[ MONTH IN CARS ] Barn finds
Final-year, very original condition Eighties 911 with low miles not moved for 14 years
Desirable late K-series 911 first registered in 1989
This silver 1989 ‘C16’ – and UK-supplied – Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 would already be a desirable car even without its modest mileage and highly original barn-fresh condition. The final year of production for the 3.2-litre Carrera was 1989, which had evolved in stages directly from the first 911 of 1963. The 964 generation, launched to replace it, was heavily revised and rather different technologically under the skin.
The back of a barn – no place for a 911
This car has spent the last 14 years in a stone barn in Northamptonshire, and was used sparsely even before that, covering only 476 miles since 2006. It was first registered in May 1989 on an F-plate, passing through five owners before being acquired by the last long-term keeper in October 2002. This owner maintained a busy career in the law and never found much time to enjoy the car, putting it away in 2011. It hasn’t been started or driven since, and with his death earlier this year, it came to market with Iconic Auctioneers at its sale at the Supercar Fest event at Sywell Aerodrome near Northampton on 17 May.
Factory-spec black leather with white piping good
Showing just 40,308 miles (very likely genuine from past MoTs, but the history file has sadly been misplaced at the time of writing), the car certainly appears very original, apparently retaining its factory paint, panels, carpets, headlining and interior trim, with the correct jack and tool kit present too. Specified in 980/ S7 Silver Metallic with a white-piped black leather interior and wearing black-centred Fuchs alloy wheels, this 911 ticks a lot of boxes for aficionados of the last of a long running family.
Misplaced history but mileage thought genuine
This Carrera 3.2’s status as a late K-series example, equipped with the much friendlier Getrag G50 gearbox that was introduced in 1987, added yet more appeal – though with so long in storage, the recommissioning costs could be significant. This was perhaps reflected in Iconic’s modest auction guide price of £20,000-£25,000, which was nonetheless very comfortably exceeded to an on-day auction sale price of £76,500.
Only 476 miles since 2006, stored since 2011
Original 980/S7 Silver Metallic paint and Fuchs alloys
Boatyard Landie makes a splash
This 1955 Land Rover Series 1 pick-up spent the last 20 years in storage at a boat yard on the Avon in Warwickshire, and despite its cobwebbed and dusty appearance, it sold for £17,438 at H&H’s Imperial War Museum sale in April. There were strong factors in its favour, beyond the natural charm of a working vehicle preserved in its original environment.
Happily, this Landie hasn’t sunk without a trace
First, extensive chassis repairs took place before internment, when the car was also repainted grey. Secondly, it had been started on an annual basis throughout its time in dry storage and so any worries about a seized or faulty engine were alleviated. Indeed, it may have been no more than a good wash away from returning to service.
First full year of sturdier ‘spread-bore’ 2.0-litre petrol engine
In one family for its entire life, the services this 107in pick up performed included towing 30-40ft sightseeing river cruisers through the middle of Stratford-on-Avon to the boatyard for repairs. This resulted in a fairly meagre mileage of 53,852, another factor in its favour, while the RNX 15 registration plate – a Warwickshire number – represented the icing on the cake. If further recommendation were needed, this 1955 example was the first full year of production for the sturdier, better-cooled ‘spread bore’ version of Rover’s 2.0-litre petrol engine. Highly desirable, all round.
Annual starts means no engine seizure
Meagre miles under single-family ownership
Long-stored, vinyl-nose Lotus rescued in Edinburgh
Stripped bonnet a big clue to Elan’s past
We’ve all seen cars with vinyl roofs, but what about a vinyl nose? That was the puzzle that faced Richard Hamer of Edinburgh when he collected an unusual 1968 Lotus Elan +2 from a gentleman in West Lothian and took it home to see just what he’d bought.
‘It’s got most of the paint stripped off on the bonnet and surrounding areas,’ says Richard, ‘which I assumed at first was someone’s effort to start preparing the car ahead of a respray. But then I noticed the chrome strips along the top of the wings, which isn’t an Elan +2 feature, and saw there was a small fragment of black vinyl sticking out from one spot.’
Damaged twin-cam laid up Lotus in 1994
The reason for the car’s long lay-up – off the road since 1994, Richard has since discovered – appeared to be engine related, as the Lotus twin-cam was removed from the car and dismantled. So, what’s the story?
‘A previous owner revealed that it seized and suffered a bent con rod in 1994, but before that, it had suffered an engine fire that damaged the bonnet. The then-owner ran a bus garage in Dundee, where the mechanics fixed it by sticking roofing felt under the bonnet and black vinyl above, and some photos have survived to prove it. Should I paint it yellow, or replace the vinyl? The look is growing on me!’
Five-decade plus interior has held up well
Elan rescued from West Lothian resting place
Vinyl added to bonnet after previous fire
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