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'Crime pays' for classic cars
THE remarkable results of a recent car auction would appear to indicate that sometimes crime does pay. An Austin Healey is a desirable classic car, but would not normally fetch almost £26,000 these days. However, when it comes to collectors' items the so-called provenance can be of paramount importance and in this case it was the fact that the car used to belong to a gentleman by the name of Bruce Reynolds. He was one of the infamous Great Train Robbers and, bizarrely, this makes the Healey worth more than it would otherwise be. British bidders lost out to an un-named European buyer, who is believed to be Russian, when the car fetched £25,800.The Healey was one of 70 classics that came under the hammer at this month's H&H Auction at Buxton, which indicated that interest in classic cars and associated memorabilia is on the rise. Prices fluctuate wildly over the decades with people making and losing fortunes according to the strength of the market, which seems to be currently high. A prototype 1953 Healey 100 Turin Show car made £38,700 while a 1937 Frazer Nash single-seater fetched £150,500 and the 1971 Ford Escort driven by Hannu Mikkola in the Safari Rally of the same year sold for £40,850. A Penny Farthing bicycle dating back to 1870 realised more than double its estimate at £914 and a 1908 Rex motorcycle with sidecar sold for £18,275. A Mercury & Pegasus mascot by Rossi of Eastbourne fetched £1,183 and a programme for the 1938 Donnington Grand Prix raised £1,075. The next sale will be at Buxton on December 7-8. Details from www.classic-auctions.com. Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-11-05 |
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