Auctions Commentary from CCFS Market Analyst Richard Hudson-Evans
Yet another ‘Barn Find’ E Type, this time an S3 V12 Roadster manual in right-hand drive from one family ownership since 1976, that had not been driven for more than 15 years, clearly appealed to one investor. For the successful bidder was prepared to invest £61,050 - £20,000 more than the CCA pre-sale estimate - to secure what will be a major and costly Jaguar restoration project. By the end of the Saturday afternoon session at the Warwickshire Event Centre, such was the enthusiasm of shoppers that they snapped up 111 or 74% of the 150 classics in the pocket-sized catalogue for a cool £1.44m.
One of the highest fliers was an ex-Japan Lancia Delta Integrale, an Evo 2 on steroids with winged roof, a pair of Recaro buckets and ‘WRC’ registration, which made £40,150, top estimate money. A 1968 Jensen Interceptor Mk1 had returned from a nine year sentence in Belgium, where it had been subjected to a claimed to have been sympathetic restoration, achieved £29,920, the lower estimate figure, and a manual-shift 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 Gullwing flapped away for £25,300. After being put into storage with 8284 miles on the clock in 1995, an untouched for 21 years therefore and UK-spec 1978 Datsun 260Z came to market here to pick-up £24,750.
Bavarian BMWs pulled well with a forecast £48,400 forthcoming for a Birds of Iver left to right-hand drive converted 1988 E30 M3 Evo 2, number 276 of 500 produced and one of only 50 destined for UK-consumption, and £41,250, just over the guide, paid for a 1991 E30 M3 113,000 mile ‘original’. A 2002 Z3 M Japanese import left hooker with S54 M-Sport motor from the 446 M3 found a forecast £23,650 and a 1999 M3 Evo Imola GT2 Special Edition with £10,000 worth of bills sold for £20,350, just over the guide. A 1973 E9 3.0 CS lefty with non-functioning manual box made £18,920, while £7920 was exchanged for an lhd 1971 2002ii with round-lights, even with the stigma of having been a Category D Total Loser in 1990.
Highest priced Porsche to cross the block was a driven 92,000 miles by two owners since 1996 911 993 Carrera with Turbo-tail spoiler on BBS alloys sold for £28,600. Top Merc meanwhile was a £19,360 2006 SL500, reportedly driven a mere 4800 miles from new by two owners. A 1964 Ginetta G4R with factory hardtop, eligible for many major historic events and only recently rebuilt, raised a racey £34,100, and a 35 years stored 1946 MG TC with Stage 3 mods, the subject of a photo-recorded rebuild ten years ago, fetched £35,750. In a much younger classic car world, much of the older kit can me much harder to shift to a 1980s and newer audience, and yet a 1934 Singer Nine Le Mans did find a new owner here with £18,920 to spend.
Persuading the bath-starved to ‘Shower Electric’ in 1977, an ex-Southern Electricity Leyland Mini Van collected £12,230 and a 1962 Austin-badged Mini Pick-Up on most unlikely Minilites, fitted with 998cc engine and Cooper S discs, picked up £8800. A ‘No Reserve’ 1972 Alfa Romeo GT Junior project that had recently migrated from South Africa ‘sold strictly as seen’ for £6050.
Not too many over-printed pounds meanwhile were required to own several already collectible Japanese cars from the recent past - £6880 securing a one fast lady from new in 2003 Suburu Impreza WRX STI, £5060 a 255bhp 1995 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 Japanese import, £2310 a Mitsubishi GTO Coupe that has been UK resident since 2003, and £1210 a 1994 Toyota Celica GT 16v Twin Cam.
A home grown 1957 Land Rover S1 with new MOT landed for £8470 could have been put to work as was or transformed into a Chelsea Tractor for several times the purchase price. Whereas a £5060 Morris Minor ‘Woody’ of 1966 vintage that had returned to the old country from sun-bleached Cyprus last year was much more Miss Marple? Lots of movement in Warwickshire, where all tastes and budgets were well catered for, and an average of £12,993 was spent per classic bought.