Both Type 930 Porsche 911s from Scottish ownership sold under the Morris Leslie hammer at Errol in Perthshire during a 4½ hour Saturday 17 August sale for 170 classics, which included the locally-bodied 1951 Albion FT521 that transported Scotland’s worst serial killer Peter Manuel on his final journey to the gallows at HM Prison Barlinnie 11 July 1958.
American-born Manuel, dubbed ‘The Beast of Birkenshaw’ by Fleet Street and who was convicted of murdering seven people across Lanarkshire 1956-1958, was the third-to-last person to be hanged in Scotland. Having provided the City of Glasgow Police with secure prisoner transport between Glasgow Sheriff Court and jail for eleven years until retirement in 1962, the ‘JGD 426’ registered Black Maria was auctioned ‘Without Reserve’ here until captured for £21,525.
The Porsche Reading supplied 1984 911 Turbo with recent stainless steel heat exchangers and fresh front discs meanwhile made a mid-estimate £60,375 including 5% premium, the lowest rate for buyers in the UK. Whilst a ‘wide body’ 1987 911 with 31 mainly Porsche OPC service stamps, the most recent from Porsche Perth in March warranting 108,834 total mileage, made the necessary £40,000, the lower estimate, costing the successful bidder £42,000 with premium.
Among 50 or so changes of ownership concluded so far, a US-supplied in 1970 Jaguar E Type S2 4.2 Roadster, repatriated in 1989 when converted to right-hand drive before further work including triple SU carbs in 2008, had been guided at £50k+. But following nearly 10 years storage and only some re-commissioning, the once San Diego resident was bid to £43,000, which was accepted, costing the buyer £45,150 with premium.
By contrast, a cosmetically rough Austin Mini non-running mis-match with 1963 dated 850 front shell, DVLA recorded as a 1965 Cooper S, had been optimistically estimated at £5,000-7,000 as ‘a source of spares only’, but did indeed fetch £6,930.
Although most of those attending had travelled often driven long distances from within Scotland, bidders also contested lots remotely from as far afield as Italy, the United Arab Emirates and New York. Although following their previous classic sales, when the Scottish auctioneers were able to sell many unsold cars in the following days and weeks, it has not as yet been possible to finalise the sale stats from this latest reading of classic prices north of what free marketeers hope will forever remain an invisible border.
Richard Hudson-Evans