‘It isn’t doom and gloom out there’
The market might have softened a little of late, but Brightwells’ May sale still looks set to be a big one
‘History really is so important to today’s buyer’
How did the last Bicester sale perform overall?
You only have to look at the figures to see that the market has softened a little. We had the usual huge crowd and fi elded our usual eclectic group of cars, which sold well, although prices were a little behind expectations. As usual, it was the one-offs fresh to the market that did the best – history really is so important to today’s buyer. It is, as always, simply a combination of supply and demand and the more readily available cars have probably suffered a bit, but it is certainly not doom and gloom out there.
Looking ahead, what’s interesting in the May Leominster sale?
At the time of writing, our May catalogue is still coming together – nicely. We expect to have well over 160 lots by the time the catalogue goes to the printers and there is so much tempting our team already.
It is very hard to know where to start, but we love the AC Greyhound (£40,000-50,000) – in gorgeous condition and a fraction of the price of an Aceca, let alone an Ace. Big budget stuff maybe, but better than money in the bank these days, the original and delightful Mercedes 190SL at £85,000-95,000 is estimated at the same level that we were selling basket cases a year ago. Harrington Alpines have never been two-a-penny, and our freshly-restored example is one of just 20 built, and 12 known to remain. Matching everything – it deserves to reach its estimate of £30,000-35,000. Try finding one and restoring it to this standard for less.
A 13,000-mile Morgan Plus 8, complete with Sprintex supercharger, is on offer for nearly half the price of a new factory 1600 and the no-reserve Cortina and Granada estates will no doubt create huge interest.
Are cars being bought by people in the room or via the internet?
Internet sales continue to grow gradually, but our buyers certainly like the excitement, smell and feel of a good sale and the crowds that attend ours prove that. It is essential that both elements are covered to do the job properly, with about 20-30 percent selling online, I guess.
Are any makes and models seeing increased popularity this year?
Hard to say – it is so dependent on condition, but we have seen some cracking prices on nice Rootes products, which is great. Lancias too. But in general, business continues much as it was, with a little of the froth knocked off the top.