Editorial

How many times do you see a phrase like ‘subject of a recent £50,000 restoration’, or similar - on a car for sale at £25,000? Like, don’t people have an idea what a restoration is likely to cost, and offset it against the car’s future value? Or is the love affair with a classic such an all-consuming passion that, as if in an affair of the heart, common sense goes out of the window? Well think on this, I talked to a dealer friend this week, and we discussed a move away by a proportion of the well-heeled car enthusiasts from the older cars that need restoration and loving attention, to turn-key modern models. “You see,” he said, “writing out the maintenance cheques hurts in the wallet immediately. They don’t realise the classic will be holding its price pretty well, perhaps even rise, and that the modern motor, that has been maintained at pretty steep main agent rates from new, may have dropped 50% in value after 3 years.”

He’s right. Take a £110,000 new car, 3 years old that may have lost, let’s be generous, £40,000. Ok, 3 year’s servicing, tyres etc, say £2,500 a year. That’s £47,500 in all. In 2000 £110,000 would probably have bought you a very good Ferrari 250GT Lusso, one that had the proverbial ‘open chequebook’ thrown at it in the 1980s. And no doubt it would have cost a few bob over
the years so you might have spent £6,000 keeping it on the road, so you are £116,000 down. Look at the Classic Driver database, a pretty definitive marker, and we find a superb example for sale in Germany – at £164,000. Which ironically is a £48,000 profit on the old car against a near enough identical loss for the youngster.

Yes, I know this is all a bit ‘if and maybe’, and what about the poor old chap with his big bills and nothing to show for it. And you could not drive a ‘Lusso very day, ‘I spent £6,000 having the wipers changed on my Aston’ etc, etc. Well the point is if you do try and make the right decision, owning one of the ‘greats’ from Aston, Bentley or Ferrari can be surprisingly light on the wallet.

Just think about how much Aston DB4GTs and Bentley R-Type Continentals were a few years ago – like in 2000.

Final word – do have a look at our article on the International Classic Motorshow at the NEC this November – there are free tickets up for grabs in an easy to enter competition.

Steve Wakefield Managing Editor sw@classicdriver.com

THIS WEEK IN CLASSIC DRIVER

Team Maranello Concessionaires - Oschersleben, Germany 2nd & 3rd in class

Like so many this year, this weekend marked the first visit of TMC to the modern Oschersleben circuit near Magdeburg, Germany. Therefore, to secure second and third in class is an excellent achievement for such a young team, the company was formed less than two years ago and 2003 marks the team’s first attempt at the FIA N/GT title...

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The GOSH Charity Driving Challenge launches in London's Trafalgar Square

Motoring presenters, Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson, were joined by Shannon Drury (aged five), a car fanatic and patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to launch the GOSH Charity Driving Challenge on Tuesday, 16 September, in Trafalgar Square. The presenters arrived in a red 1966 Jaguar MK2 MOD from the Classic Car Club to launch the event...

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The International Classic Motor Show - NEC, Birmingham UK 2003

The International Classic Motor Show takes place on November 8th and 9th 2003 at the NEC, Birmingham, England. This show, the largest and most successful indoor event dedicated to classic motoring in the UK, has become widely regarded as the "grand finale" to the UK classic season...

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International Classic Motor Show - Win free pairs of tickets!

With the International Classic Motor Show taking place at Birmingham's NEC on November 8th/9th 2003, Classic Driver and the organisers are pleased to offer a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show to the first 10 readers answering the following question correctly...

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Morgan announces Limited Edition Aero 8 GT Coupé

Aero Racing, makers of the two Morgan Aero 8s currently enjoying stunning success in the British GT Cup Class Championship, has joined forces with Morgan Motor Company to launch a special limited edition Aero 8 GT Coupé. Just 15 numbered cars will be hand built at Morgan’s Malvern works to a unique specification, offering the chance to own a unique and stunning driving machine that will immediately become a collector’s item...

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New look Alfa 166 for October 2003

After enjoying its world premiere at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, the New Alfa 166 will go on sale from October. The flagship, created at the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, expresses harmony of form and content while combining the elegance of a great saloon with the sports traits of a coupé...

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Coys at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London SW1 Oct 2nd 2003 - Preview

Coys have assembled nearly 50 car lots at their next London sale. Following a full selection of automobilia, toys and models, the cars include a 1952 Allard J2X Historic Competition Car at £75,000 – 85,000, an ex-Scuderia Centro Sud F1 Cooper-Maserati T51, £110,000 – 130,000 and a rare RHD 1975 Alfa Romeo Montreal for £5,000 – 7,000...

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Bonhams at Beaulieu Autojumble 13th Sept 2003 - Review and results

Bonhams must be pleased with the high level of lots sold at their recent Beaulieu Autojumble Sale. Only 10 of the 58 car or motorcycle lots did not sell and two of the highlighted cars, the 1957 Aston DB2/4 and the Brighton Run-eligible 1896 Whitney Two-Cylinder Steam Runabout, both sold well, the latter for £42,200 including premium...

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PREMIUM OFFERS

Bentley S1 Continental Fastback

automatic

Bentley Continental S 1 Fastback coachbuilt by H J Mulliner. Automatic gearbox. One of 118 cars made of which 21 were left hand drive. Now only 102 believed left in existence. This example is one of the first made and is fitted with the Continental Trials car body number 5840. As Elton John says "the most beautiful car in the world". The subject of a considerable amount of restoration over the past 9 months. Has all new chromework including window frames and four brand new chrome wheeltrims. Complete woodwork restored. New dark blue lambswool over-rugs and new grey West of England cloth headlining just fitted. Major steering overhaul. The car has just had a bare metal repaint in midnight blue with red handpainted coachlines. The car has a stainless steel exhaust and a new set of tyres. The underneath is very solid. The engine was rebuilt in 2003. The second picture was taken in the Paddock of the Nurburgring at the June 2003 24 Hour Saloon Car Race where it attracted a great deal of admiration. RESERVED

colour Midnight blue
interior colour Light/blue grey
drive RHD
type Coupe
year 1956
Cassis No. BC60AF
country United Kingdom

price P.O.R.


Vendor:
Peter Byrne

Phone: + 44 (0) 20 8467 6916

see all details

Aston Martin DB7 Coupe

5 speed, leather, full history, original condition

Heated Seats,Electric Seats,18" Multi spoke alloys,Alpine CD changer. 2 Owners from new only,the car is in superb condition and is in SPAIN

colour British Racing Ggreen
interior colour Parchment Piped Green
drive LHD
type Coupe
year 1/1997
mileage 59.546 km / 37.000 m
VAT Yes (17.5%)
Netprice 32.516 GBP
country United Kingdom

price 38.207 GBP


Dealership:
Station Garage

Phone +44 (0) 1844 342711

see all details

Coys Auction, Royal Horticultural Halls, London
2nd October 2003

H&H Auction, Buxton, Derbyshire, UK
7th-8th October 2003

London to Brighton Run, UK
2nd November 2003

Tour d’Espana Auto, Spain
5 – 9th November 2003

The International Classic Motor Show, NEC, UK
8 – 9th November 2003

see further event details

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