How much are Unipower GTs really worth?
Discussion
Last weekend, my dad was talking about his old Unipower GT which has sat at the back of his garage since the late 70s. It runs and wouldn't take much to MOT but he never got around to it. He's in his late 70s now and was offered £500 in the summer by a local scrap man which he accepted but the guy never came to collect.
Thinking the car is worth maybe £2-£3K with tax and MOT, I'm arranging to bring it back to my house to get it roadworthy over winter.
Now I see this!!!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIPOWER-GT-/230541216426?pt...
Surely these cannot be worth this kind of money! It's a mini based kit car which wasn't great in the 70s. It was just a bit of cheap fun.
Are cars like this really selling at this kind of price?
Thinking the car is worth maybe £2-£3K with tax and MOT, I'm arranging to bring it back to my house to get it roadworthy over winter.
Now I see this!!!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIPOWER-GT-/230541216426?pt...
Surely these cannot be worth this kind of money! It's a mini based kit car which wasn't great in the 70s. It was just a bit of cheap fun.
Are cars like this really selling at this kind of price?
I've just put the phone down from my dad and he said he's nearly wetting himself at the kind of money people are talking about.
I was 7 when my dad got it. He took it as part of a px deal for a Cortina he was selling and he regreted it as he couldn't get anywhere near what he needed for it so he kept it as a toy.
He sometimes took me to school in it and I hated it becasue it leaked on the passenger side and my friends used to laugh at me.
The gear linkage kept on breaking on it and from memory it was this which caused it to not get MOTd in the late 70s. He then got a Matra Bagheera which was a much better car all round and certainly not a kit car in any way.
I'm going to extract it from where it lies. The tyres are flat, brakes are stuck on and it is very very dirty. My neighbour has offered to trailer it back to my house so I'll get some photos up once I've cleared the muck away.
It is registerd as a Unipower 1275S but I'm not sure if that means it is based on a Cooper S. It has twin SUs and I could have sworn the rocker cover had an MG logo on it.
It has been suggested that I do as little as possible to it get it roadworthy and then to offer it through a reputable classic car auction house.
I've also been contacted by a GRP moulder who has asked if I would rent it to them so they could take moulds off it.
Part of me wants to keep it as it is a pretty little thing and it would be nice to take my dad for a spin in it (if he can get in it!!)
I was 7 when my dad got it. He took it as part of a px deal for a Cortina he was selling and he regreted it as he couldn't get anywhere near what he needed for it so he kept it as a toy.
He sometimes took me to school in it and I hated it becasue it leaked on the passenger side and my friends used to laugh at me.
The gear linkage kept on breaking on it and from memory it was this which caused it to not get MOTd in the late 70s. He then got a Matra Bagheera which was a much better car all round and certainly not a kit car in any way.
I'm going to extract it from where it lies. The tyres are flat, brakes are stuck on and it is very very dirty. My neighbour has offered to trailer it back to my house so I'll get some photos up once I've cleared the muck away.
It is registerd as a Unipower 1275S but I'm not sure if that means it is based on a Cooper S. It has twin SUs and I could have sworn the rocker cover had an MG logo on it.
It has been suggested that I do as little as possible to it get it roadworthy and then to offer it through a reputable classic car auction house.
I've also been contacted by a GRP moulder who has asked if I would rent it to them so they could take moulds off it.
Part of me wants to keep it as it is a pretty little thing and it would be nice to take my dad for a spin in it (if he can get in it!!)
guru_1071 said:
eager
glad to help make your dads year!
What I meant is he thinks this is hilarious. He said its not a Bugatti in a barn but old kit car in a shed!glad to help make your dads year!
The dust and muck had already been disturbed but you can see that what is there is genuine 30 year old muck.
He said he's sure it isn't based on a Cooper S and he fitted the twin SUs himself back in the 70s from a scrap yard.
I can't find any information on an owners club. Is there one?
