Offered by Brightwells | Online | December 7-10, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
The MG Midget was produced between 1961 and 1980, and it is a car I have become quite smitten with as of late (though, to be honest, I am much more smitten with its earlier Austin-Healey corporate cousin, the Sprite Mk III). That said, this is about as perfect a spec of a Midget as you can find.
The Mk III was produced between 1966 and 1974. Changes from earlier versions included a larger engine – a 1,275cc inline-four rated at 65 horsepower. It was updated during the course of the model run, and 1970 cars received black rocker panels and a recessed black grille. This car has body-color rockers and Minilite-style wheels. Both big improvements.
It also had an engine rebuild in the 1980s and has just 43,000 miles. Midgets are a great entry point into collector car ownership, and this pretty nice example should command between $6,600-$9,300. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Online | November 5, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
The BK was a heavy truck produced by Bedford for an eternity. It debuted in 1960, and the final versions rolled off the line in 1992, although the last Bedford-branded truck was built in 1986. Bedford was essentially the commercial vehicle arm of Vauxhall, which was a GM subsidiary since 1925. GM shed itself of Bedford‘s heavy-truck division in 1987, and the final BKs were badged “AWD”s until 1992.
What I like about this truck is the fact that, like all classic commercial vehicles, it has defied the odds and survived well past the end of its useful life. It’s a moving truck, and who saves a moving truck? The original owner, that’s who. Whoever was using this in the 1970s eventually placed it into storage and still owns it today.
Power is from a diesel inline-four. It’s probably excruciatingly slow, but speed isn’t the point. If you get it, you get it. And if you want to get it, it’ll probably run you between $7,750 and $10,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Online | November 2-5, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
Heron Plastics was based in London and got its start in 1960 building fiberglass shells for Austins. In 1962, they introduced their own car, the fiberglass-bodied Europa. It was sold for a few years, and the catalog estimates that only 12 were made.
It features a steel backbone chassis, independent suspension, and front disc brakes. Power is from a Ford inline-four, which was offered in 1.0- and 1.5-liter forms. No word on what this car has. The Europa was available as a kit or as a complete car.
Brightwells claims this is the only surviving example, though a quick Google search turns up at least one more car out there. Fun fact: this car was the inspiration for Monteverdi‘s MBM Tourismo. The pre-sale estimate on this Europa project is $10,000-$13,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Online | September 21, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
The creatively-named “Big Six” was Vauxhall’s big six-cylinder car that was offered between 1934 and 1940. The model was actually updated midway through its life cycle, and the second generation of the car went on sale in 1937.
The BX/BY, or first, series of the Big Six spawned a third variant: the long-wheelbase, coachbuilt BXL. This example carries a limousine body by the Grosvenor Carriage Company of London. Power is from a 3.2-liter inline-six that could push the large car to 72 mph.
Only 796 examples of the BXL were built, and this is one of nine known to still exist. It’s got suicide rear doors and a luxurious rear passenger compartment. The pre-sale estimate is $15,000-$18,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Before we dive back into February, we need to backtrack to Worldwide Auctioneers in Scottsdale. The top sale was this 1936 Auburn 852 SC Boattail Speedster for $880,000.
Artcurial also had a sale during Retromobile, and the big Mercedes and Alfa Romeos we featured both failed to sell. Top sale territory was cornered by Ferrari, and this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB sold for $2,753,831. The 126 C3 F1 car we featured brought $1,583,200.
The results of Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale included this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that brought $918,184, more than anything else in the sale. The Countach we featured failed to sell, and more results are available here.
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
And finally, for this round, we have Brightwells Leominster Classic & Vintage Cars sale. The TVR we featured failed to sell, and the overall top sale was this 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo for $109,611.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 4, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
TVR offered a range of sports cars in the 1990s as they moved away from their wedge-shaped vehicles of the 1980s. The Griffith was the first one introduced, in 1991, and the Chimaera came next, followed by the Cerbera.
The Chimaera was around from 1992 through 2003 and was only offered as a two-door convertible. They were all powered by Rover V8s of varying sizes. This is a 4.0-liter model that produced 240 horsepower when new. It was the least powerful Chimaera made. Top speed was 152 mph.
In all, about 6,000 examples were produced, making it one of the most popular TVR models ever built. The pre-sale estimate on this car is $12,000-$14,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | March 4, 2020
Photo – Brightwells
The Fordson tractor brand was manufactured by various entities of the Ford Motor Company between 1917 and 1964. It was under Ford of Britain’s purview for the last few decades, and in that time, they built a 1/2-ton commercial vehicle called the E83W. It was available as a delivery van, a pickup, and other light-duty body styles.
The truck was available from 1938 through 1957 in the U.K. and was also offered under the Thames commercial brand. It retained its pre-war styling and 10 horsepower, 1.2-liter inline-four for the duration of production. Top speed was about 40 mph.
This tiny pickup has been restored and is now offered with a pre-sale estimate of $9,000-$12,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
We’re starting in November with Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Show sale. This multi-day sale saw this 1965 Aston Martin DB5 bring the biggest bids. It sold for $799,889.
Photo – Silverstone Auctions
The Range Rover limo we featured sold for $42,903. Full results can be found here.
At Historics’ November sale, an AC Buckland we featured a few years back found a new home for $55,555. The overall top sale was $309,959 for this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman. More results are available here.
Photo – Historics at Brooklands
Next up is Brightwells’ Leominster Classic & Vintage sale. The top sale here was an interesting one. It’s a 2011 Morgan Plus Four SuperSports factory race car and the factory transporter, which is a late-80s/early-90s Ford-based RV. Oh, and the trailer. The whole package cost someone $69,861.
Finally, RM Sotheby’s held a sale in Abu Dhabi at the end of November. If you’re imagining a sale chock full of supercars, well, you’re right. In fact, the Pagani Zonda we featured ended up as the top sale at $6,812,500. Not far behind it was Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002 at $6,643,750. The other feature cars that crossed the million-dollar mark were the Zagato Raptor at $1,086,250, the Koenigsegg Agera at $1,356,250, the Ferrari 126 C2 at $2,143,750, and the Ferrari FXX-K at $4,281,250.
Other Lambo highlights include the “brand new” Diablo VT 6.0 SE that went for $525,000, as well as the Concept S, which failed to sell. Click here for complete results.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019
Photo – Brightwells
The Scimitar was a line of two-door sports cars produced by Reliant (and later, Middlebridge) between 1964 and 1990. The original car was designed by David Ogle and is quite attractive when equipped with wire wheels as we see here.
The first cars were produced in 1964 and early 1965 and were powered by a 120 horsepower, 2.6-liter Ford inline-six. Top speed was 117 mph. Later cars used a V6, and only 296 examples of the straight-six-powered Scimitar were built.
This one was recently repainted and looks good. Later cars favored a shooting brake body style, but this is a true coupe. It should bring between $6,500-$7,750. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | November 27, 2019
Photo – Brightwells
Commer was a commercial vehicle manufacturer that existed between 1905 and 1979. The company was bought by Humber in 1926, which in turn was acquired by the Rootes Group in 1931. Fast forward to 1967, and Commer was now part of Chrysler UK.
They produced heavy trucks, military vehicles, and some light commercial vehicles, including the FC van, which was introduced in 1960. In 1967, the FC was renamed the PB. It would last through 1976 when it became the Dodge SpaceVan, a model that remained on sale in the UK through 1983.
This van started life as a light commercial van. It’s powered by a replacement 1.7-liter inline-four and was converted by a previous owner into a campervan. It should sell for between $7,700-$10,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
