matthewsons

[Lance Sheldrick]

I think it's probably best that I don't watch this video.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I received several messages about it last night and came to very same conclusion Lance. I have no interest in it whatsoever.

I suspect it is done to whip up a frenzy get everyone talking about the business.

[Tony Betts]

hi R.

perhaps you should watch, as a car nut. some things on the program can be interesting.

ive watched the program from its start.

and ive attended there auctions in the past.

he is not a good auctioneer, and definatly definatly not as funny on the podium as he thinks he is. (never was).

i think his problem is his own stoopidity, and lack of knowledge of something he doesnt own his self.

as an auctioneer he should be selling the positives of a car, not slagging it down.  and turning people away.

he done a simular thing on the program last year, with a pre war jowett i think it was.

stateing people dont want these slow old cars anymore.

matthewsons have a large private collection of cars, mainly post war cars. so in his ignorance as a very very POOR auctioneer, the program shows what he is lacking. thinking they are showing how wonderful matthewsons are.

if it dont to wip up interest in the auction house, i definatly wouldnt entre a pre war car in there auction after watching that.

tony.

[Steve Jones]

 ................i definatly wouldnt entre a pre war car in there auction after watching that.

And there you hit the nail on the head, Tony. As I said in the Mulliner thread, Derek Mathewson is very experienced and knows exactly what he's doing. He doesn't want what he sees as our run of the mill pre-war cars in his auction because the don't appeal to his core market. He therefore talks them down at every opportunity in the hope that people take them somewhere else. If he does it on the TV programme, all the better from his point of view because it gets his message over to a bigger audience and anyway, a bit of sensationalism never does any harm from a publicity point of view.

Like you, I disagree with his views on our cars absolutely but he's in the business of selling cars and he does that in a way that he sees as successful. However much we might not like it, he's built a very profitable business around doing things his way.

In the case of Sevens, he's only, really, saying what Bunny Tubbs said all those years ago in the Austin Seven 'Profile' and we survived that

Steve

[JonE]

aw, cummon - you can't say that and then NOT post a scan... or at least tell us which mag its in?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

See here Jon: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Austin-Seven-...1ca7a1fc9b

It's not a big publication.

[Steve Jones]

See the conclusion on the attached scan of the last page of text.

   

Steve

[Mike Costigan]

As so often happens, people's opinions of a particular car are coloured by poorly-maintained examples. In this case clearly the Seven is superior to most other cars, since it continued to give good service regardless of the lack of maintenance. It reminds me of Derek Fearnley's account of his Ruby, bought to provide daily transport whilst his Frazer Nash received a much-needed overhaul. Once the 'Nash was back on the road, Derek decided the Seven had given such good service that he would treat it to a thorough service. If I recall correctly, he found sixteen faults, any one of which would have brought the 'Nash to a standstill, but the Seven had kept going regardless.

[Steve Jones]

You're right, of course, Mike. However, my opinions on the Excalibur and the Armstrong Siddeley/Jaguar thing with the Bentley radiator on last night's programme has nothing to do with their standard of maintenance

It takes all sorts though and, as long as somebody loves them, who are any of us to criticise. I do know where my allegiances lie though


Steve

[Steve kay]

Annual changes to Austin Sevens in the family. Does this mean that Bunny and his brothers were a bit like John and Richard Bolster. A different project each winter, one year a single seater for Shelsley, or an Ulster retro with blower for Donnington, maybe a trials Seven one year. And then the time when a gypsy lady fortune teller predicted that far in the future a thing called the LCES would be invented, so that winter they hastily assembled a genuine pram hood Chummy.