Hobbs Parker’s first classic car action of 2022 took place on March 30-31, with a great mix of lots achieving great results

Working to the now-familiar timed online format, the sale offered a great mix of prestige and everyman entries spanning a wide range of eras and budgets, but it was the traditional British classics that really shone.

OK, we’re cheating a little with the first one, because the sale’s headliner was a replica of a great British classic – a Realm Engineering Jaguar C-Type copy to be more specific. Finished in Ecurie Ecosse racing colours, it looked the part and sold for an impressive £41,360. A little newer was a 1998 Jaguar XKR, which looked good value at £9680, as did a late entry 1994 XJS 4.0 Coupe that beat its estimate to sell for £4012. In addition, a 1989 XJS V12 project brought in £4325, with an example of its platform-sharing cousin – a 2001 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage – making £10,450 despite its 125,000 miles and lack of MoT.

More modest in terms of brand profile but still attracting plenty of attention was a pre-war Austin Seven Box Saloon from 1934 that sold for £6050, while leaping forward a couple of decades was an Austin A40 Somerset that had been subject to a full body-off restoration and sold almost at the top of its guide for £6710. Staying in the family, a 1957 A35 restored with some modern features also performed well, surpassing its upper estimate to reach £5060.

Other British cars to find new homes included a pleasingly original 1963 Riley Elf at a tantalising £5060, plus a 1965 Riley 4/72 that changed hands for £3850. There was also a wide selection of Land Rovers in the sale including a very early Series 1, but it was a 1984 One Ten diesel showing just 19,000 miles that impressed most, selling above guide for £13,310.

Non-Brits to make an impact included a 1947 Ford Super De Luxe four-door sedan in fabulous condition, which despite having a seized engine, sold as a straightforward project for £9020. We also liked the looks of an 11,300-mile Volvo 340DL, which was offered with no reserve and made £2970. Staying with Swedish manufacturers, a 1998 Saab 9000 CSE Anniversary looked good value at £1320.

With a wide selection of bikes and memorabilia also in the mix, plus a host of alluring projects including a sub-£1000 Ford Cortina Mk3 estate and a 1956 MG Magnette for just £400, this was a sale that offered plenty of potential for keeping busy ahead of the summer. Talking of which, Hobbs Parker’s next classic car auction will take place in July – see the Hobbs Parker website for details.

  • Subject to a full body-off restoration in the last eight years including a full respray and interior refresh, this 1952 Austin A40 Somerset had been treated to a host of new parts and an MoT until next March. It sold towards the top end of its £6000-£7000 guide for £6710.
  • Just when you thought the days of cheap Mini projects were long gone, along comes this 1978 1000 automatic. From long-term ownership but clearly in need of much restoration work, it sold for just £800.
  • One of four Porsche Boxsters in the sale was this 2001 2.7-litre example showing 87,000 miles. It had been bought by the vendor as a summer car in 2016, but was unused since 2018 and had got damp, hence it was being sold as a non-runner. It was offered with no reserve yet achieved a sale price of £2255.
  • Also amongst the Austin contingent was this 1957 Austin A35, restored with some modern features including a brake servo to make it much more useable in modern traffic. It was estimated at £4200-£4700 but went on to sell for £5060.
  • This 1947 Ford Super De Luxe four-door sedan had been treated to a bare-metal respray and an interior re-trim within the last five years but had sadly suffered a seized engine and was being sold as a project. There was no shortage of folk wishing to pick up the baton though, with it selling for £9020.
  • Showing just 11,300 miles, this 1987 Volvo 340 DL automatic hadn't been on the road since 2000, when the vendor inherited it from his mother-in-law. Offered without reserve, it sold for £2970.
  • A copy of the last three lightweight cars, this Realm Engineering Jaguar C-Type replica boasted a 4.2-litre XJ6 engine running through a Toyota Supra gearbox. It certainly looked the part in Ecurie-Ecosse racing colours and attracted plenty of attention, selling for £41,360 to become the sale's headline act.
  • This 1984 One Ten diesel wasn't the only Land Rover in the sale, but it was the only one to have a rear load bay in immaculate condition. Showing just 19,000 miles, it soared past its £10,000-£12,000 estimate to sell for £13,310.
  • Joining several Minis in the sale was this posh variant – a 1963 Riley Elf. The Almond Green example showed just 60,000 miles and had only had three former keepers. At £5060, it looked a great buy.
  • This Mercedes-Benz W220 S500 was a 2000-registered example from a small collection being sold due to bereavement. It had no service history but was in beautiful condition and sold for £5750 – a whole lot of car for the money.