Perhaps it was the change of name that did it, for a breezy, but mostly sunny weekend provided an almost perfect backdrop for this year’s Spring AutoJumble, held in the Beaulieu parkland over last weekend, 14th & 15th May. Attendance figures of 13,922 were just ahead of last year’s total and the third best figures since the show’s inception in 1994. Sunday is traditionally the quieter day of this two day show but this year, visitor numbers were split evenly between the two days.
Although there were slightly less cars for sale in the Mart, autojumble stands were up by 40, giving an overall total of 1056, which exactly matched last year’s figure. The number of car clubs was also up 25% on 2010 with 46 clubs attending. The steady increase in stand bookings for this show, year on year, is very encouraging with a number of stand holders declaring it a fantastic show and very good value compared with other similar shows. Exhibitors, particularly those travelling some distance, also appreciated the extra procedures put in place this year to speed up vehicle entry in and out of the showground at the end of the event,
Trading over the weekend was good with plenty of sales for exhibitors, and buyers finding the prices reasonable on the vast majority of stands. The free service offering delivery of large items to the exit collection point was also well used. Although not as well known for overseas visitors as the September AutoJumble, quite a number of European voices were to be heard, possibly taking advantage of the continuing strong Euro against the pound.
There was the usual good mix of vehicles for sale in the MotorMart, including several bargains such as a special edition Oldsmobile Cutlass and an MGB GT, both with an asking price of £1,500, and a restoration project 1979 Triumph Spitfire for £600. A reluctant sale was a 1969 Herbie Beetle, offered for sale at £6,950, to fund a Hot Rod project.
Among the more expensive offerings were a 1998 Bentley Arnage for £23,500, a 1935 Alvis Firebird at £30,000, a Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona replica with a Jaguar V12 engine for £26,950 and a 1929 Packard Roadster with a full re-build of its engine for £55,000.
Among other classics on offer were a 1959 Austin Healy BN4 with original features, looking for offers around £16,000, a 1964 Chevy C10 long-bed truck, complete with a gun rack in the cab, for £6,250 and, with an asking price of £12,500, a 1973 Triumph Stag with only 28,200 miles on the clock as it had been stored in a garage for 26 years by its previous owner. Commercial vehicles included a 1972 ambulance which has appeared in a number of films including Made in Dagenham, a 1971 Morris Minor van in concours condition and with period extras, for £9,995 and a 1946 Bedford flat bed lorry for £12,000.
Sunday trading was given a boost with the addition of the Sodbury Sortout with over 80 Land Rover stand holders arriving for their one day event. It was the Sortout’s third visit to Beaulieu and was declared by Sortout organiser, Jim Wilkie to be another great success. Stand numbers for the other popular Sunday feature, Trunk Traders, were a little down this year but still brought a welcome injection of new stock to the field.
For the second time at this event, a Best Stand trophy was awarded. It was donated by Lolly Starnes in memory of her father, Terry Lee, a man dedicated to automobilia who spent his life searching for rare items of interest. The Best Stand was chosen by show sponsors, Classics Monthly, and went to Colin Vincent for his stand selling a huge range of automobilia. Colin and his wife Carole are very worthy winners, having had a stand at every International Autojumble since the event’s first year in 1967 and every Spring Autojumble too.
Classics Monthly editor, Gary Stretton praised the stand for its variety of stock. He said:” the stand is intriguing to the eye and is always worth checking over for that hidden gem that we are all searching for.” A lot of Colin’s stock has come from the automobilia museum he used to run in St Austell, Cornwall, and ranges from veteran items to the 1960s. A delighted Colin received his award from Lord Montagu. In addition to the trophy, he will also receive a free stand at the next Spring event.
On their stand, show sponsor, Classics Monthly Magazine, launched Project MGB and began work on this six month project to re-build the car. You can follow the project in the magazine over the next six months, after which one lucky reader will have the chance to own it. There were also a number of Classics readers’ cars on display as well as one of the first diesel Land Rovers from 1957, towing a classic caravan, which recently featured in the magazine.
The date of the 2012 Spring AutoJumble is 19th & 20th May.
