They are still out there!

[Mick Hobday]

The auctioneer started the bidding with a commission bid of £6000, quickly followed by other interested bidders up to about £8000 when two bidders in the room eventually took it to £9500.  Add on the dreaded buyer's premium of 18%, plus VAT on the premium (i.e. a total add-on of 21.6%) means that the buyer paid £11552.

[Nick Salmon]

Thanks Mick. Rather thought it would get to that sort of level.

[Ian M]

Rather thought it would get to that sort of level.

Indeed. Price-wise, it seems that oily rag is the new fully restored!

[Tony Griffiths]

It's difficult to say what merits the car had to attain that sort of price - for adding £8000 (?) for a largely DIY rebuild to fully functional and roadworthy condition and that's a considerable expenditure for which one could buy - at recently-advertised prices - from a number of very fine, professionally-restored examples. Still, the appeal was obviously there, and the two bidders happy to bid it up. You pays ya' money - and takes ya' choice.

[Ian Williams]

I think at long last people are realising that originality can never be replaced and the woefully over restored show dog is starting to have had its day. I would not like to comment on how original this particular Chummy is, I feel from the pictures that it was probably an older restoration, however it maybe still had enough to warrant the attention two bidders decided to give it. Sometimes people want a car where they do not have to undo previous restoration attempts and are willing to pay for that privilege, times change and each to their own.

[Tony Betts]

Hi IAN,

I attended, I don't think it was all down to an oily rag over polish.

The winning bidder stood 12 foot to my side, he looked ok at £7.5k but at £8.5k and £9.5k his face changed knowing he was over its value.

But do you loose it for a bid? £500 at a time, or should I say just over £600 inc fees. He didn't.

I think a lot of the interest was his friends felt it was original paint, it wasn't. And that it was a local car.

The main thing with this perchase is that the new owner looks around or under 40 year old. And has made a step into the seven world.

You all keep saying there are not enough young people coming into the hobby.

So welcome him in.

Tony.

[Tony Griffiths]

"I think a lot of the interest was his friends felt it was original paint, it wasn't."
Which leads one to wonder, if a car like that was extracted from a 92-year-old hiding place in moth-eaten but otherwise absolutely original order (and complete of course with the now compulsory "auction dust"), just what it might make? 30K, anyone?

[Ian Williams]

Yes Tony if a totally original and unadulterated car were discovered I would think it would be so unique the sky would be the limit as far as price were concerned, the more difficult question is how you would then conserve such a car. They are in reality so few and far between these days that it is not a question many of us will actually need to deal with.

[Mike Costigan]

The auctioneer published photos of the car in the 1970s when it was then a clearly newly-restored and very shiny example; this car was definitely not an oil-rag original.