The second of Hobbs Parker’s three classic car and motorcycle auctions in 2023 offered plenty of choice for bidders with over 100 varied entries

Words: Jeff Ruggles

Hobbs Parker’s July sale took place with a timed online auction beginning at midday on July 26, with the first lots ending 24 hours later. Some of the sale’s most illustrious classics didn’t find homes on this occasion, but that still left numerous highlights. A 1952 MG TD was the top performer as it beat its £14,000–16,000 estimate to see for £16,720, but it wasn’t the only octagon-badged star as another TD sold for £9240 and a neatly restored Midget from 1972 achieved £7260. An MGB roadster from the same year that boasted a comprehensive history also found a buyer, looking good value at £6600.

Fellow Brits with a more practical slant were a 1957 Austin A35 Van that sold for £7700 and a 1964 Morris Minor Traveller, which made £6600. Alongside, there were several sporting prestige options. A 1985 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit that had covered just 51,000 miles and came with a cherished numberplate sold for £7810, with a Crewe stablemate in the shape of a rare Bentley Mulsanne Turbo dating from 1984 making £6490. Offering luxury on a smaller scale was a Vanden Plas 1300 Princess Auto that sold at the top end of its guide for the same £6490 figure, and there was also a 1972 Rover P6 2000 TC that looked a good buy at £6600.

Brits didn’t have it all their own way though. A 1999 Mercedes SLK 230 Kompressor performed well to achieve £10,890, with an R129-generation 300SL showing just 70,000 miles looking excellent value at £6143. A fellow Stuttgart product – specifically a 1990 Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet that had been in the hands of a local Vicar – sold for £7700.

Elsewhere, a yellow 1999 Toyota MR-S (MR2) Mk3 that was once on the Classics World fleet sold for £1870, and excellent performances were put in by a couple of Chevrolet Apache variants that both dated from 1959 – one a pick-up that sold for £16,060, the other a Suburban model that went for £11,110.

Hobbs Parker’s next classic sale takes place on October 18-19. Head to hobbsparker.co.uk for details

  • Remarkably, this 1995 BMW 740i automatic had covered just 14,796 miles from new in the hands of two keepers. As you might expect it was in very good order throughout, and even comes with a fully stocked toolkit. It sold for £8350.
  • There were a trio of Chevrolet Apache variants in the sale, with this pick-up the best performer. Looking superb in red with smart chrome-finish wheels, it changed hands for £16,060.
  • Wearing the registration plate V4 SLK, this 1999 Mercedes SLK 230 Kompressor had been garaged all its life and was described as being as clean as they come. It sold for an impressive £10,890.
  • Looking very smart with its bold red interior, this 1972 MG Midget was subject to a full restoration between 2007-2010 that included a rebuilt engine. It was estimated at £4500-£6500 but managed to sell for £7260.
  • One of two MG TDs in the sale that both dated from 1952, this example had come from a deceased estate and looked to be in very good order throughout. It went on to sell for £16,720.
  • You may remember this JDM-spec 1999 Toyota MR-S (MR2) from its time on our Classics World fleet. Bought by staffer Joe Miller and subsequently treated to a replacement engine, it changed hands for a very reasonable £1870.
  • This 1972 Vanden Plas Princess 1300 was in time-warp condition and even had the tenuous claim to fame of being used to take Clif Richard’s mother to the hairdressers. Supplied with an intriguing history file, it sold for £6490.
  • With only just over 500 cars built, the SZ Series Bentley Mulsanne Turbo is a rare sight. This 1984 example was a bereavement sale and had been in the same family since 1986. It sold for £6490.