[Healeys] Market

[Patrick & Caroline Quinn]

G'day

As a case in point about the four-cylinder cars I received the Bonhams
online catalogue this morning for their auction in Brussels on 10 October.
There are four big Healeys listed - a BJ7, two BJ8s and BN1.

The BJ7 is listed to go for 21K to 29K UK Pounds, one BJ8 between 38K to 54K
Pounds, the other BJ8 is 50K to 67K Pounds. The BN1 which is an early car,
but nothing really special except that like all 100s it's Mille Miglia
eligible is between 71K to 88K Pounds. Now go and work that out in your
currency and tell me that the prices of four-cylinder cars are not heading
upwards.

Hoo Roo

Patrick Quinn
Blue Mountains, Australia

-----Original Message-----
From: healeys-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Patrick & Caroline Quinn
Sent: Tuesday, 1 October 2013 5:59 PM
To: 'Randy Hicks'; 'Derek'
Cc: 'AH Mail List'
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Market

Greetings

I keep a close look on the prices of all Healeys and Austin-Healeys that
sell throughout the world. In each issue of our monthly club magazine I
always include a page called Austin-Healey Marketplace.

While it does include cars and spares that are for sale, the vast majority
of it is devoted to what cars are selling for around the world.

I can tell you now that the prices of four-cylinder cars are escalating and
have been doing so for the last 3 to 4 years. Why is it so? Well in my mind
the cars represent an era when cars were uncluttered, were very
straightforward and highly collectable. The AH100 was the epitome of the
period and to prove this just look at the cars of similar design of the
period - note I said similar design - not ethnic origin. So that includes
Siata, Cisitalia, Lancia, Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati. Plus you are far
more likely to have your application accepted in any of the world's classic
rallies if you are driving an Austin-Healey 100.

The only thing about these other marques is that they are now priced out of
the average hands. So where does that leave the four-cylinder AH100? Simple
to maintain, reasonably quick, strikingly good looking and easy to afford.
Sorry to say that the likes of MG, Triumph and Sunbeam, while nice cars are
not in the same financial league.

Like many of the old farts on this list I can remember buying a clapped out
100 in the early '70s for $500, enjoying it for a month and then selling it
for $550. Boy was I smart and so proud of myself. I can also remember
looking at a 1954 Ferrari 212 Inter for $5,000 at the same time.

Now that same 100 is around the $30+K limit, but if it's in anyway decent
think two to three times that amount.

At the recent Bonhams auction at Goodwood two 100s were sold. A older
restored BN1 went for the equivalent of Aus$69K while a late BN1 which was
supposedly fitted with a Le Mans kit during the 1960s and now sporting a
number of Denis Welch improvements(?) went for Aus$114K. A month or so back
a 100 BN1 that sold new in Australia, never restored and still in excellent
condition was shipped to the UK for sale. It went for Aus$204K. At the
Bonhams auction during Monterey Car Week a 100 BN1 went for $108K. The '64
Sebring 3000 went for $376K, but that's a different story.

Two years ago a 100M (yes it was genuine and not one of the 1023 left of the
640 built) sold in Monaco for 155KEuros. If you park two AH100s next to each
other, both in the same condition and one is a BN1 and the other a genuine
BN2. The four-speed 100 will bring 15 to 20% more than the BN1.

So the situation is that the selling price of our cars is escalating, with
the four-cylinder cars more so than the six-cylinder. While all this will
continue for a time, I believe that the next lot of cars to watch are the
Warwick built Healeys and the case in point is the Nash-Healey the cost of
which have gone skyhigh of late. It has taken some years to recognise that
the Nash-Healey was the first post-war American Sports Car. Remember the
Alvis Healey that was on eBay lately? Well a friend contacted the seller and
was told he could have it for US$145K which I think was way too much. I
didn't see if it sold in its second eBay round. I believe that it was worth
around $75 - $80K.

All this is a good thing of course, because for a car to be worth something
you have to have a buyer and seller. My BN3? Honestly I don't care, as it
ain't for sale, but I know what it's has cost me and that to me is what it's
worth. By the way at the Bonhams auction there was one of three going Healey
Duncan Sports Saloons up for auction - I won!

Hoo Roo

Patrick Quinn
Blue Mountains, Australia