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Royal Horticultural Halls
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London showmen Coys of Kensington held court at their traditional
Royal Horticultural Halls venue in Westminster, a spacious building
which despite the logistical difficulties (every car has to be
winched in using an old Range Rover) is always popular with bidders.
Fewer cars reflect the late 1980s hype more than the Aston
Martin Zagato Volante, built at a time when even car manufacturers
tried to cash in on the grey market to jump waiting lists for
limited production models (Aston Chairman Victor Gauntlett just
doubled the price of the car!). Once changing hands for well over
£200,000, Coys' example set a new low for the model at a
paltry £40,000 - a lot of car for the money if you don't
mind the Knight Rider era styling!
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The Vintage Bentley market seems to be as unflappable as most
of the owners, and the £135,000 paid for a
Van den Plas bodied 4 1/2 shows that values for these most
traditional English sports cars are not really going anywhere.
Post-war Bentleys, unless they are very special indeed, don't
seem to have really risen in value compared to 20 years ago, and
the
S1 Continental Saloon at £14,000 is a downright give-away
even if the new owner decides to sell it for parts.
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Talking of Ferraris, Coys had a lovely 365
Boxer (the original model with the funky six exhausts and
tail lights) in a great period hue of marrone metalizzato. Another
bargain at £28,000, but every time I say so they just get
cheaper. Can you believe this car was worth over £200,000
in 1989…
And back to the subject of replicas, why would anyone want the
distinction of driving around in a
fibreglass Ferrari 'wannabe' model famous by cinematographic
truant Ferris Buller? OK, I will admit to liking the film at the
time, but even teenagers move on and no one seemed willing to
pay the £30,000 - 40,000 sought for this. Overall not a
bad sale, but there were few highlights and so no great surprises
- a solid 'bread and butter' sale.
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1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe
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A couple of weeks later provincial auctioneers Barons staged
a 'Jaguar only' sale, perhaps encouraged by Coys perceived success
with this formula, but with just 10 cars sold out of the 33 on
offer this sale could hardly be described as a runaway success.
Top lot was the XK140 Drophead which raised a healthy £48,000
whilst a dubious XJS which had undergone the can-opener cabriolet
treatment by Lynx staggered to £4,500 before the hammer
came down. A brave try by Barons but arguably they should look
for another niche.
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1997 Ferrari 456 GTA Coupe
Photo Shannons Auctions
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"Down Under" on 27th October Australian auctioneers
Shannons offered a diverse catalogue and achieved an impressive
sale rate. Top lot was a smart looking Ferrari 456 GTA, just the
thing for those high-speed desert commutes at Aus. $220,000, followed
by an Aston Martin DB7 Volante at Aus. $189,000. It is worth noting
that Australia has stratospheric import tax on cars which discourage
anyone in their right mind from importing a new vehicle, and only
right-hand drive cars can be registered unless the model qualifies
as a classic. This makes for a very insular market and although
Australia has some fantastic collections, only the most important
cars tend to make the trip backwards and forwards between Australia
and Europe or America.
Elsewhere in the market place we have seen continued activity
at the top end with another Ferrari 250 GTO changing hands, this
time for $7+ million although the car no longer has its original
engine. Perhaps more remarkable was the $1.45 million paid for
a 1960 Ferrari 250GT SWB Competizione Berlinetta in completely
dismantled condition, and the $1.8+ million paid by the young
man who just missed the other SWB a few days earlier (thankfully
this one is not in kit form). A good Ferrari Tour de France (although
with the wrong engine) has also just been sold in the $800,000
- 900,000 range and a covered-headlamp, matching-numbers Tour
de France changed hands for around $1.0 million in a private European
sale. Back in the States, a very attractive PF Coupé bodied
410 Superamerica has left its reclusive long-term owner for well
in excess of $3 million, a new high for the model which shows
how these ultra exclusive luxury Ferraris are enjoying a resurgence
amongst collectors.
No real change in the marketplace, therefore. People are looking
for quality and are willing to pay for it, and although the middle
market (and of course the modern car market) may be suffering
from the non-existent bonuses which most City boys will be expecting
this Christmas, the top and bottom of the market are still in
good health and prices across the board are firm.
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