In the States, cars made in the UK between 1948 and 1980 seem to be, as a group, the most popular marques of all of the cars that were shipped to US shores. Though not all British marques and models were imported, the ones that were developed a fanatical following, well organized clubs, and have generated enough interest to spawn more than 150 British car events across the country each year.
This article is aimed at getting the automotive Anglophile up to speed on what was available, where it came from and how it's stood the test of time. The values are based on trade value books like Krause's Old Car Price Guide and the CPI book, as well as want ads and input from marque club officials. The basic rule to trading in any collectible is that the item is worth what you can get for it. If you've had it "For Sale" for a long time, you're probably asking too much.
Here they are: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. And remember, ugly is in the eye of the beholder.
Austin
The Austin market is tucked away in a dark corner that is passed by many with nary a notice. I have friends who are rabid collectors, one of whom has filled his yard and a bevy of barns with cars and spare bits, but then British cars are a passion that demands the unification of loonies. This fellow not only has collected all of the "normal" Austins that were imported to California, he's traveled to Australia to bring back unique A-40 ""Utes" (pickups) and a pair of the coolest A-40 four-place tourers you could imagine! He was contacted to bring some light to this article and responded that he "buys cars, seldom sells and has little understanding of the market, if one exists at all." He also gave me a list of cars that he knew were for sale and some other folks to call.
What I found were bargains galore - but at a price. Due to the lack of the spares network afforded to MG or Morris Minor enthusiasts, Austin owners can expect long periods of downtime and high international postal charges. To be fair, many mechanical bits, interchangeable with various MG and Austin-Healey models, are readily available from Moss and other suppliers--but interchange information is sketchy and much research is usually required. Body and trim pieces are usually only available in the UK. Belonging to a club is a must!
Prices ranged from a nice older restoration of an A-40 Devon that had become a bit tatty at $2,000, to a restored A-90 Atlantic convertible that was sold to a Swiss buyer for $22,000. A clean original, low mile A-90 Westminster saloon just sold to some non-automotive Hollywood artist types for only $1800. What fun it would be observe the first time it goes into the shop. The hatred!
Austin Healey
The big Healeys have been a popular item since they were sold new. They never had the "toy car" stigma that early MGs and Triumphs were plagued with and were always modern enough to be considered "contemporary." Even by the late Sixties, when the 3000 MK III was hopelessly outdated compared to the Corvette Stingray and Porsche 911, the Healey had adequate power and looked enough like the enormously popular Cobra to keep an image that belied the antique technology.
Another plus factor was that, as six cylinder imported sports cars went, the Austin-Healey was among the most dependable. Joe Lucas "Prince of Darkness" jokes aside, these cars, if well maintained, are sturdy and bulletproof!
Prices started rising in the Eighties and reached a crescendo value price of just under $40,000. When the bottom fell out a few years ago they dropped almost in half. Now these cars are priced based on originality and the quality of the restoration rather than the speculative future of an art commodity.
Today's prices can range from the totally rebuilt beauties that roll from the exclusive Peter's Marina Motors in Venice, CA, that owner, Peter Petrov says "can go well over $40,000" to decent looking and relatively intact "used cars" priced in the high teens. At Peter's, you pick a restorable Healey from the batch of cars Peter has collected over the years ( much as you might pick a live lobster from a tank at a restaurant ), decide on the details and wait for a year. Oh yea, and the check.
Fro Sprites with the Midgets see below.
Bentley
See Rolls Royce (below)
Ford
British built Fords have been with us in the US since the "Export or Die" late forties. Sit-up-and-beg Anglias were undersized and underpowered and eventually found a home as drag racers when converted to American V8 power. A stock one is a rare find indeed. Fifties and sixties Fords were popular when new but fell by the wayside when their primarily non-enthusiast owners let the maintenance slide and the cars fell into disrepair. Many went to the breakers yard for lack of a valve job. Pity.
Cortinas were a hot item in the late Sixties but importation was curtailed when the explosive American built Pinto was introduced in 1971. While there is a small band of merry Ford collectors, prices never seem to top $2,500. Hottest items are Thames vans and the Sixties Capri that looked like a miniature American Ford. Many are hot rodded by American Ford enthusiasts.
