How ironic that the ex-Sprinzel Mini Marcos which we have had for sale for some time has suddenly 'come alive' with interested purchasers. In fact it is now sold and destined to join a very fine European classic car collection. I am glad that this humble little hot-hatch will live alongside cars most of which are worth more than 100 times more than the Marcos. That said, it represents a genuine bargain to the astute buyer who is not only getting an entirely useable and rare Mini derivative for a third of the price of a comparable Cooper 1275 S but also the Sprinzel/Speedwell factor at no additional cost. The genuine Sprinzel badge so kindly provided by John Sprinzel himself which now once again adorns the tail alongside the Speedwell badge is the correct finishing touch to this car.
Anybody want to comment on Mini Marcos's? Posted by Auto Invest, [26/01/2012] - 0 replies to this post

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Posted by Auto Invest, [26/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Happy Christmas to all who follow the Auto-Invest blog.
Back to analysis of the classic car market. There were those who, earlier in the year, predicted dire consequences for the market as a result of perceived serious 'overheating' in the prices of many classic cars. I myself predicted unsustainable auction prices for relatively plentiful models such as E Type Jaguars and a review of auctions results for second half of 2011 would seem to reflect this trend. Auction prices have definitely dropped back to more sensible levels and leaving aside the rarified fantasyland of the £500,000+ market place where purchases appear to be driven largely by speculative considerations, the asking prices for most mainstream classics would seem to be generally realistic. This may change in the coming year if even tougher economic forces apply resulting in both dealers and private sellers forced to off-load in order to raise funds. Increased supply with decreasing demand can only mean one thing- falling prices. Let's hope not.
However, reading the latest edition of one of the premium classic car monthlys, I do sympathise at the imagined reaction of someone new to the classic car world who perhaps has the money to indulge a long held dream to own one of the truly great pre-war sportscars, a Jaguar SS100. Such a sought after model is never found for sale in very high numbers therefore our buyer might be delighted that in the Christmas issue of the said magazine, two SS 100's are available from prestige dealers within two pages of each other. But why is one for sale at £280,000 whilst the other which has the more desirable 3.5 ltr engine can be bought for just £180,000? Both are described as having been restored although the 'cheap' one lacks history. Confusing for our novice buyer but the question must surely be asked, assuming no other significant distinguishing factors, is 'history' worth £100,000? And what about the value of the bigger engine in the cheaper car?
More confusion arises for the novice buyer of a more modestly priced classic icon, the Isetta bubblecar. For my own part, I have never understood the attraction of these weird late 50's mopeds with a bit of bodywork, sputtering along at 30 mph to the limits of their miniscule, shrieking 300cc two stroke engines whilst the occupant is deafened and roasted in equal measure. Anyway, assuming someone did want to buy one of these contraptions- not to use of course but simply to look at- he might be forgiven for asking why the two examples on offer in the same magazine are priced at £8,000 and £28,000 respectively!!- once again, both apparently restored cars. Even assuming a degree of difference in the quality of the restoration would it really take a further £20,000 to bring the cheaper one upto the level of the other? When one considers how tiny these things are, I don't think so, which brings us back to asking prices in the current market. For the most part sensible but take note of the clearly ridiculous particularly where sufficient numbers are on offer to allow comparisons, something which our own stock does not usually allow given that just about everything is unique or very very rare (photo of the truly unique 'Quasimodo' Allard to prove the point) !
What do you think?



