News : MGB, Minis, Marina and Metro – things to make you go mmmm… at Anglia Car Auctions

Craig Cheetham

Works replica Mini Cooper S with almost works number plate - just one of the highlights in the upcoming ACA sale
Works replica Mini Cooper S with almost works number plate – just one of the highlights in the upcoming ACA sale

I always ogle the Anglia Car Auctions catalogue with interest when it pops into my email inbox as, unlike other classic car sales, they tend to have a much more open-minded approach to what they put through the block. Anything goes – and often goes for more than you’d expect. Among the more unusual lots this coming weekend are a 7,000-mile from new Lada Riva (would you, really?) and a base model K-reg Renault 19 – cars that are unlikely ever to grace the cover of Classic and Sportscar, but clearly have their own followings nonetheless.

ACA's 7,000-mile from new Lada Riva. Any takers?
ACA’s 7,000-mile from new Lada Riva. Any takers?

This weekend, there are some rich pickings for fans of BMC/BL/AR-G cars in particular, especially if you’re a fan of the diminutive, as there are no less than 14 Minis in the auction including a Countryman, a Wood and Pickett special and gorgeous replica of the 1965 Monte Carlo works rally car, complete with the registration number AJB 4B (as opposed to the real deal’s AJB 44B).

Rare Wood and Pickett special is one of no less than 14 Minis going through the block in King's Lynn...
Rare Wood and Pickett special is one of no less than 14 Minis going through the block in King’s Lynn…

 

...and normal as it may seem, here's the editor's favourite - a Sandglow Clubby Estate in unmolested original condition
…and normal as it may seem, here’s the editor’s favourite – a Sandglow Clubby Estate in unmolested original condition

Or how about a brand-new, straight out of the box, unregistered MGB GT? Metal roof and rubber bumpers mean it’s not the stereotype ‘classic’ MGB, but with just 117 miles on the clock, it’ll be fascinating to see what it goes for.

Unregistered MGB GT has just 117 miles on the clock
Unregistered MGB GT has just 117 miles on the clock

Among the usual plethora of Moggie Minors (six to choose from), MGs and Triumphs, there are quite a few more unusual cars that have also caught my eye.

Whisper it, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the Morris Marina (don’t worry, if you own one I’m not about to drop a piano on it, and I have the utmost respect for anyone who loves and cherishes any classic car – it’s simply a case of different strokes for different folks), but even I’d find it hard to resist the lovely 1972 SDL version that’s offered with no reserve. If someone on here buys it, I promise to elevate it to Car of the Month, as it looks like such a lovely, original example.

I want to take this home with me - and I don't even like Marinas very much!
I want to take this home with me – and I don’t even like Marinas very much!

Among the older classics that I could happily take home with me,  truly beautiful Austin K8 Breakdown Truck would certainly be something to cherish, while for quirkiness value alone, there can’t be many Austin A40 estates left – I could never use a car like that every day, but it has masses of charm.

Something a little older, but utterly lovely - K8 Breakdown truck would be perfect for a classic garage
Something a little older, but utterly lovely – K8 Breakdown truck would be perfect for a classic garage

ACAA40

In terms of everyday classics, loads to choose from – a nice Rover 220 Turbo Coupe in (my view) the best colour of Tahiti Blue, a very usable and very brown P6 2200SC and a brace of Triumph estates – one a 2000, the other a 2500PI stand out.

Export-spec Rover 820SI seems a little ambitiously priced despite its low miles. What's that doobrie on the back bumper?
Export-spec Rover 820SI seems a little ambitiously priced despite its low miles. What’s that doobrie on the back bumper?

And those low mileage Eighties and Nineties cars are coming out of the woodwork again – this time a 12,500 mile Rover 820Si in unusual export spec, which even as a huge Rover 800 fan I can’t help but think is a little ambitiously priced with an estimate of £2,350-£2,850, and a very lovely looking H-plate Metro 1.1 with just 15,600 on the clock and all it’s own arches. The K-Series Metro turns 25 next year, and while that may seem hard to believe, the fact remains it’s a very rare car indeed these days…

Buy now, in time for the Jubilee...Rover Metro turns 25 next year
Buy now, in time for the Jubilee… Rover Metro turns 25 next year

The auction takes place on Saturday 1st November at the ACA site in Kings Lynn. There are plenty more BL-ARG cars to choose from and it’d take too long to highlight them all, so feel free to take a look via this link

Craig Cheetham

18 Comments

  1. Rover/K-Series Metro 25 next year – that really is hard to believe! Similarly, is it really that long since I was spotting 800s like the one above? When I think about it, of course it is that number of years ago. The alarming bit is that it don’t seem a LONG time ago!!

    There really are some lovely cars above. It never ceases to amaze me just how many such cars keep turning up!

  2. I assume some finds were owned by people who gave up driving in the 1990s, laid up their cars then only sold them off when they needed to move into sheltered accomodation, or passed on.

  3. Don’t let Jeremy Clarkson anywhere near that Marina, you know what will happen. We need to put a preservation order on that car!

  4. 1) Spot the cut and shut FD Victor grille on the Wood and Pickett Mini
    2) Is it me, or is that A40 estate dropping off to sleep? It’s me age, you know, need a nap in the afternoons.
    3) Speaking of preservation orders, there was a breakdown truck of similar age to the above parked on a verge in Peak Forest. The cab roof pillars had collapsed with rust, but it looked very decorative on the grass, until someone towed it away. All there is there now is GRASS. How boring!
    4) Surely that is the only Marina SDL in captivity where the wheel trims have not forced the hubcaps off their mounts. I can remember the M1 central reservation being littered with Marina bubcaps and trims back in ’71!

  5. I remember a load of unregistered MGBs coming to market in the 90s(?)thing they had G or H plates on them. Would you get a 64 plate if you registered that MGB for the first time now?

  6. Just had a look at the auction results, the black MGB GT went for £9k, the Teal Blue Marina £4k. Looks as though Anglia Auctions is becoming a great place to buy everyday good quality classics. Not all the results have been entered presently.

  7. I’m an American, so I won’t be attending, but to me that poor little Lada is the one to have. I know it’s not a good car even when new, but I like it’s simplicity and role in history. I have always wanted to own a communist block car and the only one that I would possibly consider over a Lada is a Trabant. It would be kind of different to drive one in the States as they were never sold here. The only ones that ever made it to our shores were driven by Canadian tourists. So to my eyes, they are a tad bit exotic, even if they are mostly made up of Fiat 124 parts.

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