Sensational Spring Motoring

Spring motoring doesn’t get more special than hitting the roads and lanes in a top down classic car.

And at our next sale at Athelhampton House on March 8^th we are ready to lift the lid on some real open top opportunities.

With prices of Morris Minor convertibles going through the roof, one of the lots in the sale is a 1959 Morris Minor that has been skilfully converted to now wear a maroon drop top in place of the metal original, contrasting beautifully with the Old English White paintwork and looking very appealing with its £6,000 to £8,000 guide price.

Triumph Stag is another name synonymous with English summers, and present at the sale will be a 1976 example (£8,000 to £10,000) with the much-desired manual with overdrive gearbox for gently cruising down country lanes listening to the warbling V8 engine for which the car is famous.

Another Triumph in the sale is a TR6 two seater sports car (£20,000 to £22,000), again with an open top and plenty of fuel-injected muscle from its straight six. The car has been subject to a meticulous rebuild by a retired engineer. A meticulous rebuild is also a feature of another star in the sale, a 1964 Volvo 121 Amazon (£16,000 to £18,000) only ever owned by a family of Volvo mechanics and being offered on the open market for the first time ready to resume its multi-show winning career.

Three products from the Crewe Rolls-Royce and Bentley factory are in the sale, a 1998 Bentley Arnage Red Label (£18,000 to £20,000) which launched that year at the famous Le Mans track, a 1969 Shadow 1 (£7,000 to £9,000) and a 1983 Silver Spirit (£6,000 to £8,000) and any of these three would be superb ways to arrive at an evening picnic!

Other British classics present at the auction will include a 34,250 mile 2001 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage coupe (£25,000 to £30,000); a 54,000 mile 1966 Ford Anglia Super (£8,000 to £10,000); a 40,600 mile 2001 Jaguar S Type 3.0 auto £2,500 to £3,500); a rally-prepared 1958 Riley 1.5 (£7,500 to £9,500) complete with FIA registration and Halda Speed Pilot; a 1995 Rover Mini Mayfair-Cooper Evocation (£3,500-£4,500); and a 61,666 mile Lotus Elise Sport 135 (£15,000 to £17,000), a rare factory-assembled car that’s the fourth of just 34 in the second production run.

A brace of MGs – a 1969 MGC GT (£22,000 to £24,000) and a 1952 TD open two seater (£19,000 to £22,000) have both been fully restored are ready for plenty of active life. Among a trio of Mercedes-Benz are an early 90s E Class saloon (guide tbc) and two open cars, a very affordable 2005 SLK350 auto (£6,500 to £8,000) and a 1985 380SL with a detachable hardtop (£8,000-£10,000).

A 1994 Honda Legend Coupe (£3,000-£4,000) is a reminder of the Japanese maker’s big contribution to British motoring, both through its efforts to rescue Rover and its current high output of cars for export from its Swindon plant. Appealing to classic car enthusiasts just starting out is a 1983 Audi 80GL saloon (£1,000-£2,000), a tough little motor but maybe not quite as capable in the school of hard knocks as the 1966 Land Rover 109” hard top (£7,000-£8,500) which has been subject to a recent refurbishment.

A plum choice for commercial vehicle enthusiasts is the 1955 Commer long wheelbase express delivery van (£11,000-£12,500) which spent much of its life in a museum collection but which now makes a fantastic mobile billboard for a modern business or even a unique summer show entrant.

A 1928 Delage Sports four seater special (£15,000-£17,000) promises real excitement and for even more of that there’s a brace of Royal Enfield motorcycles, a 1966 Continental GT 250cc (£,4,500-£5,000) and a 2014 Continental GT 535cc (£3,500-£4,500).

This auction offers a good and varied mix that will appeal to a wide range of buyers. Every lot is eye-catching and some are now very rare. But every one is also usable, perfect for summer fun whether that’s trips out or entering the many shows across the country, where some of these cars have already displayed their pedigree.

The sale is at Athelhampton House, near Dorchester, on Thursday March 8^th, with bidding for the cars and motorcycles starting at 2 p.m. following on from a superb selection of automobilia from three collections, with viewing the previous afternoon and on sale day.