I've spoken to H&H car auctions this afternoon who were very helpful. They said that with a car like this there is very little established price data so as a guide they would base the price on a similar aged/condition special such as a Rochdale or a Ginetta but the price on the day could go well over this if the rarity and interest commands it. They also said they have many international buyers so this could be a good way to get the best price with the current weak pound.
guru_1071 said:
Thanks for that. I did see that one as well as the fully restored one that looked like it sold for low £30K.[quote=tr7v8
OH dear, in their day these were a very sophisticated mini racer that was well engineered by a well financed company. In racing they were the dogs doobris! They also have the bonus of being as rare as unicorn poo & built in limited numbers. That is why they are big bucks now. Just because it is Mini based don't knock it[quote=tr7v8
I've had an email this morning from a contributor to a classic car mag and he has asked if he could come and do an article on the car. We are really excited by how much interest this has generated and all thanks to the other cars Ebay listing. He wants to interview my dad.
I'm not knocking it by any means but I think the saying is "familiarity breeds contempt". Well there is no contempt but we've had the car for over 35 years and despite being a family of car enthusiasts we just loved the car for being odd.
In the early 70s, mid engined cars were restricted to the exotic but by the late 70s there were production cars that were quicker and more sophisticated, it's a wonder it hasn't been scrapped sooner.
Our car has a very spindly steel tube chassis and everything about it is "home made". My dad says that if he was 20 years younger and didn't have his bad hip and artheritis he'd make a new one for less than £30K and make a profit too.
OH dear, in their day these were a very sophisticated mini racer that was well engineered by a well financed company. In racing they were the dogs doobris! They also have the bonus of being as rare as unicorn poo & built in limited numbers. That is why they are big bucks now. Just because it is Mini based don't knock it[quote=tr7v8
I've had an email this morning from a contributor to a classic car mag and he has asked if he could come and do an article on the car. We are really excited by how much interest this has generated and all thanks to the other cars Ebay listing. He wants to interview my dad.
I'm not knocking it by any means but I think the saying is "familiarity breeds contempt". Well there is no contempt but we've had the car for over 35 years and despite being a family of car enthusiasts we just loved the car for being odd.
In the early 70s, mid engined cars were restricted to the exotic but by the late 70s there were production cars that were quicker and more sophisticated, it's a wonder it hasn't been scrapped sooner.
Our car has a very spindly steel tube chassis and everything about it is "home made". My dad says that if he was 20 years younger and didn't have his bad hip and artheritis he'd make a new one for less than £30K and make a profit too.
The car has been disturbed over the last few months but it hasn’t been washed or cleaned – just looked at and a bit of dust wiped away by hand.
My dad originally just wanted to move it as he's at the time of life when he feels he needs to sort out his things so others don't have to when he isn't here. He's got years in him yet but a few friends have passed on this year so he's wondering when he's next. I guess that comes to us all.
I started the thread because I was shocked by the Ebay car and I have made a classic car sale booboo before. This one looks like it could have been much much worse.
My biggest regret so far was selling my wooden chassis Marcos in very solid and OK condition at a price that I dare not admit to now. That was over 5 years ago and it still hurts now. I sold it for about £500 more than I bought it for about 4 years earlier which I thought was OK considering I had used it almost daily and had done no work to it. The wheeler dealer who bought it was asking nearly 3 times what he paid me and he sold it in about 2 weeks from picking it up!!
Going back to the Unipower - we've got a family get together about it today.
I planned on getting it roadworthy and I still like the idea of that but that would be for personal reasons. It does need work and if it has got the potential to be a £20-£30K car, it is a good investment. I’ve seen that Skoller racing were or are rebuilding one and they are not too far from my dads and looking at their website – they look like they know what they are doing with 60s kit cars. If we go down the restoration route I think that will be my first call.
My dad has said that if either my brother or I want to restore it, we are welcome to it. I still don’t think he believes how much these are valued but since making this car public I have had dozens of emails all telling me the same.
The way people are talking about this, it is as if it is a long lost Lowry or Rembrandt which I am still having difficulty with. The link to historic racing is what does it I think which was the same with the Marcos. The Marcos though was technically sophisticated with the wooden monocoque. I’ve always liked Rochdale Olympics and they too are sophisticated in having a GRP monocoque but they are still not expensive.
We've always fancied going to The Goodwood Festival of Speed and with the feedback the car has got – it would be good to take it there.
On Friday I called an auction house just to give my dad some options but if we do keep it I will have the problem of how much to pay him. He says nothing but that is not on if we are talking the sums that have been mentioned.
