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-   -   Mick O'Malley's - Tribute A352 - "D Type" (https://madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6083)

Mister Towed 24th August 2018 18:10

Oh dear. Bloody ebay should charge the buyer under those circumstances, not the seller. It's just too easy for timewasters to, well, waste your time, without facing any real penalty.

Better luck next time - an ebay classified ad is fixed cost so if your 'buyer' doesn't come up with the money it doesn't cost you anything.

IanA 24th August 2018 19:41

Sorry to hear that, Mick but why are we not surprised?

Any auction where the buyer can get away without at least paying a deposit is a risky venture.

Lucky@LeMans 24th August 2018 23:31

Sorry to hear about your sale falling through. I have given up using the auction format on ebay for the same reason. The "classified" style of advert works much better. Your advertised price is your starting point and will only attract genuine enquiries. Genuine buyers will want to view a specialist car prior to purchase anyway and the auction format often doesn't allow enough time for potential customers to do that. The classified adverts run for a month.

Mick O'Malley 26th August 2018 08:33

A New Tack
 
Firstly, many thanks for the commiserations, a bit of sympathy goes a long way :).

Sat at home Friday morning wondering whether to go through with another tedious and depressing sale/no sale saga and decided against it. Picked up the 'phone and spent £118 re-insuring the A352, reasoning that I could continue down the For Sale notice route at upcoming events at a bargain price.

Yesterday was the Gloucester Retro Festival. A friend had told me that he was unable to take his 50s Sunbeam along to display and offered me his ticket. Gloucester retains its medieval cross layout, with the four streets named after the main compass points. For the festival, one is 40s and before; one 50s; one 60s; and the other 70s to date.

So at 0800, wearing my white racing overalls, cheesecutter cap and shirt and tie I fired up the 352 and pootled the mile or so to my first come, first served slot near the pedestrianised cross. The Royalists laid siege to Gloucester in the civil war and I soon discovered how the Parliamentarians must have felt, with the fine weather bringing out the GBP in hordes. I fielded so many questions during my nine hours at the car's side that I was hoarse by the end of the day. More than a few said that mine was car of the show (out of a good hundred or so), very flattering! In a bizarre piece of synchronicity, a guy I know from near Bath was displaying his '1940s Alfa Romeo' and was wearing an almost identical 'gentleman racer' outfit. and some of the above mentioned flatterers had also mentioned his car as an equal favourite. Weird.

One punter was a persistent repeat visitor who, on learning of my Ebay debacle, asked if I still wanted to sell and offered me £12k plus the cost of my renewed insurance. I took his details and said I'd consider it. There are still a good few events left this year at which to advertise, particularly the Castle Combe Classic on 6th October. Unmissable.

A great day out, so busy I didn't take any pictures, although one professionally captured will appear soon.

Regards, Mick

p.s. Just performed a quick Goggle and found a picture of the 'Alfa'. It's a much darker red in the flesh.


https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1887/...af79b2b0_b.jpg

deggsy 26th August 2018 10:21

Stunning Mick absolutely stunning.

Mick O'Malley 26th August 2018 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by deggsy (Post 96526)
Stunning Mick absolutely stunning.

I shamelessly copied his colour scheme on my Mk1 Marlin Roadster, which I passed on a couple of years ago. His car is an Alfa Romeo twin cam powered Lenham. He fabricated a buck for the nose, taking a female mould from it in which the final GRP moulding was laid up. Look closely at the exhaust guard and an Ikea wine rack will appear, a talented and imaginative bloke!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1890/...2ddef338_b.jpg

Regards, Mick

Lucky@LeMans 26th August 2018 14:56

If you have no other plans for bank holiday Monday there is a big classic car gathering in the grounds of Pershore Abbey. I've been the last few years and it has become a big event. Just turn up on the day ( best before 10am ) to get parked in a good location. I'll be there in my Z3 donor car !

