Pre-war cars make a splash at first Bicester Heritage auction

Over a million pounds raised from a mainly sub-£100k selection

Many classic cars have reached stratospherically high prices on the international auction circuit, but Brightwells’ inaugural Bicester Heritage auction showed the shrewd investor that there are still some relatively affordable lots to be had.

More than three out of every four cars to cross the block were sold, with the best value being on offer among the pre-war cars. Top money on the day was the £71,500 paid for a 1923 Vauxhall OD 23/60 Kingston Tourer. It had emerged from a 27-year period in storage to receive a comprehensive restoration including replacement of the cylinder head and a total rebuild of the wheels and radiator.


 1980 Rolls Camargue

There was plenty of interest in a 1927 Delage DIS Colonial Tourer in original Phizakerley of Sydney coachwork. Resplendent in powder blue with a milled aluminium dashboard, it went well over its pre-sale estimate to £49,500.

Also shooting over its top estimate was a 1927 Sunbeam 25HP Tourer, restored to its elegant best in the 1960s after doing service as a taxi and a breakdown truck in the Second World War. It was bought by an East Anglian collector for £44,900.


 1931 Lagonda 2-litre

Just slightly under that, at £44,000, was a very classy looking 1939 Hotchkiss 686 Monte Carlo Decouvrable, beautifully preserved in the warm Portuguese climate for much of its life. The 1931 Lagonda 2-Litre Low Chassis Speed Model Saloon that burst through its top estimate at £41,250 was in considerably poorer condition, but its rarity and single ownership status for the last fifty-odd years counted in its favour.

Two relatively modern Jaguars did well: a left-hand drive 1955 XK140SE Coupé at £55,000, and a 1971 E-type V12 auto with a bigger Forward Engineering-tuned 5.7-litre V12 at £42,900, though it needed a lot of restoration.

A 64,000-mile 1980 Rolls-Royce Camargue – not one of the most gracefully-styled cars to wear the ‘spirit of ecstasy’ bonnet ornament – sold for £31,900. At the other end of the social scale, a 1957 Citroën 2CV went for £11,770.

Tony Middlehurst is a writer for Classic and Sports Car.