Autumn 2018 Results

The demand for affordable modern classic cars was very much the driver behind the successful bids at the Dorset Vintage and Classic Auctions autumn 2018 sale.

In a bustling marquee at Athelhampton House on September 13, it was the fast sale of an Allegro Vanden Plas for £3,660 that gave a clue about what was to come.

“It became apparent during the event that the cars most buyers could associate with their childhood and early motoring years’ aspirations were the ones that were going to perform,” said DVCA director Brian.

Top seller on the day was a 1973 Triumph TR6 at £15,400 that had undergone a major body-off restoration between 1987 and 1990. As that restoration was finishing, a Rover Mini Cooper now bearing the appropriate registration H15 MYN was just taking to the road that saw it converging with the Triumph in the Athelhampton marquee and selling for £12,650.

A 1991 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 sold at the same price, reflecting the enthusiasm for what have, until now, been regarded as lesser fast Fords but which are now accelerating in terms of buyer affections as iconic Cosworth and Escort RS models reach stratospheric prices beyond the reach of everyday enthusiasts.

Many of the family cars from the 50s have been eaten into oblivion by tin worm so the 1957 Vauxhall Cresta E Series saloon at the sale drew many admiring glances in addition to a final sale price of £8,800. Part of General Motors, Vauxhall’s designs always carried heavy American influence from makes like Buick, the marque that was the foundation of “the General”. By the early 60s, the heavy curves of the Vauxhall had given way to the straighter lines of the Buick Electra 225 Convertible that found a new owner at Athelhampton for £7,700.

Jaguar’s XJ is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this autumn and both examples of the model in the sale found new custodians. A highly desirable 1998 XJR V8 automatic with only 40,800 miles behind it achieved £5,280 while a 1985 Series III V12 saloon, considered the best of the original generation XJs thanks to its silky engine, went for £3,500 reflecting its scope for cosmetic improvement.

MG B cars, whether roadsters or the highly-practical GT closed model, have commanded an enthusiastic following for decades. The two examples for sale at the DVCA event both sold well, a 1974 roadster with the much-coveted manual gearbox with overdrive selling for £5,390 and an unusually-specced 1971 GT with an automatic gearbox almost drawing level at £5,060.

Workaday classics still have their devotees, with the result that a 1968 Morris Minor 6cwt pick-up with canvas tilt that had, until arriving at Athelhampton, spent its entire life on the Isle of Wight, sold for £9,000.

While motorbikes have only half the number of wheels compared with cars, they draw equally large crowds. As a result, all the motorcycles offered by DVCA at Athelhampton went home with new owners, even the unique Caterham mini motorcycle, thought to be the only Caterham two wheeler in the world. It was built by the Motorsport team at Oulton Park as a display piece and although fitted with a working engine has never been ridden. It sold for £240, more than twice its estimate, to someone who presumably has a large mantelpiece for this automotive trophy!

BSA bikes have always earned a gold star from bikers, so it was hardly surprising that keen bidding resulted in £9,350 being paid for a 1969 Lightning Road Rocket Café Racer Special almost entirely designed by ex-speedway racer John Darrell, who devoted 600 hours to the project.

A 1957 BSA Road Rocket achieved £5,500 after undergoing a complete rebuilt that was said to have incurred a bill of more than £2,000 for the triple chrome plated petrol tank alone. Many riders gained their first two wheel experience on a BSA Bantam, quite possibly as telegram boys. As a result, the 1966 Bantam D7 175 cc machine in the sale made £1,980, almost double its £1,000 lower estimate.

Those who like to take to two wheels off-road were drawn to a brace of Spanish Montesa machines. A 1978 348 Trail bike sold for £880 while its sibling 1979 Cota 349 found a new owner for £594.

The next DVCA sale is at Athelhampton House on November 29^th, 2018.