Alex 26th August 2018 16:28

Hi Mick, pleased you have kept the car to be honest I was surprised you were letting it go its a real work of art. Met the guy with the Alpha at a show in Walcott Bath not so long ago, great car and a really nice down to earth guy

landmannnn 26th August 2018 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 96517)
Sorry to hear about your sale falling through. I have given up using the auction format on ebay for the same reason. The "classified" style of advert works much better. Your advertised price is your starting point and will only attract genuine enquiries. Genuine buyers will want to view a specialist car prior to purchase anyway and the auction format often doesn't allow enough time for potential customers to do that. The classified adverts run for a month.

Fully agree. There are a full range of jerks on eBay, and chances are even when they turn up they will try to knock the price down.

Mick O'Malley 27th August 2018 16:46

Woo Hoo
 
Having been primed by Lucky@LeMans, who I also bumped into there, today's sortie in the A352 was to the Pershore Abbey Classic Car Show. It's about 25 miles from home up the largely deserted and very scenic and twisty A38. The drive up was bliss - I'm now very pleased that the two muppets failed to honour their bids :).

I've not attended it before and was pleasantly surprised at the level and well tended grounds. Already, at about 0915, there were many interesting and varied vehicles on display, their numbers swelling throughout my six hour stay. My favourites were an Alfa Spyder (AKA Moss Mamba ;) ) that I'd seen before at Shelsley Walsh, and a glorious and correctly coloured Ferrari Dino.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1874/...9457be5a_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1855/...e550c19a_b.jpg

The A352's berth was between an HA Viva and a Jowett Jupiter which I'd initially mistaken for an XK Jaguar as I approached.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1849/...f5f38a5f_b.jpg

Just as on Saturday, I was besieged by interested punters, one of whom had worked at Browns Lane with Norman Dewis, another who showed me pictures of his Lynx (or whatever) 'D-Type', and a third who'd been offered two real ones in the 60s for £750 the pair! The only down side for me was the lack of a doughnut seller, otherwise a brilliant day out.

Regards, Mick

Mick O'Malley 5th September 2018 06:51

Beaulieu Autojumble
 
Last weekend's sortie in the A352 was to this cracking event. I've been every year since '94, bar one, with an old kit car friend who built one of the very first Westfield XIs in the early 80s, around the time I built my first Dutton Phaeton. We camp on a quiet farm a couple of miles from the venue, £10 per night for a 'pitch', i.e. whichever corner of the vast field we fancy.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1895/...7d1f94cc_b.jpg

Due to the impracticality of the two of us plus camping gear and, possibly, bulky purchases fitting into the A352, I left it at his place near Yate and we travelled down in the Merc. In the museum car park was easily the best recreation I have ever seen. At first I thought it was simply a run of the mill Bentley R Type Mulliner Continental Fastback but on the rear seat was a laminated sheet detailing its creation only last year from a regular R Type. 'Fabulous' is overused but I feel it's appropriate here!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1863/...a3ee0331_b.jpg

There's a paddock of sorts on the site where cars can be offered for sale, usually at grossly inflated prices. The only kit car there this year was a Marina based Teal, nicely done but £30k? What a joker!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1891/...18600f58_b.jpg

In the autojumble itself a familiar looking creation on a trailer was also for sale. It was off to Germany the next day unless a very substantial wad of Euros was forthcoming to secure it.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1845/...f183c9af_b.jpg

A very hot, sunny and enjoyable weekend slightly marred on my way back on Monday afternoon when I ran into a cloudburst on the A38. It was flinging it down but luckily my electrics escaped a soaking as I blatted through it doing 50s and 60s for about five minutes. Happy Days.

Regards, Mick

Mister Towed 5th September 2018 07:30

Some nice looking cars there, Mick, I particularly like that Teal.

As for the price the owner is asking, I don't think it's unrealistic when you look at the time an money that's gone into finishing it to what looks to be an excellent standard (from your photo, anyway).

Not sure if you're watching 'Wheeler Dealers' on Quest at the moment, but there's a bit of a trend on that show:

If the finished car is advertised at under $20k, people with no money show up, kick the tyres and make ridiculously low offers, which Brewer usually accepts due to there being nobody else answering the ad.

But, when the finished car is offered at $30k+, there's a queue of Doctors and Lawyers and Business Executives (who all live in little boxes, btw), and the first one to show up compliments Mike on the quality of Ed's work and pays the asking price without a second's thought.

