Wow ! ... How to spend £1m on 4 cars

[TJS10]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 27 January 2021 at 12:07

[v8250]

TJS10 said:

.... and thats just the beginning !

There are some very brave and/or very rich people out there.

Or somewhat stupid...? I'm amazed at what the Bentley's sold for...the estimate was £150-£250k when it was at Prescott the other week. Listening to the folk viewing I sensed that some fool will pay over the odds and then an equal figure for the restoration. I openly suggested to all that the car should be cleaned, mechanically rebuilt only and put back on the road as is, keeping the patina and tremendous original aesthetics as there are so few Bentleys these days that haven't had the life and soul restored out of them...the suggestion fell on deaf ears.

[TJS10]

I also saw the Bentley at Prescott. It would have needed fresh tyres, rebuilt wheels, new windscreen and a through fettling. I also would have been inclined to leave it as original as practicably possible. The interior was in good shape, however we were advised the engine was seized. £400k would not have surprised me.

As for the Aston and the Bristol ... I just don't get it !

[Riley Blue]

People do get carried away at Beaulieu, just about every car that sold went for more than it ought to have done - crazy, completely crazy.

[TIGA84]

Not sure on the bristol/triumph/bentley but DB6 looks about right for the money to me considering restored are £375-450k at the moment. 100k on resto and your £100-200k in profit?

[OLDBENZ]

I am afraid TIGA84's restoration numbers are way off. It costs over £300k to undertake a complete restoration properly on a DB Aston Martin. I believe Works Service currently charge £350k plus VAT and the marque specialists will not be far behind.

[john2443]

Will the Bentley be restored or rebodied as a drop top / racer rep?

[TIGA84]

OLDBENZ said:

I am afraid TIGA84's restoration numbers are way off. It costs over £300k to undertake a complete restoration properly on a DB Aston Martin. I believe Works Service currently charge £350k plus VAT and the marque specialists will not be far behind.

£350k resto? Jesus.

So to confirm though (not disputing your numbers) thats £437,000 inc. VAT + £163,000 on the car.

Is it likely to really be a £600k car?

[cptsideways]

The Bentley, I'd just MOT it & smoke about in that as is!

[whirlybird]

RE, the BENTLEY , please please please don't restore !!!!, just a massive can of WD40, get it safe and drivable, and use in all weathers, my old Austin 7 is in the same state, and Joe Public, just love it as is , ( can't afford to restore it anyway !!!!! )

[POORCARDEALER]

TIGA84 said:

OLDBENZ said:

I am afraid TIGA84's restoration numbers are way off. It costs over £300k to undertake a complete restoration properly on a DB Aston Martin. I believe Works Service currently charge £350k plus VAT and the marque specialists will not be far behind.

£350k resto? Jesus.

So to confirm though (not disputing your numbers) thats £437,000 inc. VAT + £163,000 on the car.

Is it likely to really be a £600k car?

Numbers are about right...I have just sold a similar car and Aston Martin were in discussions with me for a client...they told me £325K + VAT as a base cost + any mods/extras...when I questioned the sanity of this they said many clients happy to do it as that way they spread the resto costs over the length of the resto

[williamp]

Dont you also ned to add vat to the 163k?? If so that would be 195,600 on the car.

And it takes well over 2000 hours to restore a car like a db6, so the price for restoration reflects this. Although there is a thread elsewhere which quotes a works restoration at less then 250k back in 2011.

Then if you want more added, pay accordingly ("would sir like some patina on the interior?? Makes it look better at goodwood...")

[tog]

The Bristol 402 will need at least the same spending in resto, probably a lot more. Currently there are two running 402s on the market, one at £175k, one at well over £200k. There are very few drophead Bristols, and they are all expensive now. A good 405DH is easily £150k+ now.

The 402 was way over estimate, but indicative of the way prices for early Bristols have risen over the last ten years as people cotton on to their rarity, quality and value. Whatever your opinion of the later V8 Bristols (of which even as a big fan I can accept are pretty eccentric), the early 2-litres are astonishing cars, quite unlike anything else that was being built at the time.

[lowdrag]

Having seen many a restoration, both ancient and modern, I really can't get my head around these costings. In this months C&SC there is a S2 E-type roadster for sale at £145,000. I've seen their work and know that the restorers do superb stuff, but the S2 isn't the most loved car in the range. An outside lock car and the flat floors are far more valuable. But I digress; the restoration of my E-type cost about 13% of the AM price for a DB5 and it still won the JDC concours last year. It seems that the newbies in the classic car world are being royally ripped off but being newbies they don't know it. For heaven's sake, join a club, find the people well known and use them, not the big names. It might be a 98 point and not 100 point car, but would they know? I seriously doubt it.