The renaissance of pre-war cars, or not?
11/07/2017
Several very old cars have surprised us at the auctions in recent days. They were sold well above expectations and in some cases achieved really high prices.
At the London to Brighton Run, for example , Bonhams was able to sell 92 percent of the vehicles on offer that were built before 1905 at prices that in some cases were double the estimate.
And shortly afterwards , Artcurial in Paris also had some pre-war cars on offer that sold for unexpectedly high sums. And we are not primarily talking about fast racing cars from the 1930s, but about cars that were built in the first decades of automobile production.
Is the renaissance of (early) pre-war vehicles now underway? Are they now all increasing in value (again)? Is there a new following for such cars that is causing valuations to rise?
One should not jump to conclusions. But at a time when the individual history of a car is becoming increasingly important and buyers are increasingly looking for vehicles that can be used for particularly prestigious occasions, the appreciation of these early cars is also increasing, but only for those that fit the bill. The majority of very old cars will probably continue to languish because neither a legendary history nor an entry ticket to the London to Brighton event will entice them.
But, as has often been said, you should buy an old car out of pleasure and enthusiasm, not as an investment. And old cars in particular can still show you what the dawn of individual mobility really felt like back then.
