Motoring News

Exhibitors and visitors to the May Motormart AutoJumble have become accustomed to rather stormy weather in recent years so to have a favourable forecast and be greeted with fine balmy weather for the start of the show was a most welcome change.  Sunday did see the return of a chill wind but the rain held off and the sun even made an appearance at the end of the day. Attendance figures of 13,914 were a little down on last year’s bumper total of 14,275 but still made it the third best figures since the show’s inception in 1994. Given the current economic climate it was a very pleasing result.

Stand spaces also matched last years numbers with 862 stands and 194 vehicles in the MotorMart, giving a grand total of 1056, one more than 2009. Although not as well known for overseas visitors as the September AutoJumble there were lots of Irish and European voices to be heard, possibly taking advantage of the strong Euro against the pound.

Trading over the weekend was good with plenty of sales for exhibitors and buyers finding the prices very reasonable on the vast majority of stands. The free service offering delivery of large items to the visitor car parks was also in high demand.

The show’s MotorMarque feature this year celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the Triumph Stag. Members of the Stag Owners Club put on a display of their vehicles to showcase the marque. At the close of the show each of the owners was presented with a commemorative gift by Lord Montagu.

There was a good mix of vehicles for sale in the MotorMart, with sellers reporting lots of interest and several vehicles sold by the close of the show.  Side by side were an attractive 1930s Model A Ford for £18,000, a red 1960 Buick Electra 225 4-door pillarless saloon and a 1956 Oldsmobile Holiday in cream and turquiose. A Dunsmore ‘Jaguar’ Racing Special had an asking price of £26,995.  Just 13-15 were originally built, all to individual specifications, with only 8/9 now remaining in the UK. One owner, Steve Pike, had driven his 1967 left-hand drive Ford Cortina to the show from Sweden and was planning to buy something else to get home in if his reached its asking price of £2,575.

Among other classics on offer were a 1959 Austin Healy 100/6 looking for offers over £22,000, a Series ll E-Type Jaguar for £28,500, a Noble M12 GT03 in Lamborghini Gold for £21,950 and an 1955 Alvis TC100 Grey Lady in 2-tone blue for £8,500. Smaller cars were represented by a 1937 Morris 8, fully restored, for £4,500, a 1954 split-screen Morris Minor for £3,999 and for someone looking for a restoration project, an Austin 7 RP Box with an asking price of £4,250.

Sunday trading was given a boost with the addition of the Sodbury Sortout with over 100 Land Rover stand holders arriving for their one day event.  It was the Sortout’s second visit to Beaulieu and was declared by Sortout organiser, Jim Wilkieto be another great success.  Stand numbers for the other popular Sunday feature, Trunk Traders, were a little down this year but still brought a welcome injection of new stock to the field.

For the first time at this event, a Best Stand trophy was awarded.   The trophy was donated by Lolly Starnes in memory of her father, Terry Lee, a man dedicated to automobilia who spent his life searching for rare items of interest. He owned several vintage vehicles and also restored a Foden steam lorry.  The Best Stand, chosen by show sponsors, Classics Monthly, went to Gary Chapman and Keith Robinson for their fine collection of mascots.  The pair have been coming to both the Spring and September Autojumbles for the past fifteen years and were both surprised and delighted to receive their award from Lord Montagu on Sunday afternoon.  They will also receive a free stand at the next Spring event.

Show sponsors, Classics Monthly hosted a variety of activities in their ‘RestorationVillage’ with experts demonstrating their expertise in restoration skills including soda blasting and metal shaping. Among the Readers’ cars on display, one in particular, one of the first diesel Land Rovers from 1957 towing a classic caravan, drew lots of interest. 

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