Classic vans selling well

We report from the recent Anglia Car Auctions sale at which an interesting selection of classic vans sold well.

Anglia Car Auctions is continuing to hold its bi-monthly classic car sales at its Kings Lynn premises. These are now two-day affairs with around 300 vehicles on offer and, unsurprisingly, these auctions usually include several light commercial vehicles.

At the August 20th-21st sale, a number of lots caught our eye. First up was a 1985 Ford Transit minibus which had, apparently, been owned by a school for many years. There was evidence of it having been a licensed PCV at some time, and it had a totally believable 22,719 miles on the clock. Unrestored and seemingly totally original, the Transit’s hammer price – including ACA’s 8% plus VAT Buyer’s Premium – was a mid-estimate £7,560.

It’s a curious fact, but the recent increase in values of many 1980s vehicles like Mk2 Transits has brought them to within striking distance of some much older stuff. We saw an example of this here, when a Model T Ford pick-up dating from 1915 and finished in the famous only-choice colour wise of black, sold for just £100 more than the Transit, the hammer falling at £7,668, including premium. This was no restoration project either; it was a fully up-and-running example which could, if the buyer understood the rather different controls, have been driven home. This certainly makes you think.

Sticking with the Ford theme, a 1988 Transit Flareside 2.0-litre pick-up, that was believed to be ex-BT and had nearly £1,500 spent on MoT and other work in May of this year was, we thought, well-bought at £2,592, while a 1996 Escort diesel van looked inexpensive at £860, though the last MoT had expired in 2018.

Land-Rovers did better this time around than recently, with seven out of nine entered finding new homes. Maybe vendor expectations are now coming more into line with reality. The 1951 Series 1 at £11,610 may sound cheap to some, but it was far from perfect and certainly in need of some servicing and recommissioning. A somewhat younger, 1982 Series III 88in that had been owned by the vendor for 17 years and rebuilt about eight years ago, exceeded a modest £5,000-7,000 estimate significantly, to finish at £9,504 inclusive.

Our Editor’s favourite commercial here, however, was the 1978 Leyland Sherpa pick-up offered in totally working vehicle condition. It had a bit of rust plus a scrape and scar or five, but what a period piece! Sign-written for a Biggleswade builder, the Sherpa had just one previous owner. Oh, and it was also a diesel, with BMC’s 1.8-litre oil-burner under the bonnet. It sold under the hammer for £1,760 inclusive.

 

This report comes from the latest issue of Classic & Vintage Commercials, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE