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Bond Bug makes record £29,160 at ACA, where 750 registered to bid on one platform and 93% of 171 cars sell for £1.7m

Apart from the mega price paid for the 1973 Bug that has been stored for 42 years until 2019, when totally restored, only 700 miles ago, other noteworthy valuations recorded at the Norfolk firm’s first 27 & 28 February ‘Drive Through’ weekend of the locked down New Year, included a 1974 Jensen Interceptor III driven a warranted 25,000 miles by one owner sold for £73,440.
After several days of socially-distanced trade appointments had been accommodated, the highest priced Fast Ford to sell on-line and telephone behind closed doors in King’s Lynn this time was an upgraded to 300bhp 1986 Sierra RS Cosworth with 69,000 recorded mileage sold on the internet for £59,400.
Right behind the 3-Door though was a 1962 Jaguar E Type S1 Roadster stalled project. In many bits and without seats and glass, the former US resident had been guided at £40,000-50,000, but was taken on for £56,700.
A 37,870 mile 1998 Land Rover V8 that had celebrated the 50th Anniversary in Japan, from where it had been repatriated in 2019, fetched a way over £25,000 top estimate to sell to one i-bidder for £38,880. A 2003 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante with 50,797 warranted mileage was bought for £32,400.
A No Reserve 1981 Ford Fiesta 1.3 Supersport Mk1 with 81,000 recorded mileage had been extensively restored with Recaro seats in 2011 and cost the next owner £24,840 in 2021. Driven 106,000 miles since 1987, a Capri 280 Brooklands Mk3 with 3.2 motor made £18,900, more than top estimate.
After many years inactivity, a well presented 1953 Bentley R Type was sold to one telephone bidder for a more than estimated £25,830 and a 2010-2017 stored 1990 Porsche 944 S2 Turbo sold to another for £23,220.
Much shown and diligently preserved, a 1972 Lancia 2000 Sedan had served an ex-Ghandi movie cameraman well before selling to the fourth owner on a Sunday in Norfolk for a more than double top estimate £21,840.
Restored in 2015 and 2016, and better than when it was new in 1981, a Monte Carlo S2 Spider from the same Fiat-owned marque had somehow survived the Comecon sourced steel rot that ravaged so many of its siblings to warrant a £20,790 result. A 1975 Alfa Romeo GT 1600 Junior in recent receipt of renewed sills and floor pans meanwhile made a double top estimate £20,250.  
A shining 1973 Morris Mini Moke had been shipped from Australia in 1982, since when it had changed hands nine times before doing the same here via a phone for £18,630, £3630 more than forecast. A high-spec BMW Mini John Cooper Works, which had been driven only 6490 miles since new in 2004, sold in front of a YouTube audience for £14,850, more than £6500 over top estimate.
The oldest cars to cross the block were a good looking 1930 Riley Nine Special sold to a telephone bidder for a within estimate band £23,760,  a 1932 Wolseley Hornet Special with Jarvis body for a below forecast £21,600 and an executors entered 1930 MG M Type which had to be pushed past the cameras, but still realised £17,550.
There were buyers, too, for the remains of all three 1957-1960 Heinkel-Trojan Microcars, which were bravely swept up for £2970, £2214 and £1010. A No Reserve Sinclair C5 trike with charger and weather gear sold under the hammer for £863.
Whereas the newest lot to cross the block with only 2864 mileage, a 2004 Subaru Forester being thinned from a collection was keenly contested until sold to an internet salegoer for £14,040, £6000 more than the guide.    
By Saturday lunchtime, 1357 were viewing Day One of the Drive Through webcast from Norfolk on YouTube, which inspired much absentee e-comment from as far away as Thailand to Melbourne in OZ, from Lhasa to Germany.
One Irish Republic punter complained via his keyboard that Brexit bureaucracy was impeding his former access to being able to buy UK classics at auction. Others cheerily contributed comment from “Sunny Clacton and Blackpool” as well as Hartlepool, which a YouTuber proclaimed was “The Caribbean of the North”.
100% of the preceding automobilia sold out both days. A Beckmeter Mobiloil Shot Delivery Petrol Pump was acquired for £1,121 and a Wayne Skeleton Petrol Pump for £920. A strictly ‘decorative’ Penny Farthing’ style bike was wheeled away for £1380. Being 246cm long x 100cm high, a ‘Duckhams 20-50 Lubrication Service’ sign in aluminium really was particularly large for £604. £4590 was required to retain the ‘RRX 6’ reg.
In summary, Day One saw 74 cars, 91% of the 81 offered sell for £523,342 including 8% premium and only 7 unsold. Halfway through the Day Two session, 2016 YouTubers were goggling 84 or 93% cars sell for £1,170,204 with premium and only 6 failing to sell.
Anglia Car Auctions season-opening weekend stats therefore amounted to 158 cars or 93% sold for a premium-inclusive £1,693,546, an average of £10,719 being spent per classic bought, and just 13 cars or 7.6% unsold.
More of the same, with viewings by trade-only appointments and a bespoke preview-video service before sale days held behind closed doors, but in front of high quality cameras, will again take place over slightly rescheduled 1/2 May and 26/27 June weekends.
By when, and with a great deal of luck, some Government restrictions may have been lifted and our pent-up demand released, so that the maturer boys and girls may be permitted to have days out at the races or auctions. RH-E

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