Auction amazing

Sir,

Further to Malcolm Elder’s letter “Amazing Alvis” in the January issue I can confirm that it is indeed amazing that cars offered for sale by auction are able to be driven at all, never mind to the sale. The experience of a friend who bought a pre-war car in December 1990 which had been offered as in A1 condition, I understand is not unusual. The vendor was a well known dealer/auction reporter. The car needed hundreds of pounds spending on it to pass an MOT, and further thousands to enable it to convey itself down the road any acceptable distance. The said reporter had bought it at an auction in the USA and sold it over here as soon as it was possible by auction, having not been able to sell it through his dealership. It was amusing to see his report in a classic car magazine refer to the car as “having made very much for its owner”; he was lucky he was not sued!

I, like Malcolm, expect my pre-war car to be capable of conveying me anywhere, at anytime during the year, including some competition. If cars were not to be used they would not have put wheels on them.

Mark Garfitt,

Gwent.