My dad originally just wanted to move it as he's at the time of life when he feels he needs to sort out his things so others don't have to when he isn't here. He's got years in him yet but a few friends have passed on this year so he's wondering when he's next. I guess that comes to us all.
I started the thread because I was shocked by the Ebay car and I have made a classic car sale booboo before. This one looks like it could have been much much worse.
My biggest regret so far was selling my wooden chassis Marcos in very solid and OK condition at a price that I dare not admit to now. That was over 5 years ago and it still hurts now. I sold it for about £500 more than I bought it for about 4 years earlier which I thought was OK considering I had used it almost daily and had done no work to it. The wheeler dealer who bought it was asking nearly 3 times what he paid me and he sold it in about 2 weeks from picking it up!!
Going back to the Unipower - we've got a family get together about it today.
I planned on getting it roadworthy and I still like the idea of that but that would be for personal reasons. It does need work and if it has got the potential to be a £20-£30K car, it is a good investment. I’ve seen that Skoller racing were or are rebuilding one and they are not too far from my dads and looking at their website – they look like they know what they are doing with 60s kit cars. If we go down the restoration route I think that will be my first call.
My dad has said that if either my brother or I want to restore it, we are welcome to it. I still don’t think he believes how much these are valued but since making this car public I have had dozens of emails all telling me the same.
The way people are talking about this, it is as if it is a long lost Lowry or Rembrandt which I am still having difficulty with. The link to historic racing is what does it I think which was the same with the Marcos. The Marcos though was technically sophisticated with the wooden monocoque. I’ve always liked Rochdale Olympics and they too are sophisticated in having a GRP monocoque but they are still not expensive.
We've always fancied going to The Goodwood Festival of Speed and with the feedback the car has got – it would be good to take it there.
On Friday I called an auction house just to give my dad some options but if we do keep it I will have the problem of how much to pay him. He says nothing but that is not on if we are talking the sums that have been mentioned.
Edited by Eagerbeaver on Sunday 24th October 11:53
rpb203 said:
Have you managed to get any pictures of the car yet? it would be good to see even in the untouched state in the back of your fathers garage.
(Nik 123 may need to swap details/get in touch as I really need to get mine sorted)
Apologies to all. I've not been back to this thread as matters have turned a little difficult after we found out the true worth of the car. My brother and I were in disagreement over how to move forward and since then I've missed the window I had to do anything with the car as I've been posted to several locations around the world until the New Year. I'm home this weekend but that is it now until next year. I have got a snap on my phone and I'll post this when I work out how to get it off my phone.(Nik 123 may need to swap details/get in touch as I really need to get mine sorted)
Edited by rpb203 on Tuesday 16th November 08:09
Edited by rpb203 on Tuesday 16th November 08:15
Regarding the comment about it being a "kit car", my dad says the previous owner had said it had been built by his work colleague who was an "engineer" but I've got to say that the quality of the car is that of a low volume manufactured car. Not up to the standards of say my old Marcos but nor just a GRP shell screwed to a VW floorpan!
I can't think of anything on the car that is unique which can't be remade at low cost in a simple workshop so that should make restoration simple and inexpensive. We have got concerns over the integrity of the chassis but this is fairly simple as it is all complete and hasn't been messed with previously.
Just to give you an update on this.
We are doing nothing with the car for now but the intention will be to sell the car at some point. We've been told - don't move it but at the same time advised that an auction house would get us the best price. Not sure how we do that without moving it we are not too concerned about that right now.
My wife an I were eager to get a classic car to visit events in and but I don't think this is going to be that car as restoration costs and paying the family off make it prohibitive for us.
I've still got a snap I took in the autumn on my phone which I'll get around to uploading. I'll keep you updated on progress.
We are doing nothing with the car for now but the intention will be to sell the car at some point. We've been told - don't move it but at the same time advised that an auction house would get us the best price. Not sure how we do that without moving it we are not too concerned about that right now.
My wife an I were eager to get a classic car to visit events in and but I don't think this is going to be that car as restoration costs and paying the family off make it prohibitive for us.
I've still got a snap I took in the autumn on my phone which I'll get around to uploading. I'll keep you updated on progress.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff