Lots of sun, parts and good mood
By: André de Groot
The International Autojumble on 8 and 9 September 2012 will go down as one of the most visited jumbles since the auto jumbles started 46 years ago. This certainly has to do with the weather forecast: good weather was announced days before, so many thought it was a good reason to come to Beaulieu after the numerous failed fairs in England this summer with bad weather. Many foreigners, who had discussed boat & overnight accommodation months before, come anyway when there is a rain, but a category of English decides to come when the weather is nice.
There was a mouth-watering offer: connoisseurs who had been coming for years looked up at the variety and presence of many parts that are normally more difficult to obtain. The stands were set up tightly and the last free spot was sold out weeks before the fair - the organization had nevertheless managed to create a few extra places. Especially on Saturdays it was busy: it took until long after closing time, because the traders were there anyway and the enthusiasts couldn't get enough of it.
The range was also very large at the Automart and Dealerermart; there was everything in between: from a very old Peugeot (Peugeot 402 - 1937) to cars without any defect or rust spot of a few years old. Remarkable was a Jaguar from 1999 for less than 2000 pounds, which looked amazingly good (with the steering wheel on the right). Also a Maserati sports car for less than 18.000 pounds as the asking price. These are cars that give modern driving pleasure. De Dealermart had an offer that was larger in size than in previous years.
The Bonhams auction was one that was special. The entire collection of the Exmoor Classic Car Museum was sold, which included 10 cars, 13 engines and various automobilia, the top pieces of which were an 1927 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster (£ 149,340 = approx. € 184.000), an 1972 Ferrari 'Dino' 246GTS Spider (£ 144,860 = approx. € 179.000) and an 1923 Rolls Royce 20hp Doctor's Coupe (£ 57,500 = approx. € 71.300).
More than 93% of the material on offer was sold at the Bonhams auction for a total price of more than £ 2,6 million (= approx. € 3,2 million). Due to the open side panels of the immense tent, the auction could be followed by everyone from outside, which also gave a beautiful view of all the cars and motorcycles on offer.
A portion of the red field was reserved on Sunday for trunk sales. Although the separate field was not full, there were fortunately a few dozen amateurs who had filled their car with all the stuff they wanted to get rid of. It resulted in a number of happy people who found what they were looking for.
This time again a prize was awarded for best stand. The prize consists of a free stand at the next September auto jumble and will be handed out by Lord Montagu. It was a deserved winner: AC Carburetters. The stand was set up as a wartime pub with an ambulance with wounded soldiers and all sales personnel dressed in the style of WWII - the time the company was founded. Some stands start to take part in this game, which means an enrichment in presentation, but for the most part we still find the organized “mess” of the past, a feast for the eyes - in many stands this disorganization is purely superficial asks for a part and the exhibitor knows exactly where it is.
Many visitors to the car jumble went to take a look at the Bond-in-Motion exhibition with the 50 vehicles from the last 50 year of Bond films. The exhibition is still there until the beginning of January, after which we certainly have to wait a long time for a similar presentation.
The number of Dutch stands was quite large in this episode: there is even careful information about the possibilities of a "Holland street" - Beaulieu will certainly try to take into account the specific wishes of the exhibitors.
The number of non-English stands is on the rise: the fair is becoming more well-known among collectors, partly due to the good atmosphere, and both the number of non-English visitors and exhibitors has been increasing steadily in recent years. Coincidentally a Dutch lady was spotted who bought a saxophone on Saturday morning - there are many special items among the rest!
The jumble is planned for next year for 7 and 8 September 2013, but it is recommended to check the Beaulieu site regularly to see if the date is still the same (www.beaulieu.co.uk). For those who can't wait that long, there's the spring jumble on 18 and 19 in May 2013.