Traditionally, February is a popular time to buy or sell a vehicle so we thought we’d have a quick gander at a variety of air-cooled VWs that have recently gone under the hammer…
Buying a car at auction isn’t for the feint hearted, or those who have a tendency to act on a whim. Yes, you can sometimes find a bargain, but you have to be ultra careful with the pre-sale investigation as you won’t usually be able to take the vehicle for a test drive or quiz the original owner at length over a cup of tea beforehand. If you’re tempted to give it a go, here’s a snapshot of what vehicles have sold recently – and what hammer prices have been achieved. It’s far from being an extensive list, but it will serve as a useful measuring stick for what certain vehicles are making in the auction halls.
The 1978 Bay (above) with a Devon camper conversion was used by a hire company prior to being entered into last weekend’s Charterhouse Auction. It has undergone what was described as a ground up restoration, with fresh paint, a new interior and various bits of mechanical work. It was completed a year ago, so it’s only been used for one season. It certainly looks tidy enough in the photos, although from the photos we can see that the engine is missing some crucial tinware. Entered with a pre-sale estimate of £10,000-£12,000, the hammer fell on this one at £13,800.
Included in the same Charterhouse auction, with the same pre-sale estimate, was this grey and white 1977 Devon (below). Entered by the same camper hire company, it too was restored last year both inside and out. This one made £14,000 in the auction.
Mathewsons also had several air-cooled VWs in their February sale. First up was a ‘dechromed’ semi Cal-Look 1977 Beetle (below), complete with period roof rack and Minilite style alloys, but missing its bumpers – hence the addition of additional indicators in the front wings. The previous owner’s obviously gone for a custom race look inside with the addition of bucket seats and smaller diameter leather rimmed steering wheel. Meanwhile, the engine’s been treated to a 009 distributor, a vernier type pulley and performance air filter. It’s got a valid MoT until August this year, so it can’t be too bad in terms of rust or mechanical issues – although you can never presume. Entered with a reserve of £2500-£3500, the hammer fell at just £1200.
Also in the Mathewson sale was this primrose yellow 1969 Bay (below), featuring EMPI style wheels and just about every conceivable bolt-on accessory imaginable as well as a custom camper interior in place of the original Danbury setup. It looks pretty much all done, and ready to roll and carried a hefty pre-sale estimate £20,000-£22,000. The vehicle provisionally sold at £15,000, although the auction house doubted whether the owner would accept this figure when we contacted them.
Finally, this 1979 T2 pick up, running on Merc wheels by the looks of it and described as a ‘true show stopper’ by Mathewsons, had also been severely tickled by the modding stick and featured a roll-cage in the cab as well as flared rear arches. Someone’s obviously invested a lot of time and effort in it and this was reflected in its pre-sale estimate of £7,500-£8,500. In the end it made £7,400.
For some historic auction results, see our 2016 post here. And if you are interested in going along to an auction and trying your hand, be sure to check out our blog post on how to buy at auction here first.
Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage