RHD UK Supplied Super 90 up for grabs

[simon james]

Bonhams have a 356 restoration project in their upcoming London Olympia auction, looks like a very original, if a little sweaty restoration project.
Knowing how Bonhams word their catalogues, we might be about to find out how many RHD Super 90’s were produced.
Before somebody goes off on one about the estimate, I was at Bonhams Beaulieu where I did buy a car, but I also looked at an XK150 “S” project with what I thought was an optimistic estimate, probably twice what I estimated, anyway it made more than a smartly restored lesser model and with premium was almost at lower estimate!
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24881/ ... =10&page=1

[neilbardsley]

Bonhams have a 356 restoration project in their upcoming London Olympia auction, looks like a very original, if a little sweaty restoration project.
Knowing how Bonhams word their catalogues, we might be about to find out how many RHD Super 90’s were produced.
Before somebody goes off on one about the estimate, I was at Bonhams Beaulieu where I did buy a car, but I also looked at an XK150 “S” project with what I thought was an optimistic estimate, probably twice what I estimated, anyway it made more than a smartly restored lesser model and with premium was almost at lower estimate!
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24881/ ... =10&page=1

Seems like quite a lot to pay, plus a massive complete rebuild bill, for having a RHD? Given that most have changed their engine to 1720 and have a different CAM do you think that people really car about the Super 90?

[Ashley James]

People always want and will pay for rare above all else and Super 90s are rare and their engines are different from SC/912 ones.

Unrestored and unmessed with cars are a gift from the gods compared to the alternatives. With these restorers have a hard time rectifying damage and working out how the original cars actually were.

[roy mawbey]

Looked through all the photo's. Yes it looks without doubt very original to its time. But because it does look untouched externally, the important underside has not been shown? Looking at the one shot of the rear seating and rust on rear side panels I hazard a guess the rust is still in place underneath.

At the moment its original but it needs many, no many many hours of work to look presentable. So much welding and so much money to get it look nice. I really like originality still have 60 year old carpets in mine but when you see rusty chrome bezels on instruments it makes you wonder how long was it left probably outside?

The engine with its extra 15 hp over the super version is okay but not so important unless you really always wanted a super 90. Original RHD cars supplied in the UK will carry a premium its just the overall restoration cost that has to be considered and that will not be minimal at all.

Roy

[neilbardsley]

How original will it still be after all the new metal that has to go in, new paint, new interior, new bearing, brake calipers, new pistons, crank, rods etc?

[simon james]

Neil, as an example, there are lots of 850 minis out there that are built to far greater power potential than an original Cooper “S” ever was, However they are not a Cooper “S” and this will always be reflected in their desirability and subsequent difference in value...

Oh and this car hasn’t sold yet, it might bomb at auction and sell for £5k.

[Bootsy]

I’ll have it for £5k

[Winston Teague]

I really like it, but it's a T6 so i don't love it. It is honest. Not pretending to be anything other than a project, that is right to start with. I'd love mine to be an AFN car, but it isnt! It's Bonhams, the figure doesn't matter unless you are going to try and buy it, and even then what happens on the day could be a mile from what they've put there. W

[Ignatzcatz]

We all know how much money that car will suck up before it gets put back into a decent shape, however I bet that goes for six figures on the day, bought by someone with raging Porsche profit in his mind and rose tinted spectacles on his nose. But at the end of the day at least it will be another one saved.

[oldtimer]

A blast from the past !

Almost exactly 50 years ago to the day in October 1968 I bought a 'one previous owner' RHD Super 90 , built Nov 1962 and supplied by AFN , first registered Jan 1963 . So pretty close to the auction car .

This 6 year old car had been already repainted in Bali Blue over original pale grey-white colour to hide the brown-ness of rust.
Bubbling around headlights ,above horn-grilles , around wing mounted radio aerial , door bottoms , nose of front lid etc. Underneath was not a place to look if you wanted to sleep at night. Tried to jack it up (on its offside jacking point ! ) and sill collapsed.

I paid £630 for it , used it as a daily driver in Cheshire for a few years , crashed it on the A66 near Bowes in 1974, sold it as a non runner project in early 1980's for £4500 (!!) . The timing was good as classic car market had soared and people were restoring cars.
That car is still running today in UK.......

Back to the auction car , it will cost a lot of time and money to put right , by the time it is finished I believe that values for 'average' classic cars will be significantly below where they are now( I think the peak was 18 months ago ). Not an investment for anyone ?

[roy mawbey]

Hey you saw 356 cars like I did in the 1960's when at ten years of age they hardly looked looked like anything of when they were new. I think its amazing I even took took the chance to buy mine then in the 60's. It wouldn't have survived apart from the fact I bought a 356C for around £275- in the 70's and ran that for some years instead of my A which stayed mostly in the garage.

Roy