I know you've had issues selling your D Type, but have you considered doubling the price and putting it in a classified ad? After all, it deserves to achieve a strong price and what have you got to lose? Just a thought.

Jaguartvr 5th September 2018 07:39

+1 on the D type price, I would think it was worth double. Sorry but I would think it would always be worth a lot more than a Sammio. Needs to be listed and advertised correctly.
I would list it at £29k in the Classic Jaguar section on Ebay as a replica and a classified listing. Don't advertise it as a kit as it puts people off.

As for the Teal, I think the price sounds about right.

Mick O'Malley 5th September 2018 08:08

You pays your money.......
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguartvr (Post 96630)
As for the Teal, I think the price sounds about right.

I would agree, had I not seen much better Teal recreations. As a regular visitor to Prescott, home of the Bugatti Owners' Club, I think I have a reasonable eye. The blue was far too bright and shiny, as was the cockpit. The chequer plate ally in the footwell was (IMHO) hideous. Apart from the time clock, the instruments looked way too new.

A good few years ago, also at Prescott, the Teal Owners Club turned up with a six car convoy. Some were not only correctly coloured and suitably distressed, but had dummy friction dampers. One was even towing a 'half a Bugatti' trailer. If I find the analogue photo' I'll post it. That was a £30k car if ever I saw one!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1888/...40738c75_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1849/...462195cd_b.jpg

Regards, Mick

Lucky@LeMans 5th September 2018 16:40

The Teal at £30k isn't expensive really, infact it's at the lower end for well built examples. When you realise that the style of "kit" wouldn't pass IVA easily or at all these days then the ones that are already built and on the road now will be it. So there will only be a finite number available in the future.

I too think your "D" type recreation is under priced and ebay isn't really the right selling forum to attract the right people. I would go with the likes of a "Classic and Sports Car" classified ad with a £30k asking price. As has been said above, there are people out there, genuine buyers with plenty of money.

Barber 5th September 2018 16:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 96644)
The Teal at £30k isn't expensive really, infact it's at the lower end for well built examples. When you realise that the style of "kit" wouldn't pass IVA easily or at all these days then the ones that are already built and on the road now will be it. So there will only be a finite number available in the future.

I too think your "D" type recreation is under priced and ebay isn't really the right selling forum to attract the right people. I would go with the likes of a "Classic and Sports Car" classified ad with a £30k asking price. As has been said above, there are people out there, genuine buyers with plenty of money.

This. The audience for your car is clearly not the one looking at eBay.

Mister Towed 5th September 2018 20:15

An ebay classified is fine, that's how I sold my Spyder. ebay auction format is just too easy for to$$ers to place bids they don't have the funds for and then waster your time with excuses.

I also advertised mine in Octane magazine. I'd sold it before the issue it was advertised in came out, but I got five or six genuine enquiries from that ad too, mostly from overseas and two of them were genuinely gutted when I said it had already sold.

Mick O'Malley 6th September 2018 08:13

Thanks and Posing
 
Many thanks for advice regarding selling. I'll decide whether to keep her next spring post her MOT on the Ides of March. Blatting to and from the latest events has certainly re-kindled my enthusiasm. Roll on the Castle Combe Autumn Classic on Oct. 6th, which is Vingt Quatre Heurs du Mans themed, with genuine GT40s in attendance. Unmissable!
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick O'Malley (Post 96525)
A great day out, so busy I didn't take any pictures, although one professionally captured will appear soon.

The above mentioned arrived at last. A condition of posting is that I mention the photographer, Peter Hayward, and Monrose A Vintage Inspired Boutique (in Cheltenham) who provided the outfits, one of which tickled my nose.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1861/...3b706dd8_b.jpg

Regards, Mick

Barber 6th September 2018 08:19

Nothing wrong with getting that close to a bit of skirt. ��

Lucky@LeMans 6th September 2018 20:18

Also worth a visit is the Prescott Autumn Classic on both the Saturday and Sunday, 6th - 7th October. Whilst it has a large American contingent the event is more like a small Goodwood Festival feel with a whole variety of cars, bikes and entertainment on show over the weekend. The Bugatti museum will be open and that's worth a look in its own right. All in all a great weekend, weather permitting !


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