Anglia Car Auctions - Sat 5 Nov 16

Al Coutts

Viewing was today - so I popped over to Kings Lynn, a hundred mile trip to see 2 Specials in the flesh.

Guide price - £70-80K

Guide price £48-56K

Very interesting as both conceptually so different. Wheelbase on both was 9'3" - and there appeared to be witness marks alluding to a shortened chassis on the second car but as I was unable to get underneath either, I'm not 100% certain.

Al

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:37 pm Post subject:

Hi Al,

Thanks for the pictures. I spoke to the owner of the red one when he first brought it to Silverstone, and raced it, many years ago. The attention to detail on it is exemplary. It's been for sale for ages; 10+ years, I reckon, at asking prices up to £130K, and has done the usual merry-go round of dealers. I put a post on here a while back saying I wished someone would give it a good home and bring it to some BDC gatherings. I still do.

I had a chat yesterday with a SIG member who is building (or, rather, having built) a French style airline coupe on a MKVI chassis, evidently with a proper budget as the coachwork has been surface modelled and a body buck built. Hopefully I can do a piece on it for the group in due course.

He's in Somerset. You should blank out a couple of days of your diary and visit Paul Forty in Devon, the project mentioned above, Vivian Mitchell's project near Leominster, Anthony and last and least me, to get ideas and inspiration. That's a clockwise circle. You could, maybe, call at the Flower's near Sleaford on the way back, to inspect their Alan Padgett. Just don't tell any of the above that I sent you.

Best wishes,

Stephen

Al Coutts · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:20 am Post subject:

I happen to be in the Cornwall, the week before Christmas on a wheeling and aluminium welding course. However, I think that another trip in Spring could be on the cards!

Thank you for the suggestion.

Al

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:49 pm Post subject:

Hi Al,

Enjoy the course. I've done two such at Contour Autocraft which were both excellent. I'm really good at wheeling and welding with the instructor standing next to me. I'm about to find out if I can go solo, as it were. If not, I'll probably get a quote off Dave Gardiner who produces some fantastic work;

https://www.classicmetalshaping.co.uk/

I strongly recommend you to speak to as many special builders as you can. You can learn more in a single project visit than you can from weeks of reading.

I've cold-called a number of BDC members then gone round to interrogate them about their projects, always with very positive and enjoyable results, and suggest you do the same.

Good luck,

Stephen

Al Coutts · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:30 pm Post subject:

Thank you again Stephen.

Al

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 6:48 pm Post subject:

Al,

This MK VI Special must be the most exquisite, privately built one,ever.

It is in Queensland and the owner sent me a chassis print with the cut marks and modifications, but it is in the place that it "walked to" last!

So when it turns up again, I will send you a copy.

You should really concentrate on rebuilding the rolling chassis before even contemplating the bodywork, some of those in use are a cobbled up mess, and some have come, long dead, exhumed from scrap yards.

Paul Spencer · Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:14 am Post subject:

That's nice! This is what the Bugatti version looks like:

John Murch · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:01 am Post subject:

Regarding the Anglia car Auction, the red car sold for £60,900- inc premium and the other one for £50,400-.

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:03 am Post subject:

A "Triumph" of a Special?

John Murch · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:27 am Post subject:

Its a very late 4.5 Ch XT3630, I think the body in the photo was the one fitted by Cooper in 1936 (ex Triumph Chris?). Now the car has a vdp style tourer body. Info per Clare Hay.

Paul Spencer · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:10 pm Post subject:

I really like that saloon body on the 4.5. That era of body rarely seems to suit the vintage cars, but the non-standard bonnet makes all the difference.

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:16 pm Post subject:

Yes, I wrote, "A Triumph of a Special".

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 11:24 am Post subject:

The red car above came up in conversation and a pal suggested, perhaps out of badness, that it may well have gone to a dealer at that price, and will now continue its never-ending tour of showrooms. I do hope not.

Given that the difference between what the winner of an auction pays and what the vendor receives is around a third, one can't help but wonder whether it wouldn't have been better to have just advertised it for that (what the vendor received) in the first place, all those years ago?

I wonder if the forthcoming out-Frenching-the-French MKVI coupe will look like the the logo of this lot?

http://www.classicautoinnovations.com/

Whatever next?

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:13 pm Post subject:

Like this Talbot "Teardrop"?

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:34 pm Post subject:

Lovely!

Al Coutts · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 4:40 pm Post subject:

I do love that Talbot!

Anglia Car Auctions took 5% from the vendor and 5% from the purchaser so not too horrific.

From memory the red car went for £58k and the grey for £34k - I sent a man to check Smile

Al

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 5:18 pm Post subject:

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 6:43 pm Post subject:

This is what the French did to the Derby Bentley Walter Kong Roadster B148HK

Walter Kong himself reverted the monster to its original form, as seen outside the Basel Works in 1936.

George Ealy · Joined: 14 Jun 2016 Posts: 82 Location: Jacksonville FL USA

Hi Paul!

Is that your Bugatti? It is AWESOME as the kids say over here. Absolutely gorgeous.

George

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:44 am Post subject:

George,

There are only two Atlantics, this one was a winner at the Villa de Este and has a minimum valuation of £38,000,000

Christopher.

Paul Spencer · Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 11:49 am Post subject:

Hi George,

If only! It belongs to an American - Hilary Raab. But I had to sit in it for a photo.