid car of generous proportions – one that at the time upset many of the British car manufacturing old guard. As when new, today they represent great value for money.
THE BIG STORY
emand for classics is still buoyant despite the rise in coronavirus cases and introduction of tighter restrictions in part of the UK, a specialist in onlineonly auctions has said this week.
The Market, in Oxfordshire, has reported an 84 per cent sale rate and a total sale value of £1.34m and says that there is steady demand for classics regardless of age or price. The results reflect similar performances from Historics, which recorded a 79 per cent sale
Drate at its September sale, which incorporated in-person bidding at Ascot Racecourse, and Brightwells, which kept its online-only format for its 24 September sale and found new owners for 80 per cent of its classics.
Director, Tristan Judge, said: ‘September continued what has been a very good year and with the good results we’ve achieved I’d like to be doing more – we’ve already seen a step change from last year.
‘The only time we have too many cars is when we cannot deliver the service we currently offer.’
Notable results for The Market include a UK record for an MGC, when it sold a 1968 roadster for £31,251 ( CCW, 23 September), £83,500 for a restored 1970 Jaguar E-type roadster S2 and £103,000 for a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL. Buyers can also view lots before the sale at its Abingdon base.
Tristan added that while prices for some classics were holding up better than others, and that there had been more cars on a no-reserve basis, the demand for classics had remained consistent during the summer months.
He told Classic Car Weekly: ‘It was clear through summer that Mercedes-Benz 500E values were going up and it’s noticeable that recently all Alfa Romeo SZs have sold. At the same time, however, many cars from the 1950s and 1960s are sagging.
‘Some say that the under£20,000 and above-£100,000 segments are struggling, but you can theorise as much as you like. When it comes to no-reserves the caveat is having faith in bidders achieving a fair price for every car.’
themarket.co.uk
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