Classic Car Mart May 2021

Welcome… MANAGING EXPECTATIONS Over the years I’ve heard some hilarious anecdotes from classic car dealers, many of them illustrating the massive gulf between the romantic vision of summer driving in a classic sports car and the grim reality of cold mornings and 1970s-vintage demisting technology. In fact on one of my first assignments for CCM I was forced to retreat to an embarrassed distance while a customer berated a well-respected trader for the ‘funny noise’ a newly purchased Morris 1000 was making. A noise which it transpired was the fuel pump doing exactly what it should but illustrated that the customer expected modern standards from a 50-year old car. I experienced it first-hand this month when attempting to clear some garage space by shifting some of those surplus mowers we…

Over the years I’ve heard some hilarious anecdotes from classic car dealers, many of them illustrating the massive gulf between the romantic vision of summer driving in a classic sports car and the grim reality of cold mornings and 1970s-vintage demisting technology. In fact on one of my first assignments for CCM I was forced to retreat to an embarrassed distance while a customer berated a well-respected trader for the ‘funny noise’ a newly purchased Morris 1000 was making. A noise which it transpired was the fuel pump doing exactly what it should but illustrated that the customer expected modern standards from a 50-year old car. I experienced it first-hand this month when attempting to clear some garage space by shifting some of those surplus mowers we all seem to collect (or…

The market for 1980s and 1990s cars seems to be enjoying a significant purple patch, with nostalgia, changing fashions and increased media coverage all potential factors in fuelling a substantial rise in demand and values. While exceptional classics are always likely to do well regardless of era, anyone with a keen eye on the market will have noticed strong prices for good modern classics in recent times, with dealers quickly selling their stock and scores of eye-watering prices achieved at auction. Indeed, the most recent update to the UK Hagerty Price Guide shows that over the last 12 months, the average price across over 40,000 values monitored has dropped by 3.8 per cent, or £8961 per car. However, cars first sold in the ’80s and ’90s appear to be substantially bucking…

PLUGS&LEADS SPRING SPARKS ’80s BOOM The market for 1980s and 1990s cars seems to be enjoying a significant purple patch, with nostalgia, changing fashions and increased media coverage all potential factors in fuelling a substantial rise in demand and values. While exceptional classics are always likely to do well regardless of era, anyone with a keen eye on the market will have noticed strong prices for good modern classics in recent times, with dealers quickly selling their stock and scores of eye-watering prices achieved at auction. Indeed, the most recent update to the UK Hagerty Price Guide shows that over the last 12 months, the average price across over 40,000 values monitored has dropped by 3.8 per cent, or £8961 per car. However, cars first sold in the ’80s and…

NEW BRISTOLS SET FOR RELEASE IN 2022 The reborn Bristol Cars company looks to have revealed prices for its ‘remastered’ 2022 models, with fully electric versions of the 411 and Fighter set to be available alongside Chrysler V8-powered variants. Following its liquidation last year, Essex-based property developer and Bristol enthusiast Jason Wharton completed the purchase of the intellectual property rights needed to begin making improved versions of existing Bristol designs, along with equipment such as chassis jigs and body parts. He plans to launch updated versions of the 411 four-seater and Fighter two-seater during 2022, and has placed adverts for each model, both priced at £295,000 plus VAT. The listings claim eight new Bristol 411 Series 8 cars and eight Bristol Fighters will be built, with prototypes available for test…

The reborn Bristol Cars company looks to have revealed prices for its ‘remastered’ 2022 models, with fully electric versions of the 411 and Fighter set to be available alongside Chrysler V8-powered variants. Following its liquidation last year, Essex-based property developer and Bristol enthusiast Jason Wharton completed the purchase of the intellectual property rights needed to begin making improved versions of existing Bristol designs, along with equipment such as chassis jigs and body parts. He plans to launch updated versions of the 411 four-seater and Fighter two-seater during 2022, and has placed adverts for each model, both priced at £295,000 plus VAT. The listings claim eight new Bristol 411 Series 8 cars and eight Bristol Fighters will be built, with prototypes available for test drives in Q3 of 2021 The Bristol 411 Series 8R…