16 March, 2017
On Saturday 4 March, it was a full house at the first Historics at Brooklands’ auction of 2017. And that full house bought a whole lot of classic cars… over £2.9 million worth to be precise.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights of the sale, and the story of how one Jaguar miraculously returned to its original family.
Highlights of the sale
There were a lot of strong performances at the auction, with a number of the 132 cars for sale hitting their estimates, as the show notched an impressive 81% sales ratio.
Some of the cars that hit their estimate included a 1969 Morris Mini ‘Woody’ (£14,560), a 1963 Ford Lotus Cortina (£47,600) and a 1965 Morris Mini Cooper 970 S (£56,000).
But a few cars went above and beyond their estimates:
• An unrestored 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster sold for £145,000 (with an estimate of £90,000-110,000)
• A 1954 Triumph TR2 sold for £40,040 (with an estimate of £24,000-28,000)
• A 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL sold for £58,240 (with an estimate of £33,000-38,000)
• A 1997 Jordan F1 Fisichella with no engine or gear box sold for £94,040 (with an estimate of £20,000-24,000)
But one car, and one story, stands out above the rest; a 1948 Jaguar Mk.IV 3.5L saloon…
A Jaguar comes back home
At the auction, the 1948 Jaguar Mk.IV 3.5L saloon had an estimate of £55,000-65,000, and ended up selling for £69,440.
While this doesn’t seem out of the ordinary, the story behind this sale is a fantastic one.
The car was first owned by Arthur Whittaker, the Deputy Chairman of Jaguar Cars, but hasn’t been owned by the Whittaker family in 67 years. Until now.
Whittaker’s 4 granddaughters – Lucy, Sally, Sarah and Charlotte – saw the car for sale just a fortnight before the auction, and they just had to bring the Jaguar back to its original family. So they went to the auction and out-bid their rivals to bring the Jaguar back home.
Historics at Brooklands was a fantastic auction, full of incredible cars and even better stories. The next Historics Sale is taking place on Saturday 20 May, you can find out more on the Historics website.
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