CLASSIC SALES SHIFTED TO BEAT LOCKDOWN
Auction houses want you to continue viewing cars for sale so they’ve put sales back in a bid to avoid being hit by the latest restrictions
‘ We’re passionate about holding sales that can be enjoyed safely at the venue.’ MARK PERKINS, HISTORICS
Classic auctioneers have responded to the latest England-wide lockdown by re-scheduling sales to avoid the ever-tighter restrictions.
The month-long restrictions prevents classics being sold at auctions in their a ‘ live’ format – with would-be owners bidding in person at the venue – so auctioneers have responded by either conducting sales online or pushing them back to December.
One of the first auctions to be called off was Barons’ Autumn Classic sale, due to be held at Sandown Park yesterday (10 November); it will now focus on its December sale instead.
Auction manager, Tim Gascoigne, told Classic Car Weekly: ‘Following on from the announcement made by the government at the weekend regarding a country-wide lockdown, we have made the decision to cancel the Autumn Classic auction.
‘The next sale is now on Tuesday 15 December at Sandown Park Racecourse, and we are expecting to be able to hold a live auction with buyers in attendance, with social distancing measures in place for safety and to comply with regulations. ‘Almost all of the consignments from the Autumn Classic sale have now been entered into the next auction on 15 December.’
Historics – which has focused on making sure that its 2020 outings include in-person bidding wherever safely possible – has moved its 27-28 November sale to 11-12 December. H&H Classics has also confirmed that its sale in Buxton has been postponed to 9 December.
Historics’ founder and Managing Director, Mark Perkins, said: ‘ We are passionate about holding sales that can be enjoyed in person at the venue and, once again, we will ensure that we are fully in line with prevailing legislation.
‘On behalf of all the Historics team, I offer our very sincere apologies to everyone for any inconvenience that may have been caused as a result of changing the auction dates. Equally, we are hugely appreciative of the understanding and ongoing support from our vendors who have entered consignments to the sales.’
Other auctioneers have retained their online-only format, including Anglia Car Auctions, which held its latest two-day sale online, and Silverstone Auctions, which is proceeding with an online-only format for its latest sale this week.
Brightwells, which has used its experience with online auctions to keep its classic car sales going throughout the pandemic, said that it had learned from the first UK lockdown earlier in the year and had brought in measures designed to keep buyers safe.
It said in a statement from its board of directors: ‘Our sites all fall under the lockdown rules for England and we will wait for the Government to set in law the rules for operating. In the initial information that has been released, we can still operate the way we are, with us providing auctions and professional services through a “click and collect” format.
‘Social distancing is imperative, but you will be able to deliver lots to our sales and collect your purchases, from what we are told.’