Real world classics defy slump
PC Resto Show auction sees growth in demand
The market for everyday classics continues to flourish following a successful sale at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show. Crowds gathered at the NEC to watch bidders snapping up numerous examples of Minis, at the Classic Car Auctions (CCA) event.
Biggest shock of the weekend came when the hammer came down on a garage find 1970 Mini 1275 GT with just 11,836 miles. The one owner car sold for an astonishing £39,100 – the guide price having been set at £10-12,000. Meanwhile, our 1974 Reliant ‘Rebel with a Cause’ sold for a very pleasing £5k, with every penny of it going to NHS charities.
The modern classics market continues to see growth, too. An example of Ford’s Racing Puma sold for £14,625 and a 1989
Fiat Panda 4x4 with just 23,000 miles went for almost £8000. As expected, the hot Eighties classics were performing as well as ever at the CCA auction, with one buyer snapping up a 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 for £47,250, while a 1983 special edition Campaign version of the Golf GTI sold for almost £20,000.
The more traditional big sellers also continued to break records and exceed estimates. Bidders bagged a 15,000-mile Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II for £39,950, a 1970 Ferrari 365 for
£121,900 and Chris Rea’s old Land Rover Series I for just over £17,250.
It’s a similar story elsewhere, with everyday classics selling for strong money at the likes of Mathewsons and at the recent Duxford H&H Classics auction, where a 15,000-mile Triumph Stag sold for £31,000 – many thousands more than its estimate.