Leftfield and loads of value CAR 1950 Armstrong Siddeley 18hp Hurricane SOLD £10,000 ORIGINAL ESTIMATE £10,000-12,000, H&H Classics, 21 October

Why this off-radar gem represented an auction steal

These are off most buyers’ radar.

Absolutely, but that means they can represent great value for money – it’s just the same with the bigger Sapphire and Star Sapphire models, which at the time were regarded as having better build quality than anything coming out of Crewe. The market of course reflects the classic movement’s taste and, while some post-war British cars (think earliest Morris Minors, Jaguar XK120s and Land Rovers) are popular, cars like this, as well as same-era Lea-Francis models simply aren’t. Being off the radar means better value for the more enquiring buyer.

This one had the better engine – and a great back story.

With a sensible-enough £10,000-12,000 estimate, this Hurricane had the larger capacity ‘18hp’ 2.3-litre inline six with pre-selector gearbox. It was believed to have been sold new in Lancashire and had been owned by the vendor for 50 years, its purchase leading to the creation of a large private collection.

The condition was good – albeit with a few caveats.

The older, dark blue re-paint has lasted pretty well, had a reasonable gleam and gave the car a decent air of dignity. The limited amount of brightwork had some tarnishing but rectifying wouldn’t have been bank-breaking. The large doors lined up well. Under the bonnet all was tidy and respectable. Seats, carpet and door cards (in a similar dark blue) were also good, while the wooden dashboard left room for improvement. A downside was the large hood, which would need replacing sooner rather than later as it had deteriorated badly on the inside – but externally it still presented well.

By going for the leftfield option, the bidder got better value.

The beauty of a slightly left-field buy is not only is the owner not following the crowd, but they might have scored a better-value buy too. That was the case here – there are few other ration book-era upmarket cars that offer the presence, sheer build quality and lowkey air this model does, and those that do would cost appreciably more.

In all, well bought.