What happened to the cars from the 2003 Gaydon auction?

[trigger]

I've just came across this interesting feature over on ARonline about the auctioning of 67 Heritage museum exhibits back in 2003, they made some pretty impressive prices at the time too like the £6500 for the last ever (at the time) Maestro or the £8000 for the Mini 30.

 

It seems a shame that so many important AR cars went that day, does anybody know what happened to any of them in the last 11 years?. 

 

http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/events/events-gaydon-sale-of-cars/

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

The cutaway 214GSi appeared on eBay a couple of years later, it was being sold for spares and was in disrepair, IIRC. I'd be surprised if it wasn't scrapped. 

[Lord Sterling]

Many of the cars were sold off to private buyers/collectors. No one knows where they are now. Sadly, some of the cars might not have faired well. The cutaway 200 may have been scrapped as no one seemed to want it, and the very last Austin Ambassador, A500KWK, in great condition when sold is/was sitting outside a house with a smashed rear screen slowly deteriorating away, or at least it was when AlexG spotted it some years ago.

 

When it was put up for sale:

 

 

When AlexG spotted it:

 

from this thread: The great Cortina hunt, a sad, true story

[Angrydicky]

Alexg told me that A500 KWK has now been moved into the owner's back garden and is hopefully undercover. Judging by his other cars the owner is obviously a BL enthusiast but it's a shame A500 was left outside for so long with no back window.

[RedSparrow]

Slightly depressing.

I was more concerned about those prototypes that someone posted photos of that were sitting out the back of Gaydonn exposed to the elements. I'll try and find the thread.

 

EDIT: This lot: http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/concepts/rover-concepts/p8p9/news-rover-p8-breaks-cover-at-hmc/

[NorfolkNWeigh]

That cutaway P6 on Denovos looks as if an afternoons work would have had it on the road. The other non Meccano cutaways may have been more of a challenge, but presumably the lack of rot would have made the effort and stitching together worth it.

[minolman]

Hmm, as two people I know well that work in museums would say, "Never NEVER give anything to a museum".

[scruff]

I seem to think some of the LRs went through Dunsfold and then sold on - certainly the 100" auto prototype was there coz I drove it. 

 

http://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/gallery.php

[dollywobbler]

Think Rimmer Brothers have got the cutaway Discovery 1 now. Was a shame they sold them off but as mentioned, much worse that they repeatedly left cars outside. I remember the Montego signed by everyone who built it being one of those. Permanent marker sadly isn't that permanent if you leave a car outside for weeks on end...

[Angrydicky]

If you ever go to the Gaydon museum you have to look at the Austin 16 that was the millionth Austin produced at Longbridge. It was signed by everyone who built it in pencil, so the signatures have faded a lot, but because it's never been on the road it really is the most incredible timewarp I've ever seen, especially the interior. It even had the original number plates in the back (something like GOF 100) that had never been screwed on.

[trigger]

I'm going away for a few days in March to the Cotswolds and won't be far from Gaydon so I'm planning on taking another visit again as it's been a few years since i last went.

[RobT]

I'm sure the cutaway Rover 214 has survived as I recall seeing it at an indoor show a couple of years ago on the 200/400 owners club stand.

[Lord Sterling]

I honestly hope so Rob. I remember when it was up for sale a few years back, it wasn't up for that much either.

 

Regarding what others have said here is the reason for my rant recently in Dugong's Volvo Museum thread (sorry Jon). They certainly know how to look after and preserve thier cars on the continent, we don't. Our former automotive industry is like a stain that is trying to be got rid of and now it seems they are trying to get rid of the remnants/memories of this too. FPB7 is right, there does seem to be very little real investment for Museums, and they are really fighting a losing battle. I really honestly wonder how long Gaydon and its exhibits have left.

[Asimo]

The whole country has been run by people who value nothing but money for at least 50 years.

[Junkman]

That Cameron Green P6 base unit with the Mango interior was sold on Ebay not long ago, still in pristine condition.

IIRC it was a police garage mechanic apprentice instruction thingy.

I think it is now owned by a collector in the Glasgow area.

 

Here are some pics saved from the Ebay auction:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My last information is that it is in storage and hasn't changed.

[ShiteRider]

As my old grandma would say " They know the price of everything, but the value of nothing"

[Junkman]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, is the big lime green spring behind the wheel part of the suspension?

If it is, is there a diagram showing how P6 suspension works as that set up doesn't make sense to me. I had imagined it to be something like a Range Rover.

Welcome to the Magical P6 Circus.

 

Front suspension:

 

 

 

And just in case this is not mind-boggling enough for you, this is the rear axle set-up:

 

 

 

The mango trim looks lovely, it's a great combination with the great bodywork.

I bid you Mango and Mexico brown:

 

 

Outshites Mango and Cameron green by not a narrow margin.

[red5]

It is the road spring - imagine a Macpherson strut mounted horizontally, actuated by a bell crank.

 

[red5]

Meh, hardly mind boggling. 

 

The rear axle looks more complicated because of the De Dion tube set up, but hardly Rocket Scienceâ„¢

[HillmanImp]

I honestly hope so Rob. I remember when it was up for sale a few years back, it wasn't up for that much either.

 

Regarding what others have said here is the reason for my rant recently in Dugong's Volvo Museum thread (sorry Jon). They certainly know how to look after and preserve thier cars on the continent, we don't. Our former automotive industry is like a stain that is trying to be got rid of and now it seems they are trying to get rid of the remnants/memories of this too. FPB7 is right, there does seem to be very little real investment for Museums, and they are really fighting a losing battle. I really honestly wonder how long Gaydon and its exhibits have left.

