Collectors of classic and vintage machinery will converge on Cheffins’ Machinery Saleground at Sutton, Cambridgeshire for the July Cambridge Vintage Sale on Saturday 20 July 2019.
1,500 lots are set to go under the hammer and, as ever, there is an abundant selection of interesting lots among the collections of vintage cars, tractors, motorbikes and memorabilia.
A very smart Silver Dawn automatic Rolls-Royce that was driven through London during the swinging sixties is expected to be one of the star lots with a pre-sale estimate of between £43,000-£48,000.
The 1954 model in black over silver, catalogued as Lot 1053, was originally supplied by the famous dealership Jack Barclay Ltd and, as well as being in London in the 1960s, was recorded as being in California during the 1980s and early 1990s.
It was repatriated in 1993 and in 2007 had a full refurbishment with the body and a bare metal strip down.
An older Rolls-Royce that bound to cause a stir on the weekly shopping run to the supermarket is Lot 1050, a 1932 ‘Farm Special’ make with a extremely rare ash bodied pickup.
Made in 1932 in a factory in Paris, the car was shipped to the USA at the outbreak of the World War II where it remained until the early 21st Century when it was brought back to the UK.
It has been an ongoing build project for the last 15 years with constant tweaks and improvements and has attended many West Country rallies to great acclaim. It has an estimate £20,000 and £25,000.
The other Rolls-Royce is the perfect wedding car (Lot 1052), an enclosed white limousine made in 1932, and that is indeed what its last use was before coming to this auction. It has an estimate of £28,000 to £32,000.
An intriguing lot among the tractors on offer is Lot 1801 which was built at the manufacturer’s plant in California in 1922. The history of the Holt T35 Crawler Tractor before 1982 is not known, but from that date until 2006 it was used as a ‘gate guard’ by its previous owners.
It was shipped to Britain as a restoration project and is offered with an estimate of £4,000 and £6,000.
Another interesting lots among the other 80 plus tractors set to be on offer is a Field Marshall Series 3 single cylinder diesel Tractor (Lot 1806) which has an estimate of £8,000 to £10,000.
The highlight of the motorcycle section is undoubtedly the 1930 350cc Douglas H3, a very fine vintage machine that has taken part in the Banbury Run - the largest gathering of pre-1931 motorcycles and three-wheelers in the world – and has sailed up the steep incline of Sunrising Hill on each occasion. In 2014, it took 1st prize in its class at the annual event.
Those achievements are testament to the current owner, a retired mechanical engineer who purchased in 2004 as a complete but dismantled machine. An easy-starting motorbike which has been running on synthetic oil for many years now, it has an estimate of £5,000 to £7,000.
A fine selection of enamel and illuminated signs, rural and domestic bygones, models, toys and spares will all go to make this sale a not-to-miss event for collectors.
Bill King, chairman of Cheffins, said: “We look forward to welcoming collectors and enthusiasts from across Europe and further afield to our ever-popular Machinery Saleground at Sutton for our iconic Vintage Sale.
“As always, the sale has attracted some real gems and we are hopeful the strong trade from our April Vintage Sale will continue.
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