- 3,000 lots in total
- Over 230 classic vintage tractors
- 70 vintage motorcycles
- 10 steam engines
- 10 classic cars
- 20 Classic Commercial Vehicles
Cheffins Cambridge Vintage Sale at Sutton, near Ely on the 22nd April 2017 will showcase a number of the world’s most unusual classic cars, motorcycles, tractors and steam engines, available to purchase at auction. Cheffins is Europe’s leading auctioneer of vintage machinery and this is the firm’s largest sale to date.
April’s sale sees the one of the highest number of vintage motorcycles ever consigned to a Cheffins sale, with a total value of over £150,000. With over 70 available to go under the hammer, the highest value motorbike is an incredibly rare 1951 Triumph 6T Thunderbird Bonneville. This bike is actually a national record holder in the 650 M-VG Class held at the 2008 International Speed Trials at Bonneville, it has an estimate of £15,000 - £18,000. Another fine motorcycle is the rare 1927 600cc Scott Super Squirrel, a pre-war water cooled two-stroke twin that can still show a clean pair of heels to much more modern machinery, estimate will be £9,000 - £10,000.
Cheffins will also selling two very early Albion lorries from the same private owner. The first one, the 1916 WD Albion A10 Troop Carrier is the only model in the UK in war department colours in the UK and it has been used in a series of films and TV programmes, including Godzilla, Testament of Youth, Peaky Blinders and Harriet’s Army. It had been used during the war in France and now has an estimate of £38,000 - £40,000. The other, which is a 1920 Albion Model A16 Charabanc was sold new to the New Zealand Government for the use of the High Commissioner. It has also had a TV career, having starred in the TV series Houdini and Doyle last year. This one has an estimate of £65,000 - £70,000.
Of the 230 (and counting) tractors available on the day, the most noteworthy is the 1963 Matbro Mastiff. Of only 20 ever built, this particular machine was the very first to be produced and sold, making it of huge historic significance, it carries an estimate of £40,000 - £50,000. Also on offer will be a virtually untouched, rare County 954 Super-Six which was discovered on a county council farm in Hertfordshire. Dating back to the 1960s, the Super-Six was one of the most powerful tractors on the market at the time and was only in production for two years and this particular machine has an estimate of £12,000 - £15,000. Additionally, some of the most coveted lots are the 23 International tractors which constitute the Dave Boyles Collection and are slated to generate over £80,000. One of the stellar lots will be the International 614 with Roadless front axle conversion. This is the rarest tractor in the collection and it is believed to be one of only five examples of the model ever built. It is expected to make in the region of £12,000-£14,000.
There is also ten steam engines on offer, one of the most important of these is the iconic 1919 Wallis and Steevens Traction Engine. No. 7683, named ‘Eileen the Erring.’ This famous machine took part in the first traction engine races recorded at Nettlebed, Oxon in 1951. It competed against Arthur Napper, the man responsible for the traction engine rally as we know it today. The engine has an estimate of £75,000 - £85,000. There will also be two matching steam engines, ‘Hengist’ and ‘Horsa,’ which have consecutive numbers. Dating back to 1918, the engines have spent their entire 99 years as a pair. They were originally ordered by a G.W. Stephens of Dumbleton, Gloucestershire through the Ministry of Munitions and they were used by the Gloucester War Agricultural Executive Committee. The engines were sold to their current owner, David Hilditch, by Cheffins in 1998. With one restored and the other awaiting work the pre-sale estimate for the pair is £150,000 - £160,000.
Also to be sold will be the remaining items owned by steam enthusiast Colin Knight from the New Forest. These include three steam engines, the rarest being 90 per cent of the parts of a Fowler Class DNA ‘Hercules’ steam tractor from the 1920s which has an estimate of £30,000 - £35,000 but could be worth £140,000 once fully restored. There are three living wagons available, including a 1914 Burrell living van which is known to be one of only three in existence and has an estimate of £8,000 - £10,000.
Of the ten classic cars on offer set to generate the most interest is a 1966 Mini Cooper Mk1. Now at 51 years old, the car is a true classic from the latter part of the 1961 – 1967 production years. This is an increasingly rare and iconic car and it has an estimate of £16,000. There is also a 1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Light Tourer which has a four ¼ litre engine and has been meticulously maintained and carries an estimate of £30,000 - £40,000. The other most notable car is the 1926 Bullnose Morris Cowley. The car has been well maintained and is estimated to make £14,000.
Other items in the sale will include a number of classic commercials, models, countless tractor spares, cast iron seats, enamel signs and literature.
Bill King, Chairman, Cheffins comments:
“This year’s sale is truly exceptional, never before have we had quite so many noteworthy lots at such high values. A number of the items which will be going under the hammer are the rarest examples of their type worldwide and we expect to see hundreds of collectors and enthusiasts on the day. Key lots to watch are the definitely the steam engines and the Albion lorries. Bearing in mind there are only around 3,000 steam engines actually in existence it is amazing to be selling ten on the same day. This really will be a landmark sale for us.”
The sale will take place on the 22nd April, at Cheffins Machinery Sale Ground, Sutton, Ely, CB6 2QT. For more information please visit www.cheffins.co.uk, or call Cheffins auctioneers on 01353 777767.