Prince Philip’s Lagonda (and the world’s first Carphone?) Set to Star At Duxford Auction
The 1954 Lagonda 3 litre drophead coupe that gave Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd their first Royal Warrant is due to be auctioned at Duxford by H&H on 20th April 2016. The car, one of only 20 Mk I examples, was delivered new to Prince Philip and fitted with a range of bespoke upgrades: a powered-hood, floor-change gearbox, twin vanity mirrors and state-of-the-art ‘carphone’. The car was also painted in a very appropriate special colour- Edinburgh Green- and the Duke used it as his personal transport until 1961 when it was replaced by another drophead coupe- this time an Alvis TD21. Estimated to sell for between £350,000 and £450,000, the link to the Duke of Edinburgh has added a significant premium to the value: the Hagerty Price Guide currently shows the top value of an Aston Martin Lagonda 3 Litre Drophead Coupe as £89,100. For more information, visit H&H Classic Auctions.
Hagerty’s Valuation Seminar a Huge Hit at London Classic Car Show
Hagerty’s first Valuation Seminar at the London Classic Car Show proved to be a very popular element of the successful and ever-growing Capital event. John Mayhead, editor of the Hagerty Price Guide, hosted a panel of experts: Ed Legge from Classic and Sports Finance, Richard Wrightson from Cotswold Collectors Cars and James Wheeler from H&H Classic Auctions.
The panel agreed that, although recent headlines tended to fall into two categories (‘Classic Car Values Soar!’ or ‘We’re All Doomed!’) the reality was somewhere in the middle. True, values of many cars rose sharply over the last few years and some of those trajectories have flattened-off, but in general the market is still a healthy place. Price rises have drawn a lot of cars onto the market, and this increase in choice has led to prices falling. But all of the panel agreed- the very best examples of almost any classic car are still easy to sell. The market has also shifted- 1970s and 1980s performance Fords, front- engined Porsches, Aston Martin V8s and similar are now the ones to watch. The audience contributed fully too, asking a range of questions about various elements of the market, including one about why dealers use ‘POA’ on adverts which put Mr Wrightson on the spot. If you would like to have your car valued, you can do so at our Hagerty Live Valuation Arena, being held at all of this year’s Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble events. The first is being held on 24th April (Drive it Day) – book your tickets here.
HRCR Clubmans Series of to a Splashing Start!
The HRCR Clubmans Series got off to a cracking start last weekend, with the Tour of Cheshire taking place courtesy of the Knutsford & District Motor Club. There were ten tests over three venues with plenty of action. Hagerty are now sponsors of the Series, and so in typical Hagerty style (and proving we don’t just do classic car insurance) we decided to get involved, entering a 1972 Ford Escort 1600, driven on this occasion by Hagerty Operations Manager Robin Harman. Look out for the car (piloted by other Hagerty crew!) at the other 12 Clubmans events this year. Winner of the Tour of Cheshire was another red Ford Escort- this time Matt Warren and Andy Pullen’s 1973 car, pictured above.
