Big dollar enthusiast car sales have been scarce of late on the Aussie market but no-one could complain about the variety on offer in July’s major auctions.
Topping the auction lists for late July was a Shelby Mustang sold by online site Collecting Cars, accompanied by a VL ‘Walkinshaw’ Group A offered by Trading Garage.
The Shelby, despite needing some cosmetic attention and being a right-hand drive conversion, still made a very respectable $220,000 while the VL Group A sold for $200,000.
These were followed by a clutch of cars all selling at or above $150,000, however the best price for a Heritage Plate was the $82,000 earned by QLD ‘747’.
High points amongst the cars were a stunning HK Monaro GTS 307 V8 at $169,500 and a scarce HSV W427 sedan which reached a lowish $152,000. Both were sold online by Collecting Cars and showed that quality rather than vehicle age is the major factor driving a sluggish market.
Collecting Cars confirmed that old Volkswagen Kombis in stunning condition will still generate spectacular money, recording a sale at $155,000 of a 1960 model Dual cab with later mechanicals and running on a set of polished Porsche rims.
Likely costing even more to build than the Kombi was an equally stunning 1937 Ford hot-rod at Burns & Co. As is the case with many modified Fords, this brand-new build was powered by a Chevrolet V8 and sold for $82,200.
Other cars crossing the live auction platforms also generated plenty of interest and sales across a wide price spectrum.
Near-perfect LX Torana SS among Aussie collectables at Burns & Co
Top money at Burns & Co’s July sale was the $155,000 made by a near-perfect LX Torana SS 4.2, closely followed by an equally good XB Falcon GT Hardtop which made $148,500.
Just trailing the pristine yellow GT was a two-door XA GT that despite its paint coming off in sheets was able to find a buyer with $140,000 to outlay.
Other Australian-made classics to achieve decent prices included a scarce XE Fairmont ESP 351 manual which cracked the $100K barrier at Burns, while a well-kept XB Falcon GT sedan sold for $62,200 at Lloyds and a similar car sold at Burns for $62,350.
One expected to make more but that ran out of steam at $89,000 was a scarce and excellent LC Torana XU-1 in the popular shade of Plum Dinger Purple. It was joined on the unsold list at Burns by an excellent HQ Monaro 308 coupe which passed in at $113,000, while a pair of R and S Series Valiants that had been no-sales in June did find owners at $28,500 and $30,000, respectively.
Heading Burns’ now customary list of early Holdens was a very famous FJ – a green 1955 sedan formerly owned by Peter Brian, aka Ol’ 55 lead singer Frankie J. Holden. Despite FJH’s personal endorsement, the car sold for a disappointing $32,600.
Back in black with a complete collection of BMW M3s at Lloyds in Qld
Lloyds Auctions in Queensland is also renowned for listing some excellent early Holdens but at its July sale there was just a single FE Utility which passed at $24,000. Lloyds did, however, re-home a spectacular HQ Premier V8 in eye-watering red at a top bid of $45,600.
A feature of the Lloyds’ sale was a complete collection of BMW M3s, all in black and offered on behalf of a single vendor. The list began with a desirable E30 version which was bid to $105,000 followed by E36 to E93s all at less than $30,000, an F80 at $60,500 and an as-new G80 at $127,000. None of the cars sold under the hammer but some should have achieved results by negotiation.
Donington’s ‘Timed Sale’ brings out the older Brit beauties
Pre-WW2 cars were featured in several of the month’s sales, with varied results. The biggest offering of early models came via Donington’s Timed Sale of Competition & Collector Cars which closed on 27 July and brought significant buyer interest with some encouraging prices.
Prettiest of the vintage-era offerings was a 1928 Lea-Francis Type O Special – locally bodied and with a fascinating history dating back over 80 years. The British beauty sold for a solid $68,000 before a stately Rolls-Royce Twenty (20hp and designed to be the brand’s ‘small car’ for the 1920s) and a nicely presented Vauxhall 20/60 Tourer were both bid to $55,000. Only the Vauxhall was sold. Cheaper but still attractive was the Austin Seven Special which managed almost $40,000.
The ‘star’ of Donington’s event – and the lot that delayed the auction’s conclusion by half an hour – was a significant but hideously rebodied Jaguar XK120. This very early car was originally clad in alloy panels by Jaguar, but subsequent owners had undertaken body modifications correctly described by Donington as ‘bizarre’. Someone also replaced the original XK motor with a later 4.2-litre power unit.
The remnants of this once significant Jaguar did still inspire spirited bidding that saw it sell eventually for $38,000.
How about entry-level classics from under $4k?
Those looking for an entry level classic could not have been disappointed by the variety of vehicles offered towards the end of July or some of the prices being paid.
Lloyds did well with some lower priced lots including a Bentley Turbo R that found a home at just $10,500, a decent looking Jaguar XJ8 at $3900 and a usable VE Valiant that made $5200.
Meanwhile, the highlight of Burns & Co’s under-$20,000 sales had to be a nicely restored Fiat 600D in resplendent red that seemed cheap at $19,200.
Collecting Cars closed off the month with some bargains of its own including a $35,000 Lotus Elan Coupe being sold from far-flung Tasmania and a Mercedes-Benz 380SL with optional hardtop that beat the reserve with a $33,250 bid.
Finally, just as the books were closing on 31 July, a Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph that had only recently arrived from the UK joined the Sold listings with a winning bid of $50,001.
Please note: All figures quoted are Hammer Prices in Australian Dollars (unless otherwise noted) and do not include any applicable Buyer Premium.
