H&H Classics on the rise again at Duxford Sale

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Auction house H&H Classics in Warrington, Cheshire (UK) is definitely on the up again. On 4 March a world record price of £ 161,000 was achieved for a pre-production Honda CB750 at the National Motorcycle Museum Sale and last Wednesday, the 21st of March, the IWM Duxford spring car sale was closed off with a £ 3 million (3,4 million euro) turnover and more than 70% of all 150 lots sold. As insiders know, H&H Classics, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is also a specialist auction house regarding pre-war cars, and there were some excellent examples on offer at Duxford.

Of course there was the odd Rolls-Royce, like a handsome and elegantly small 20hp Coupé built in 1929 and formerly owned by the 4th Baron Rathdonnell (£ 40,500), and an unrestored 1928 20hp Limousine that was sold for £ 23,625. The gentry however – or better: royalty – would have been more appropriately served by the large Daimler 20hp TW20 Landaulette. This 1914 car was restored during 1995 and won ‘Best Car’ award at the Daimler Centenary Rally a year later. In 1987 it was featured in the film ‘Maurice’. The Daimler was sold for £ 42,000 (48,000 euros).

Real bidding wars emerged when a small collection of six cars from an American diplomat living in Paris came under the hammer at no reserve. Four of these cars – of which two pre-war – were in perfectly restored condition, on the verge of being over-restored. But the bidders knew what they were aiming for. Starting point was a 1951 Nash-Rambler, not very interesting and in need of recommissioning, which only made £ 8,500. The second car, a unique 1946 Nash P1 Pickup Prototype in excellent condition, made more than £ 21,000. The two pre-war cars, a 1913 Rambler Model 83 Cross Country Tourer and a unique 1924 LaFayette Model 134 Coupe, both stunning and looking almost factory-new, crossed the block for £ 40,000 and £ 45,000 respectively. According to the vendor he had spent almost 200,000 dollars at acquiring and refurbishing the LaFayette.

A 1948 Diamond T Pickup that was restored back to factory specification fetched £ 30,000 but the highlight of this collection was a 1951 alu-bodied Nash-Healey Roadster of which only 104 had been made and only 20 are known to survive. The unrestored (!) Nash-Healey was sold for £ 81,000.

Other noteworthy pre-war cars in the sale were a 1933 Singer Kaye Don Coupé De Luxe (£ 38,250), a 1932 Invicta 12/45 Saloon (not sold, estimate £35-40,000), a 1921 Wolseley Ten ‘200-Mile’ Race Evocation (£ 24,500, way below the £ 40-50,000 estimate) and a 1934 Aston Martin 1.5 Litre 12/50 Long Chassis Tourer (not sold, estimate £ 80-95,000).

Despite the pre-war Aston not selling, its post-war successor, a Silver Birch DB6 from 1966 that had been in one ownership since 1972 and had less than 81,000 recorded miles became top seller of the H&H Classics Duxford sale achieving £ 230,625.

Rolls-Royce 20hp Coupé & Daimler220hp TW20 Landaulette

Rambler Model 83 Cross Country Tourer & LaFayette Model 134 Coupé

For more results click here.

1 GBP = 1,14 euros

Words by Martin van der Zeeuw.

Plaats een reactie, stel een vraag, geef uw mening, deel aanvullende informatie of start een discussie door de onderstaande velden in te vullen