Posted by Auto Invest, [26/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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1928 Chrysler Imperial Le Baron Club Coupe- one of 25 built and one of two known remaining- a true example of a "rare" car! Posted by Auto Invest, [24/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Thank you for the positive comments in respect of the previous blog on the subject of the blatant overuse and mis-use of the term 'Rare' in the current classic car market. However, whilst my comments have obviously struck a cord with several correspondents I have also been challenged to further define what 'rare' should be, if you like, to quantify it.
Difficult to lay down rules but since many of todays classic car buyers are new to this sector, perhaps a clearer definition might assist- purely a personal view of course.
Given that most classic car models can be numbered in the hundreds or thousands, to qualify as rare should represent a model measuring a fraction of that figure, i.e tens of units. But caution is needed with such a simplistic definition! To use a specific example of a make and model which although numerous in pure number terms, thousands remain extant, almost all the very desirable Derby Bentleys are 'rare'. The most numerous model produced was the 3.5 litre 'standard' Park Ward four door saloon of which hundreds remain- not at all rare. The model is further broken down by other coachbuilders (Hooper, Gurney Nutting, James Young, Barker etc) and by different style of coachwork (saloon, DHC, Sedanca, Coupe etc) and amongst these some models are a lot moire numerous than others both as a result of very limited original production or due to low survival rates. Anything below 10 is undoubtedly rare, anything above 25 is not in my view. Multiplicity of coachbuilder and body style make an otherwise realtively numerous model rare.
Tip for newby classic car purchasers- put sellers description of their cars as being 'rare' to the test- how many of exactly that model remain? If more than 25, it should not be described as rare. A photo of the unquestionably rare 1928 Chrysler Imperial Le Baron Club Coupe which we have in stock is attached to add credence to this definition.
What do you think?
Posted by Auto Invest, [23/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Posted by Auto Invest, [07/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Recreations or the genuine article? I have never really given much thought to replicas, or 'recreations' as they are now quaintly known as, however having fallen for a well used and genuinely patinated AC Cobra Dax Tojeiro, the question is worth exploring. Replicas tend to follow some of the most classic, beautiful and therefore valuable models ever produced such as Jaguar C & D Types, AC Cobras, Ferrari GTO's etc. In recent years companies have started offering replica E Types and Austin Healeys presumably sensing a market for buyers of these iconic cars who are unable to afford the current high prices for the geunine article.
So back to our AC Cobra. A genuine narrow wheel arch AC Ace from the early 1960's will set you back at least £120,000 and will be powered by either the Ford Zephyr straight six or a similar capacity Bristol 'six' engine, adequate but not exactly tarmac burning stuff. Almost all the quality AC replicas use either the Rover 3.9 litre V8 or for the more muscular wide wheel arch versions, the small and big block American Ford V8's all the way up to the mighty 7.0 litre gut-wrencher. In theory then, the replicas outperform all but the most powerful of the genuine ones and asthetically a good replica follows the lines of the genuine car very closely.
Are they good value? Unquestionably yes, in this writer's opinion. For a fraction of the price of the unaffordably expensive genuine article, you get the experience of driving a beautiful classically shaped sportscar which performs superbly and, in the case of our own Rover engined example, is easy and inexpensive to maintain. Added to which, this particular car is now 22 years old and after 62,000 miles has that lived-in feel of an older car. Some might prefer the 'as new' look and feel of the miriad low mileage examples which are available but conversely that is precisely why this one appealed so much to me- dark colour, no stripes, painted wires, not flashy! Value wise, these cars will never be worth a fortune and should be seen as offering immediate fun and practicality of use rather than as investments although the good ones from manufacturers such as Dax Tojeiro will certainly not diminish in value either. Treat yourself- £23,000 buys a great experience!
Comments welcome.
Posted by Auto Invest, [07/12/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Another NEC Classic Motorshow completed and after innumerable conversations over three days with journalists, other dealers, enthusiasts and owners, it is clear that interest in classic cars remains very strong indeed. However buyers remain cautious, torn between the ease of accessibility of funds in zero interest savings accounts (actually losing money with inflation running at 5%pa) and the lure of a classic car purchase which will not only givve pleasure of use but may well offer an increase in capital value over time. And that is the key point- which car to choose and how long to keep it.
From this commentators standpoint, rarity above all else, followed closely by quality, then useability then personal pleasure in the acquisition. Even if it represents a great investment but you do not like the car, do you really want to buy it?
Should you follow the crowd and buy Ferrari/Aston/Bentley where so much price inflation has taken place over the last three years? I would suggest not, unless you can afford one of the very rare, even unique, models where supply always outstrips demand. As we have seen with E Type Jaguars, prices will come down when driven artificially high by hype-created marketing and supplies remain plentiful. Recently acquired Aston DB6 owners beware!!
Once again I come back to a specific example from stock- the 1933 Hupmobile Roadster. super-rare, 10 remain worldwide, it was restored at a cost of £100,000+ and is now for sale at almost half that cost to the benefit of the next owner, beautiful lines, very useable post-vintage motoring capability, undoubted future capital investment growth potential. It really is an opportunity in the current economic climate, lets' see who takes it up.

