The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show Sale is always busy and this year it didn’t disappoint, with the Brexit mayhem still dragging on did it put off buyers or is the market buoyant and bubbling along?
So let’s not hang around and get straight to it!
Lot 107. Subject to a recent cosmetic makeover, this 1978 Chevette (Main pic) looked rather nice. It has lived a cosseted life for the last few years tucked away in a Vauxhall Dealership. With two owners and just 21,000miles, not surprisingly it sold. £7,100
Lot 125. Don’t say we didn’t tell you XJS prices are rising. This very smart 1995
XJS in Sapphire Blue has had a good deal of money spent on it recently. It was snapped up for the bargain price of £17,000. Good car.
Lot 126. The early round-tail Alfa Spiders are an exceptionally attractive car. This 1967 model was part of a private collection in Cyprus. It was confirmed to have spent 17 years in storage, so the mileage of 34,000 could well be accurate. We thought there would be a feeding frenzy with the value surging north of £40K. What do we know!. The car didn’t sell, but at the time of writing it was still available through CCA for £27,000. Very tempting.
Lot 141. We all know Fast Fords are selling fast. We were more than a little excited to see a one owner 23,000m, 1984 XR2 come up in the catalogue. When we saw it had been in storage for 33 years, we became slightly over-excited. On the day though, it didn’t sell. We were amazed. At the time of this Review the car was still available through CCA.
Lot 151. This 1983 RS 1600i, looked lovely and outstandingly good value too. With less than 100 of these cars on British roads, there was no mucking about with this one. Sold very swiftly for £22,000.
Lot 171. A very nice tribute to the legendary 2002 Turbo racer. With a rebuilt engine, the body work in the right colour, the classic BMW racing stripes, it looked supper cool. The final price was a little cool in our opinion. Sold. £15,000. Cheap car.
Lot 183. Another quite remarkable car. Where do CCA find them! A 1976 5dr Golf LS. Almost spot on perfect in every respect, even down to the silver VIN decals on the rear panel. A terrific car with just 18,000 miles on the clock. Sold. £10,000. Now, that is a bargain, surely?
Lot 189. When BMW put an M in front of Model Number does it mean Mmmmmm….In the case of this 1988 M635 CSi we think so. That 3.5ltr, 6 cylinder, 300bhp, 24 valve engine alone makes us go, Mmmmm….Good ownership record, some time in storage this M635CSi was in wonderful condition. Sold. £24,000. We think M stands for marvellous, just sayin’.
Lot 217. A 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo SE. This car came out of a private collection with just 47,000 miles on the clock. We tipped these Porsches in our Top Five Cars to Buy in 2019. This one sold for a stonking £33,000. Two years ago, they were sub 15k. Don’t say we didn’t tell you.
Lot 224. We do love the BMW E30. What is not to love. This 1989 325 manual had a full Dealer Service History along with lots of other money spent. The biding was lively. But someone really, really wanted this car. They bagged it for a final price of £29,000.
Lot 227. An original Buff Log Book along with just 47,000 miles on that central dial made this very desirable early 60’s Mini’s even more so. Sold. £17,000.
Lot 250. Is the 340 Mk2 the one to have over the 3.8? We actually think so. This one had new paint, trim, carpets along with an invoice from Jaguar for a £15,000 engine rebuild. It made this 340 an even more desirable car. Sold. £23,000.
Lot 252. Being one of only 24 RHD cars produced, made this 1992 911 stand out a bit. It was also in great condition, had a very good file and £5,000 in invoices in the last few months. That all helped it sell in busy bidding. Sold £53,000.
Summary.
The Team at CCA always put on a good show with a great mix of cars. Holding it at the NEC Classic Car & Restoration Show helps too. Numbers for the show felt a bit down to us on previous years. There were, however, plenty of customers in the auction room. Many were a little tentative to start. Not unexpected in the current climate. At this auction we noted the market generally looked very strong at anything up about £20-25,000. Buyers got a bit more choosy up to around £50k mark, but good cars, in the right condition with the right history were still attracting huge attention the BMW 325 exemplified that perfectly.
Despite all the uncertainty caused by Brexit Baloney the classic car market looks very healthy.
