Former MP’s Bentley and Facel Vega ‘garage find’ among £1.3m worth of classics hammered away by H&H

• Headline grabbing ‘garage find’ Facel Vega sells for £59,625
• 1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Tourer, formerly owned by Rt Hon Alan Clark MP, is the day’s highest seller
• 79 per cent of the classic, collector and performance cars on offer successfully hammered away by H&H Classics at its Buxton sale

Nearly 80 per cent of the classic, collector and performance cars on offer at H&H Classics’ latest motorcar auction are off to new homes after being successfully hammered away in the stunning surroundings of the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, on 26 April, 2023.

Among the cars to sell, a 1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Tourer, formerly the property of the Rt Hon Alan Clark MP, fetched the highest amount on the day, selling for £97,875. Other strong sellers included a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible, selling for £53,438 and a 1970 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 2+2, selling for £51,750.

With strong demand and fierce bidding wars throughout the day, the ‘garage find’ 1960 Facel Vega, which had spent nearly 50 years tucked away in a garage in north Wales, was among the stars of the sale. After intense exchanges between two determined bidders, the Vega finally sold for a cool £59,625.

Meanwhile, the Rolls-Royce and Bentley duo of the 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and 1994 Bentley Continental R, formerly owned by ‘Complete Classics’ author Bernard L. King, both had strong performances, with the Silver Shadow selling for £23,625 after a bidding war between the hall and an internet bidder. The Bentley Continental R went on to sell for £32,625.

Unsurprisingly, there was strong interest in the 2011 Suffolk SS100. One of the finest examples seen by H&H Classics, this particular vehicle had an extensive vehicle overhaul totalling over 135 hours of work and nearly £12,000 to ensure it could pass IVA re-testing (individual vehicle approval). Offered with an impressive history file, itemised spreadsheet and pages of history documentation, the SS100 sold for £52,875.

Damian Jones, senior motorcar specialist, H&H Classics commented: “Our auctions at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton are always lively events and this sale was no exception. We’re delighted to once again, achieve a fantastic sales rate, with the results reflecting our realistic and accurate pre-sale valuations.”

The catalogue cover car, a stunning 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback, did not sell on the day. However, the auction house is confident of finding it a new owner in the coming days. Indeed, by the time all the post-auction activity has been concluded the sale rate is likely to be well into the eighties percentage wise.

Jones concluded: “A massive thank you to our vendors and bidders from around the world for coming together to take part in another successful H&H Classics auction. As many of the long-awaited spring and summer car shows and events are about to commence, I’m sure we shall see some of the lovely cars sold on the road very soon.”

Preparations are already underway for the next classic, collector and performance car auction, which is being held at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, on Wednesday 14 June. Classic car owners looking to enter their vehicle into the sale should contact H&H on 01925 210035.

To view the full list of results from H&H Classics’ sale at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, click here, or visit www.handh.co.uk