Posted by Auto Invest, [15/11/2011] - 1 reply to this post

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A photo of the Mini Marcos as it is now- used to promote the 2011 Alpine Challenge regularity rally for classic cars. Posted by Auto Invest, [05/11/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Lots of contact received on the subject of the Mini Marcos and its recently confirmed Speedwell competition past. Would be great to see some photos of it rallying in 1972 with John Sprinzel at the wheel - can anyone help? It was apparently never painted at that time but competed in a dull beige gel-coat!


Posted by Auto Invest, [02/11/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Here is an example of the power of the internet to relay information. Apologies if some find this too 'home-grown'.
The Mini Marcos 'Speedwell' we have for sale, when stripped for repainting some months back, showed clear evidence of having had a roll cage in it at some time which in addition to the extra capacity twin radiator cooling system, comprehensive instrumentation and of course the unquestionably genuine Speedwell badge on its rear end, all suggests a competition past in some type of motorsport.
A call this week from an ex-BRM engineer and former racer who was casually trawling the web looking at interesting classic cars has now confirmed the early race history of the little Marcos! This car was built for no lesser ace saloon car racer than John Sprinzel, one of the founding partners of Speedwell Tuning, by this same engineer at their Lancaster Mews base. The new 'extended' Mk IV bare shall was ordered to cater for the 6' 6" frame of the very tall Sprinzel and the drivers seat located where the rear seats would normally be! A custom steering system was made, full Speedwell A series race engine apparently rated at 130bhp, 8" wide wheels, specially made drive shafts. The car was used by Sprinzel in a number of rallies before being sold sometime in 1972. But before it left Speedwell, the engineer who built it took it to Brands Hatch to see what it could do on a circuit and it apparently proved to be very quick indeed. He also informed us that Speedwell built another Mini Marcos shortly after completion of this one but it was destroyed very soon after in a fire.
So there we have it. From suspecting that this little car had been tuned by Speedwell at some point in the distant past, we now know that it was built by them for the boss to use in competition and is the sole surviving Speedwell Mini Marcos. All thanks to the power of the internet to provide information.
How does this affect the sale of the Mini Marcos? How does the addition of such interesting and unique history affect its value? What premium does race history put on a vehicle? Is it important or not of any consequence?
All comments most gratefully received.




Posted by Auto Invest, [28/10/2011] - 2 replies to this post

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Thanks to those who have contacted me regarding the last blog on auction prices- including a certain classic car magazine editor- very pleasing to know that I am not just talking to myself!
Leaving aside the state of the classic car market for a moment, I want to have a moan about the rampant overuse of the term 'rare' to describe just about every classic car one sees advertised for sale today. Dictionary definitions of the term rare include 'uncommon, unusual, few & far between exceptional, seldom found or occurring' etc etc. So how can a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow possibly qualify as being rare? To the seller of one such car currently advertised, it obviously does although he is probably deluding himself.
Nevertheless, far too many dealers and private sellers are guilty of inflating their descriptions by adding the adjective 'rare' to cars which are patently not nor ever will be. Can an E Type Jaguar be called rare? In my opinion no, apart from a handful of genuine lightweights all the rest are from a total production of some 80,000 of which tens of thousands survive. Lovely cars but not rare. What is truly rare then? A Ferrari GTO qualifies- only about 20 made but so do some unlikely candidates not due to low production numbers but because of low survival rate. The barn find Triumph Gloria currently in our stock is unquestionably rare despite many thousands being produced during the 1930's simply because according to the Pre-war Triumph Register, only 9 saloons remain with their original bodywork. Similarly, our 1928 Chrysler Imperial Le Baron Club Coupe is ultra-rare by both qualifications for the term- only 25 ever made and only two survive!
So lets hope for slightly less 'rare' descriptions for cars where plentiful supply is available and perhaps a little more imagination in highlighting other undoubted qualities which might interest a buyer.
What do you think? Posted by Auto Invest, [19/10/2011] - 1 reply to this post

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Posted by Auto Invest, [06/10/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Apologies once again to those who follow this blog as it has not been updated for several weeks. Will try to do better!
Thanks to those contributors who voiced their opinions on the subject of auctions prices and I should like to expand that theme once again as it is fundamental in trying to understand where the classic car market is heading.
The remarkable prices being achieved in the USA at premium classic car auctions might be easily explained as a mixture of both wealthy classic car collectors and wealthy non-classic car enthusiasts chasing so-called blue-chip investment quality cars as an alternative to risky stocks and shares or low interest paying traditional financial investments. As with gold in times of economic turbulence, if you can touch it and lock it away, you sleep better!
But the top end of the market for cars above £100,000 is one thing, the lower end where the vast majority of the auctions entries come from is something different. There, this commentator perceives a notable change. Over the summer, results at H&H, Brightwells, Barons, Siverstone and Brooklands sales have rarely exceeded 50% sales rate and whilst the auction companies continue to highlight one or two very significant prices achieved at each sale, the trend to realistic prices and relatively low sales rate is undeniable. That is good for all of us. Auctions involve a lot of risk for buyers which must be reflected in lower prices than much safer retail purchases from a reputable dealer where you have the opportunity to drive and test the car of your interest. I would even go as far as to suggest that a reasonable risk factor which one should apply to an auction purchase might be 30% to 50%. Hard to explain then the lunacy which took place at the one exception to the aforementioned trend- Bonhams- at their Beaulieu sale in september where a selection of dilapidated cars from three collections were bid to ridiculous levels by punters who could have bought much better examples of those marques at much lower prices by walking 50 metres to the Automart. And that is before we add in Bonhams famous buyers premium of 15% plus Vat (18%)!! Yet they still achieved an astonishing 95% + sales rate at Beaulieu, defying a distinct trend at the lower end of the market.
What do you think?

Posted by Auto Invest, [06/10/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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Welcome to the Auto-Invest blog! Comments about to anything to classic cars will be redily accepted, scammers, advertisers, canvassers etc - best abstain.
Where is the classic car market going at this turbulent moment of the current global economic uncertainty? Classic car prices have been rising steadily for the last three years across all categories and in particular in the +£100,000 range.
Can it last? I doubt it, with for some notable exceptions, for a number of reasons linked to basic economic principles. Is an E Type Jaguar worth either £120,000 (series 1 roadster0 or £100,000 (series 1 FHC) when from a total production of some 80,000, many tens of thousands still survive? At any given time I would guess that there are at least 1000 E Types for sale globally (please disprove this guesstimate if you can) which means that supply and demand will determne the market. Recent prices for E Types at two large UK auctions prove the point- a superb series 1 roadster at Brightwells estimated at a very conservative £65,000-£75,000 struggled to achieve £53,000 which seems like a bargain compared to the ludicrously expensive H&H series 1 FHC at £70,000 in february!
Only the very rare and the very special will survive an inevitable correction in the market which I believe will occur over the next few months as disposable income tightens and the unjustified inflation of values of many marques settles back. A crash, almost certainly not, but some form of correction very probably.




Posted by Auto Invest, [11/08/2011] - 0 replies to this post

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