 

I agree but you have to wonder how many people actually want to go and see a cutaway Rover 214, let alone pay for the privilege. I know I would but I am most definitely in the minority. If there was enough interest all these could be preserved. 

 

They may become interesting to the general public in 20yrs but someone has to store them all that time and quite frankly who can be arsed. The people with the money and space to do so can buy something like a Jensen Interceptor to put in their heated barn for 20 years which will impress the friends more than an Austin Ambassador and almost certainly grow in value more. Shame really.

[Junkman]

Meh, hardly mind boggling. 

 

The rear axle looks more complicated because of the De Dion tube set up, but hardly Rocket Scienceâ„¢

The mind-boggling bit is that they actually mass produced this when they did it.

[tooSavvy]

red5

 

The spring load/force going into the 'door frame' - want of a better phrase - is that why we have comments, on here, that if its 'rusty'... its a gonner?

 

TS

[red5]

Yes, to create a large, uniform shaped engine bay.

 

For a jet engine.

[red5]

red5

 

The spring load/force going into the 'door frame' - want of a better phrase - is that why we have comments, on here, that if its 'rusty'... its a gonner?

 

TS

 Yep. Shame - it can be repaired.

[Junkman]

The turbine engine story will unfortunately never die, however, it was not the reason for this suspension setup.

 

The reasoning was multi-fold:

 

- the bulkhead being the stiffest part of the shell is taking the majority of the load

- the inner wings are relatively unstressed and can thus be shaped into defined crumple zones

- the steering gear and linkage is directly ahead of the windscreen, thus eliminating the need of a collapsible steering column, the steering column is really less than a foot long and won't be pushed into the car even in the most severe of frontal impacts

- the road shocks are transformed into a horizontal movement, thus are less prone to lead to vertical movements of the car on uneven road surfaces

 

The front end ahead of the bulkhead had to be severely altered for the turbine prototype and later also for the V8. The V8 engine will not fit into the engine bay of 4 cylinder cars.

[holbeck]

ISTR that the jet powered P6 is still in the Gaydon collection.

 

I was at that auction, with the intention of buying something. Mainly it was memorable because my other half had a roaring hangover and just sat down in a corner of the yard amongst the cars whilst I mooched about.

 

I was in the main auction room, but so many people wished to attend that a second room was available with a sound link and a second auctioneer. When bidding ran out of steam in the main room, a disembodied voice would call out 'bidding here sir!' (it became a

catchphrase in our house).

I went to bid on the (Ahem) V8 Sherpa coupe, I bid on it, my hand kept going up, even past the limit I set for myself. Then I was

the high bidder.... going once.... going twice... It this point I started having an 'oh sh1t' moment 'I've got it. I've bloody got it'........

 

Going three....."bidding here Sir" new bidder, I chucked one more in, but another bidder came in and it zoomed away.

With 20/20 hindsight I'm glad it did. I had a lucky escape. I had the red mist about owning a V8 MGB at the time (I'm cured now).

 

Oh, the high bidder on that car? acknowledged at the sale to be on behalf of MG-Rover.

 

The post script to all this, when MG-R collapsed, I did contact the administrators about this car, and they had no trace of it.

 

Unless somebody knows better?

[Alexg]

When AlexG spotted it:

 

from this thread: The great Cortina hunt, a sad, true story

 

 

 

Alexg told me that A500 KWK has now been moved into the owner's back garden and is hopefully undercover. Judging by his other cars the owner is obviously a BL enthusiast but it's a shame A500 was left outside for so long with no back window.

 

Yes I posted a note, as polite and well written as possible so not to sound like a Hiab owner, asking as to the guys intentions and offering the Ambassador a safe home. He phoned and we had a chat, but explained that it wasn't for sale. He soon moved it to the back of his property where he apparently has a fair bit more BL chod.

 

He bought it from the auction, and apparently it was no where near as good as it looked when at Gaydon.

[red5]

'Jet engine' was a joke...hence the use of 'jet engine'....perhaps slightly too geeky then.

 

The transmission, or reduction thereof, of road shocks to the body/chassis in a vertical plane has led to all manner of 'innovative/odd' suspension systems over the years in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the pitching effect on poor road surfaces.

 

And so you can fit a square jet engine in it. 

[Junkman]

He bought it from the auction, and apparently it was no where near as good as it looked when at Gaydon.

A lot of that stuff was/is much worse than it looked/looks.

I happen to know where the last ever built P6 ended up after it also was sold out of the Heritage trust.

Despite looking fairly decent and only having traveled 6k or so miles, the car is not roadworthy and likely never again will be.

A lot of the stuff was rather mercilessly shifted around without any proper maintenance. Just exhibition pieces, the mechanics were totally neglected. In the end it all comes down to the green.

[Junkman]

'Jet engine' was a joke...hence the use of 'jet engine'....perhaps slightly too geeky then.

 

The transmission, or reduction thereof, of road shocks to the body/chassis in a vertical plane has led to all manner of 'innovative/odd' suspension systems over the years in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the pitching effect on poor road surfaces.

 

And so you can fit a square jet engine in it. 

 

Pun understood. All I can say is that in the V8s there is room for more. A 351 Ford should fit. Or a Flux Capacitor. Or a Warp Drive. The front suspension setup reminds me of some F1 cars built in the 80s, although they did it primarily to reduce unsprung weight.

 

The true reason for Rover doing what they did is IMO "because we can", which for me is the best reason of EVAH.