What are our cars worth.

[Geoff Kingston]

I am sure that a lot of avid followers of the classic car market like myself will be aware that a 403 needing restoration recently sold for just over £104,000 I was wondering how long it would take to ripple through the market, today I can see not all that long, the advertised price of NPF2 has just been increased by £50,000 from £275,000 to £325,000, also no doubt on the strength of the projected sale price of an ex pop star Mulliner Flying Spur Bentley a Rolls/Bentley dealer has just applied a similar price adjustment to an S1 Mulliner 4 Door that while similar to the Flying Spur pre dates it and was made in far fewer numbers.
Bristol Cars had recently and may still have a tidy looking 403 for sale "needing an engine rebuild" for a few quid short of £40,000, we are back to early 90's prices but in a different and I think more stable market.
Followers of e Bay and other sites like myself will be well aware of what projects, parts and literature sell for and I am firmly of the view now that any complete 2 litre car is worth at least £20,000 , the sad fact being that if it does not make that complete it will do broken for spares.
The V8 market is interesting, the big money seemed to be following the 410's and 411's but now some 408's are being advertised for serious money, are they worth it absolutely, as the former owner of a 408 a 410 and the current owner of a 411 and 603 and with absolutely no apologies for ruffled feathers, like the 410 the 408's are better built than the later cars and like all Bristol cars have that character that defines them as being part of the family but with their own unique characteristics,
Another wall flower along with the 412 is the 603, mine is a 603E and I have to say what a great all round car it is, several friends have suggested I buy a later model and several times over the last year I have been tempted but after careful thought I can't see the point, I would jump at a later model if I didn't have the 603 but as they are all variations of the original design I will stick with the original car, if it was not right first time it must have been pretty close to endure for so many years.
The 412 is again a car side lined by many but appreciated by a discerning band of customers, this ensured another long but limited production run, I would love to own one but unexpected problems prevented me following up a potential purchase earlier this year , maybe one day, lets face it what else offers open top motoring in a true old school GT package that won't bust the bank to maintain like an Aston , Ferrari or Maserati etc .
Restorations costs as everyone knows are high,specialists can charge upwards of £80 to a £100 hr plus, my bought in work costs me substantially less, my own time is free!! , if you can manage a project directly the viability can shift dramatically.
If you can weld and paint even more so,a Bristol is an excellent project and they are so well made they don't have to be ripped apart to make a car capable of lasting for years to come and providing one of the best post war driving experiences.
What makes me uneasy in the current market is if you sell can you buy what you want, so in future nothing is for sale only swaps!
The 401 we are currently working on when dragged out of a field about 40 years ago cost me less than some restores charge per hour.
How times have changed, it's all relative of course but at the next election I will only vote for the party that increases pensions for old timers with old cars to support!

[Bobbyweaf]

Thanks Geoff, an interesting topic. I have been a Bristol owner for 47 years and have always been amazed that Bristol's have never been really collectible and the values have only gone up a little in relative terms.

However, over the last few years there has been a surge in prices, so they are catching up. In the end no doubt the genuine Bristol enthusiasts will be unable to buy as those with more money than sense will hop on the Bristol bandwagon.

My own reasonable 401 is now insured for a guaranteed £45,000 but it wouldn't matter if it was worth 10 times that as only the Grim Reaper and ill health will get me to part with my 401. Incidentally, my first 401 in 1968 costs me £225, at a time when a new cylinder head complete with running gear was just £89.50! I wish!!!!!

[Geoff Kingston]

Totally agree with your sentiments on this, all the 2 litre cars I have were bought in the 70's and early 80's, by the end of that decade the classic car boom and Bristol prices were pricing me out of the market and for years the cars sat for that reason, later other distractions came along but the sale of a 403 and its replacement with a 603 project made me resolve to do something to redress the situation. Early retirement has helped as well, more time but less money! but at least there is no time to get bored, I always felt I only worked to pay the garage bills anyway!
Last weekend several enjoyable hours passed reading again some of the BOC bulletins from that period, cheap cars, cheap parts and talk of MG pistons, Alfa and Ford bearings and clutches finding their way on to and in to our cars, I have the 1968 Motor Sport advert for the 401 we are doing now, BRG perfect condition spare cylinder head all for £150, eight years later when we dragged it out of a field in Gloucester it had fallen on hard time with a terminally frost damaged and dismantled engine and badly repainted yellow and I paid £120, must have been mad.
The fact that it has just cost about 10 times that to complete the necessary welding repairs on the chassis makes me think it wasn't such a bad buy after all and the years of neglect gathering dust have actually helped to preserve it . If the worst happened and it had to be sold at least I would get back more money than I would have say 5 years ago, problem is a few years down the line I probably would not be able to afford to replace it so it will be another one not for sale and anyway after all the fun and effort of getting the old girl back on the road I want to enjoy it.