As has been widely reported, the market for classic cars has been undergoing a period of adjustment lately with widespread corrections across the board. While there is still a strong market for the post-1990 sportscars and supercars, the majority of the older cars have dropped in value from the high point of c.2017. Nevertheless, there is still lively trade going on and demand is still high for the right cars at the right price.
Of the 87 lots on offer in the Brightwells June sale, 57 were successfully sold for a total of £591,799 giving a clearance rate of 66% with hundreds of bidders from all across the UK plus a few from France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and America.
Top seller of the day was a really nice and useable 1969 Jaguar E-Type S2 Roadster which fetched £50,400. A pair of E-Type Series 3 V12 Coupes also found new homes, a 1973 manual in blue making £28,000 while a 1971 manual in dark green made £22,400, both cars being in need of some TLC to bring them up to scratch.
A freshly restored 1958 MGA Twin-Cam Roadster that had been imported from America and converted to RHD looked like a solid buy at £33,000. The same could be said of a driver quality 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 BN4 with slightly dulled paintwork which fetched a respectable £28,112.
The MG T-Series cars are always popular and used to fetch around £15k - £18k a few years back but the two on offer reflected the changed market conditions for cars of this era. A nicely presented 1956 MG TF fetched £10,360 while a slightly less sharp 1953 MG TD made a whisker under £9,500.
A rare and pretty 1954 Jowett Jupiter Mk1a was hammered away for £19,770 while a really smart-looking 1959 Mercedes-Benz 220S Ponton comfortably flew beyond its £10k reserve to finish on £15,190.
Moving forward to the Seventies, a nicely presented 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider S2 looked like a wonderful summer runabout for £19,770. Reflecting the demand for Japanese cars of this era, a really smart 1976 Toyota Celica ST Coupe had no trouble fetching £15,120 and will no doubt be considered well-bought in the future. The same could be said of a rare 1988 Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre with an Irmscher bodykit and various tasty upgrades which made £10,590. A really super 1972 VW Beetle which had been restored by Tuthill Porsche in the 1990s looked a great buy at £7,420.
A rare 1990 BMW 318is E30 in need of some cosmetic TLC but with only 75k miles on the clock fetched £9,750 while a really super 1988 Porsche 944 Lux Automatic with only 55k miles thoroughly deserved the £8,400 hammer price. Morgans seem pretty much immune to the whims of fashion and a 2017 Morgan 4/4 with only 25k miles on the clock was snapped up for £23,800.
Pre-war cars are always well represented at Brightwells and while values have dropped a bit lately, there is still a healthy market for them. Six of the 11 on offer were sold, top price going to a lovely 1935 Ford Model 48 Coupe which made £31,920. Next best was a really interesting 1932 MG J2 which had been raced in Germany in the 1990s and fetched £20,160. A smart 1930 Ford Model A Phaeton had no trouble fetching £11,300 while one of the most interesting cars in the sale, an extremely rare 1915 Grant Model TT Tourer struggled to hit its £15k reserve but was nonetheless sold for £10,775. This seemed a real bargain but rarity is a double-edged sword and finding parts for this type of car would be a challenge, no doubt accounting for the subdued bidding.
The next Brightwells Classic Vehicle auction will be on 25th June with a closing date for entries of 13th June so if you are thinking of selling, please get in touch by calling 01568 611122 or by emailing classiccars@brightwells.com.
