Mk1 Elf on eBay

I'm sure I'm not the only one to watch eBay but this must be a record.
A Mk1 Elf which has spent most of its time in Africa and according to the description is rust free, has just sold for £6600.01.

I had it on my watched list but did not bid for it.
Yes, I think it was a record but didn't think it was worth that much!

It looked nice, but that's a tidy sum of money! Hope the buyer finds it money well spent.

Does the number plate have anything to do worth the value? I see it mentioned sometimes that the number plate alone can be worth several hundred £s. How does that work?
As some of the ad read:

"WAS 905 is an early MK1 example of which only 3,522 were built. Of these only a relatively small number were exported from new. WAS 905 is one of these vehicles and was exported new in 1962 to the dry climate of Rhodesia, Southern Africa. It is for this reason that the car has survived in its amazing condition only returning to this country over 40 years later in 2003."



Don't know if this link to car ad will work, may have to be signed on to ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230441219809&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

TTT

i know a low mileage hornet went for just over £7,000 at auction in the UK last year, so maybe this £6,600 asn't too bad. have just checked the pictures though and maybe it's the cynic in me,. but it just looks too good...........wondering if it's had a bit of resto work here and there.....hopefully i'm just a jealous grumpy old fool and it is a mint original that will give it's new owner much pleasure...

Out here in France, Elfs and Hornets are quite rare and commands stronger prices than in UK.
I have seen two LHD Hornet :
- one for for 6700 Euros in a magazine
and one here : http://www.auto-bmc.com/cata1/product_info.php?products_id=1701&osCsid=0rmsdnquq7cgmcej0kfkej6vr4
but for 9700 Euros
I remember seeing a restored Elf imported from Great Britain advertised last year for 15000 Euros. A RHD one at that...
I think I'll have to go to UK to buy one when I have enough money...
I just hope prices won't go up ...

It seems to me that Elf/Hornet prices are higher everywhere else in the world but not here. I don't know why. Perhaps the rest of the world appreciates the styling more than the home market, or perhaps its the rarity value - something that few Brits think of with Mini variants. The Limited Edition Minis have the same problem with value - nobody seems to recognise it and people are happy to repaint the cars and lose all the individuality of the LE. Elfs/Hornets are rarer than most Brits perceive, but we've been so used to them being reasonably plentiful that we don't always realise it. Not many people are yet prepared to take on basket case cars like !these - but the time will come soon.

When I inspected the Elf for Jim last year, it was cheaper for him to buy a car here and ship it over to the States than it was to buy one over there. There's still more choice over here.

Perhaps it's about time our car values went up and our investments appreciate a little - but not too much. The best thing about these cars is that they are affordable, so that they attract owners who are friendly & helpful still. The last thing we need is for them to get so expensive that they have snob value - and owners who only see them as £££ signs!

Totally agree with Asahartz but don't you think the values have risen since this club was formed?

quote by Big Al "It's all my fault!"


Of course it is Al, some one's got to take the blame!

Maybe the registration has some bearing on the price? I have been offered £800 (expences paid) for my reg. 510 XYD Not age related I suppose?

Elf Service wrote:Totally agree with Asahartz but don't you think the values have risen since this club was formed?

To be honest, not much. My Elf was valued in its peak condition after resto in 2004 about the same as one in similar condition sell for now (iro £2800). I haven't looked at Practical Classics' guide prices lately, but in real terms I've not noticed much shift. I think my car should be worth at least £1000 more than that, but the rest of the country doesn't seem to agree!

TONYELF wrote:Maybe the registration has some bearing on the price?

Don't get me started on that... I've nothing against personalised registrations per se, my wife has one but that's a registration we bought from new. However too many classic cars have been scrapped by people who have just bought them to rob the registration plate (probably many more than suffered through scrappage). I was offered cash for 642LVO when I owned my A40, but turned it down - in terms of originality I believe the number plate belongs with the car!

asahartz wrote: I believe the number plate belongs with the car!

I agree about the number plate belonging to the car, although I do have a personal plate on my Subaru - J44 SEC - but that doesn't count because it was on a jap import!

Jase

I wasn't quite meaning personalisation of plate as such. I meant the plate has neither a suffix or prefix letter to "date" the car which is why I snapped mine up. It's a great legitimate excuse for someone to come up and start a conversation "what year is it?" (a.1964) Shouldn't it have a "B" on the end? (A. Yes!) Why hasn't it then? Answer for those not in the know. My Elf was registered in Somerset where they had not used up their Quota of unlettered registrations befor starting using the A's and B's.

On a personalisation level, I am told there is a mini running arould Mold, North Wales with the plate 64 ELF now that would suit me! But how much ????????????