A 'delighted' auctioneer Gilbertson left the rostrum after over three-and-a-half hours of taking 'good, strong bidding' in Bonhams' winter auction at Harrogate, North Yorkshire. There was good reason to be delighted as the auction of cars had achieved an excellent conversion rate of 85% resulting in nearly ￡670,000 of sales.
The expected start of the show was a 1954 Bentley R-Type Special Roadster from the late Alan Archer collection.

A one-off roadster specially built in 1994 by a local engineering company; it had started life as a R-type saloon. As part of the conversion, the chassis was shorted by 9” and a high quality, unique roadster body fitted. Bidding for this credible one-off creation was strong from the outset.  The upper estimate of ￡45,000 was quickly exceeded and the car sold for ￡67,500 by which time the crowd had broken out in applause.

An unexpected star of the show and one which set the prices spiralling upwards from virtually the start was a 1963 Toyota Land Crusier.  Originally registered to The Rover Car Company, the vehicle as sold was fresh from over 500 hours of detailed restoration work.  The hammer eventually fell at ￡16,675 double its expected price. Interestingly, the two Willys Jeeps also listed didn’t sell, although neither of them was as present and correct as their Japanese upstart. 

Other notable highlights which exceeded expectations were a 1936 Riley 12/4 Lynx four-seater Sports Tourer.  This looked smart but was in need of work, however it would have made a great trials vehicle if a concours restoration is not your thing. The vehicle benefited from having had just one owner for the past 39 years and sold for ￡22,425.

Value aspect of the sale has to go the private collection of eight Jaguar/Daimler XJ6 saloons ranging from late series 3 models to late XJ40s.  All were in excellent condition and prices started from just ￡1150 for either XJ6 models representing a stylish and affordable route into classic motoring