Chris Evans added another classic to his well hedged portfolio, outbidding the trade to secure a really tidy 1976 MGB GT V8 with webasto roof for £14,950.

Whilst truly jaw dropping was the extraordinarily unmolested condition of an unregistered BMW E3 2800 left hooker with only 39k on the clock since new in 1969 which raised £32,200.

A cosmetically sharp 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with 3-Position Drophead coachwork by Ranalah in white was hammered away for £138,000, £153,300 with charges, was ready to provide suitable transport to the poshest wedding or race meeting. A late-entered and cosmetically challenged 1961 Jaguar E Type 3.8 Fixed Head was a really early ‘flat-floor’, the 51st built and a right-hand driver with all numbers still matching no less, hence the £42,750 result. And just as at ACA in King’s Lynn recently, there was another scramble for a not particularly nice Renault 5 Turbo, a 1980 Turbo 1 with ali-panels that had been trucked up from Milan making £32,200.

Thanks in significant part to the Enzo effect of the Button Ferrari contributing nearly a £1m to the kitty, the punters at Ascot Racecourse on a Saturday afternoon bet £2,197,613 on 35 cars plus a £10,350 1956 Moto Guzzi 500 Falcone Sport that were declared sold, 71% of the 50 classic vehicles on the card.

Grovel and corrections department...

When doing the input of the latest Brightwells auction figures, I have to confess to only adding up the hammered away as sold prices plus those provisionally logged bids converted into sales during the ‘live’ process. For I failed miserably, it transpires, to include many more ‘provisionals’ successfully converted into sales immediately afterwards and take into account the inevitable post-sales that were swept up afterwards.

And so, number crunchers, the duly corrected vital statistics for the market from the 26 September Brightwells Leominster sale were 102 cars and a Brian James covering trailer sold from 130 4-wheeler lots offered, an impressive 79% sale rate, with a sale total for the cars alone amounting to £1,257,177 with premium. Indeed, with 5 out of 6 bikes and a brace of boats also trailered away, the premium-inclusive total for the day came to virtually £1.3m. A very big spend on an autumnal Wednesday afternoon so many bends away from a mainstream Motorway!