Since I tweet about most of the auctions I attend, I thought maybe it would be a good idea for me to post a few of the cars I found interesting ahead of the auction itself. I went and viewed the auction at King’s Lynn earlier this week, just before lockdown. Given that they’d crammed a week’s worth of viewings into a couple of days, there were a lot less people present than I expected. There also seemed to be less cars in the sale that I’m used to seeing at ACA, as they really do pack out their space as much as they can.
As usual there is a huge variety of cars on offer this weekend, with everything from project cars to those in great condition, from affordable to much more expensive, and from pre-war cars to near modern day cars too. It is probably the only auction with such range that I’ve seen in the UK. When their sales are live it can be an interesting day out and usually there is something to take your fancy.
Below is a walk around video of the auction, and then a list of a few of the cars that caught my eye.
The first car in the auction that really caught my eye was this rather nice Mercedes CL, which has covered 106,000 miles and is being sold without the private reg pictured. It has had a respray at some point reasonably recently, though there are a couple of stone chips on the bonnet. It is a 5.0 V8 model which is, for me, the one to go for if you can’t find a V12 model. The interior looked clean and the car presented well at face value, though I didn’t get a chance to inspect the paperwork. I was surprised to see that this only had a guide of £2,500 – £3,500. Out of all the affordable cars at the auction, this was probably my favourite.
This Citroen CX 25 GTi was at ACA’s previous auction, and I believe it is owned by DD Classics, along with a couple of other cars. Given the last CX GTi that ACA sold took a couple of auctions to sell at a reduced price, was a manual (this is an auto), and was in better shape (but perhaps a less desirable colour), I’d be surprised to see this car sell in guide. I really want to like it, but some small details such as paint runs around the sun roof and other areas, and the auto gearbox really put me off. Guided at £11,000 – £12,000
I love a Lancia, and this isn’t the only one that I’ve decided to pick on this list. This Beta HPE Volumex perhaps isn’t the first thing most people think of when considering a classic car, but personally I think it has a great deal to offer. This particular car has lived in Italy, Germany and Belgium before being imported to the UK in 2018. It then underwent £3,300 worth of work, including all four chassis legs being replaced, the cam and supercharger belts being replaced, alloys refurbished and the dash instruments being overhauled. The guide is £7,500-£9,500, which doesn’t sound like a bad deal when you considering you’re getting a four seat, supercharged Italian classic.
It isn’t very often that an Audi 100 Coupe comes up for sale, and in this auction there are no less than three! They’re all projects, and I’ve selected the most solid. The bodywork looks to have mostly been completed. I couldn’t see an engine anywhere, but the auto gearbox is inside the car. The other cars are in rougher condition but possibly more complete, and one of them is a manual. It may turn out that one buyer buys at least two of them to try and make one complete car, but it would be a shame if they didn’t all make it back onto the road. They’re all no reserve, and I’m curious to see how well they do.
I’m a fan of Jaguar’s XJ – they’re just fantastic cars. I’ve never owned an XJ Coupe but certainly can appreciate them. This is a 4.2 auto in decidedly poor condition, though it apparently runs and drives with very bad brakes. I’d hope to buy it below the guide of £4,000-£6,000 if I were bidding, and prepare myself for spending a lot of money trying to fix rust issues. I’d also be very tempted to fit a V12, and a manual gearbox, and convert the styling to that of a Series 1 car (which Jaguar never built). Could be a fun project, but more likely to be a painful one.
This 1968 Fiat 124 is another bargain Italian classic, which offers a clean aesthetic and no scene tax, with a guide of just £3,750-£4,750. Maybe it isn’t the quickest, most dramatic or most exciting classic on offer this weekend, but I thought it was rather sweet, and looked in good condition considering the low asking price.
Since I’ve covered a few of the more affordable classics in ACA’s sale this weekend, I thought it only fair to include this utterly gorgeous Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, which has been owned by one family since new. I really do love the shape of these, and who can resist the idea of a Ferrari V12 engine mated to a manual gearbox? It has covered less than 500 miles in the last fourteen years under the ownership of the original owner’s daughter – so what it really needs is using and enjoying as every classic car deserves. Guided at £78,000 – £100,000.
I can’t help it, I’m just drawn to an Esprit. There are two in this auction, but I’ve chosen the one that doesn’t run and which needs a little TLC. This is a 1989 Esprit which has been in dry storage since 2009. It was last MOT’d in 2008 with 2,670 miles on the clock, but sadly that mileage isn’t warranted. No attempt has been made to start the car, so it is being sold as a non runner. Guided at £8,000 – £10,000, this could potentially be a steal, or a real headache.
A car that is instantly recognisable for both good and bad reasons, Aston Martin’s Lagonda is still a striking shape today. This is another car that was at ACA’s last sale, but didn’t sell for reasons unknown. I can’t imagine there is a huge market for these, even in LHD, but perhaps this is one of the most affordable examples on the market today, with a guide of just £27,000 – £35,000.
This cute little 1925 Austin Seven Chummy is one of the very oldest cars in the auction, and is in lovely condition, having been restored. Probably best suited for pottering down to the shops for a Sunday paper rather than grand touring, this little Austin is most likely rewarding and characterful to drive. Guided at £8,000-£10,000 it seems reasonably priced. One of my favourite things was the badging on the back notifying other road users of the four wheel braking system fitting to this car, meaning that it had superior braking power compared to other cars in period, some of which would have only had brakes on one axle.
Finally, this little Lancia Delta HF Turbo, which is guided from £5,250 – £6,250. This was one of my most favourite cars in the auction, presenting smartly and in good condition throughout. An original RHD UK car which was registered new in Glasgow, this little Lancia has an odometer reading of 60,225 and had the cam belt and tensioner replaced in February 2019.
