A 1958 Jaguar XK150S 3.4 Roadster topped the results at Brightwells’ 13 July classic car sale in Leominster. Still looking very smart after a restoration in the early 1990s but fitted with a replacement 3.8-litre engine, the Jaguar made a within estimate ￡78,100 including premium.

Other Jaguars that sold well included a recently restored 1961 E-Type S1 3.8 ‘flat floor’ Roadster that made ￡58,300 while a left-hand drive 1971 S2 Roadster fetched ￡35,200. A well-patinated 1947 1.5-litre Saloon fetched ￡18,700 despite having the smallest engine ever offered by Jaguar, while a 1965 E-Type S1 2+2 Coupe also did well to fetch ￡19,800, some ￡5,000 more than expected.

A beautifully restored 1970 Porsche 911S 2.2 Coupe fetched a healthy ￡56,500 while a similar looking 1972 Porsche 911T 2.4 but with Sportomatic transmission made ￡14,850 – illustrating the gulf that has opened up between top spec S models and their more lowly brethren. Much admired during the viewing were a pair of rare Daimler Conquest Century convertibles, one a 1957 Drophead that made ￡22,000 and the other a unique factory-supplied automatic 1955 Roadster that made ￡27,500.

Rileys always seem to do well at Brightwells and a well-patinated but basically sound 1950 Riley RMC did not disappoint, sailing well beyond its estimate to finish on ￡16,940. One of the most beautifully presented cars in the sale was a highly unusual 1927 Star 14/40 Doctor’s Coupe, a Wolverhampton-made machine that had recently been rescued from a derelict state and fetched a well deserved ￡18,150 – undoubtedly less than the restoration costs lavished upon it but still a good result for such an obscure make.

And talking of obscure makes, an extremely rare 1948 Invicta Black Prince Drophead, one of only 16 such cars ever made, also attracted much interest. Fitted with a gorgeous-looking Meadows 3-litre twin cam engine and bristling with technical innovations such as a 24-volt electrical system and a Brockhouse Hydro-Kinetic Turbo-Transmitter automatic gearbox, this unfinished restoration almost doubled its pre-sale estimate and was finally knocked down to a French buyer for ￡22,000 after a protracted bidding war in the room.   

By the end of the day 59 vehicles had found new homes (54% of the 110 entry) in a sale which grossed almost ￡650,000.

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