Classicmobilia E’News Issue 119 November 2020
Dear Classic Car Enthusiast
Let’s all hope that 2021 opens the door to some exciting events and shows for us all to look forward to: we long to enjoy our shiny classic cars. Hopefully this crazy pandemic will be all over soon and we can all get out and catch up on the classic car scene and old friends; it certainly has made us appreciate the simple (and now sorely missed) little pleasures, like sharing a coffee together.
There are mixed reports from the dealer network on business in general: it seems that so much is going on, with sales still poised to be flavour of the month. Yes, we hear how loud the whole classic car world is buzzing.
The restoration and repair shops’ bookings are so far advanced that it all seems to be ticking over really well, but we have witnessed a shortage of some parts and delays in shipping others, which has slowed a few processes down.
Brexit is on everyone’s lips and we have seen a large movement of cars crossing the channel between Europe and the UK in the last month; one can imagine it may get even busier.
What will happen? We are all on tenterhooks waiting for answers, but I am sure we all have a feeling of which way it will go.
What the hell is going on with auctions at the present time? We have never seen so many auctions fill with so many cars on offer and reporting some cracking results, but who is really benefitting from the boom in sales? I think we all know that…
BUT, and it’s a big but, is it really the best time to be buying through auctions? Yes, we have seen some good results, but one could venture that it is all ‘levelling off’ the market with figures below what we are used to. Is this panic-selling down to the global situation? Time will tell.
We cannot emphasise enough just how important it is to be very careful when buying through auction behind closed doors. Make 100% sure the car has the correct history; do take your time to go and view the car if you are unable to get remote assistance, because we passionately believe that it is worth it, in the end.
Cynicism apart, it has been refreshing to see some very nice examples coming to market through some dealers: cars whose history has been respected and on which a lot of work has been carried out in that spirit. With the end of life for both petrol and diesels cars we will see an upturn in classic cars with well-documented history becoming even more popular. These are exciting times for the classic car world.
If we are able to assist with buying selling, or that restoration project you have been thinking about, please do let us know. As always, we are here to assist.
Happy motoring and stay safe.
Keith
+44(0)1908 270672
+44(0)7889 805432
