2020 Shannons Sydney Summer auction
I went to preview the 2020 Shannons Sydney Summer Auction today. If you had a budget of about $20-$35,000 AUD, there are a lot of interesting cars to choose from. Shannons do a pretty good job of finding a good variety of cars for each of their auctions – both in price range and types of car. They are a bit more picky than other firms such as Lloyds or Grays Online.
This auction also had a large number of the numeric numbers plates at massive prices. I’ve never seen the appeal of these.
Any fans of big German coupes, with a budget of $15-$20,000 will have three good choices at the auction. Lot 33, a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280CE looked like a really nice example. I’ve seen 280CE’s that were far worse being advertised (but not selling) for significantly more. The 280CE is an underrated car and doesn’t command much of a premium on the sedan for some strange reason. I doubt that will last.
Next is Lot 34, A 1973 Mercedes-Benz 350SLC. This SLC is finished in a lovely period colour, with some of the nice early touches like a small mirror on the drivers side only and front radio antenna. The wheels are particularly ugly, but a set of original wheels or even Pentas would have the car looking a lot better for a reasonable outlay. I would also remove the aftermarket chrome wheel arches. I did on my 450SLC.
Finally for the more sporting driver is Lot 35 – a 1986 BMW 635CSi. This car is equipped with the preferable manual transmission and provides a good alternative to the Mercedes-Benz models. This E24 6 Series is one of the best looking models they ever made.
Another car that stood out to me is Lot 53 – The 1926 Frazer-Nash. This was one of the more expensive cars on display with a range of $130-$150,000. It has the chain drive that these early Frazer-Nash cars are well known for.
I also admired Lot 59, The 1941 Packard 120. While the 120 is a ‘Junior’ Packard, it is still superior to most other cars from that time with its straight eight motor, high build quality and period interior. This car has not been over-restored like many and things like a leather interior added. Many Packards have big limo bodies on them befitting their high purchase price, but this 120 has a smaller coupe body that would be much nicer to drive.
At the Auction was a Maserati Kyalami (lot 69), which looks like the one I had stored in my garage a couple of years ago. As there were so few right hand drive cars, I suspect it is. The Maserati sounded amazing as it drove in to storage.
Finally some interesting cars included a Jaguar MKII 2.4 with great patina and a reasonable $15-$20,000 range; A Rolls Royce Silver Spirit III, imported from Japan, a beautifully restored Riley RMB and a 1936 Jaguar SS project car. I think of all of the cars at the 2020 Shannons Sydney Summer auction , I would have the Packard.