Jaguar
The Jag market has been one of much discussion over the last few years. The astronomical prices of the Eighties fell like a cast iron balloon at the beginning of this decade. Once prices stabilized at under half of the former value, speculators found them attractive again and started buying. Overseas buyers were also intrigued with the new lower prices. Increased activity has caused prices to rise again, but in a much more controlled fashion. Because of the amount of export and overseas action, prices seem to be based more on international values.
Gee, this sounds like a stock market report. It's correct, but seems a shame to reduce these wonderful examples of traditional British wood, leather and twin-cam, six cylinder roar to mere commodities. They deserve more. If you buy one, please drive it!
Jensen
The only Jensens that were brought over here in any quantities were the Interceptors, Healeys and GTs (estates). Though one might run into an earlier model, the price would be more based on condition and demand.
The Interceptor has been largely overlooked by collectors but, much like the Triumph Stag, found a following among people who wanted a lower cost driver with quality appointments and an European cache. The big selling point is the American Chrysler running gear. Unfortunately the rest of these accessory laden land yachts was built in the UK during the worst quality control years and nice looking cars with three dead power windows and sporadic lighting is more common than not.
Once sorted and running well, these cars really are nice as long as one is willing to keep fixing all of the nagging little problems as they come up--before total system failure occurs. The convertibles, introduced later in the production run, benefit from running upgrades and offer Aston Martin style and musclecar power at a fraction of the cost. They will require occasional resorting but that pales when you're cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu with the top down and that big blond at your side.
The Interceptor "Fishbowl" coupes hover in the $6 - 8,000 price range and convertibles can command up to $25,000 in real nice condition. Quite a car for the same price as a Mazda Miata. There is a third and quite rare Interceptor variation that puts a transparent "Targa" banded top on the "notchback" convertible rear treatment, but i doubt one is worth more than a nice "Fishbowl" model.
Jensen-Healey
The Jensen-Healeys were a wrong car at the wrong time and early models have build quality problems that would have upset the Lada management. Later examples were built much better, but still found few buyers. Today, the Lotus designed engine has been properly sorted and rebuilds can be used dependably on a daily basis. The down side is that a updated overhaul can cost as much as a finished car is worth!
How's this for a range of prices: Running restorable cars for $1500, clean, updated and partially restored cars for $5 - 6,000, and fully restored, show quality examples at $15-20,000 asking price. I call these high priced ads "fishing" as in looking for a big fish. If you see a guy with gills and a fin send him our way!
Land-Rover
Along with Harley-Davidson, this is the retro success story of the last decade. The Land-Rover has always had a following of off-roading eccentrics who found American Jeep models either too big, too small or too common. This jolly band of folks, fond of warm beer and Australian outback garb, have been joined recently by the suburban trendies who feel Jeeps are for kids and the 4X4 offerings from Japan are high on style but as common as street furniture.
Fueled by the interest generated by Range-Rover, and amplified by the American reintroduction of the Land-Rover, old Land-Rovers have shot up in value. Clean, good running examples that have been spared serious off-road incidents, can command up to $10,000. Restored, less common long wheelbase and pickup models will fetch up to $20,000. Some people appreciate a 4X4 that can actually be used off-road.
Lotus
The Lotus line is as diverse as any that you can find. I contacted Kiyoshi Hamai of Palo Alto, CA, the fearless leader of the Golden Gate Lotus Club to get a direct line. Like all of the interesting collector marques, prices shot up in the Eighties, fell big time in the Nineties and have been holding stable for the last few years. Kiyoshi told me that early Elites that were trading at over $50K can now be picked up in the $25-30K. Elans dropped from a $30,000 high to $10 to $15,000.
Despite all of the Lotus Seven-esque kit cars that are available, authentic Sevens still command prices in the $20,000 range - a far cry from the $30K plus of last decade. Europas have pretty much stayed in the $10 to $15,000 neighborhood all along.
Metropolitan
The Nash Metropolitan was America's first foray into both foreign manufacturing and nitch marketing. Conceived as an urban runabout and a suburban second car, the Met was, at first, badged as both a Nash and Hudson, then became its own separate line in 1957.
Built by Austin (and actually marketed as one in the UK), this refugee from the Longbridge parts bin featured A-30 suspension, an A-40 engine, and a three-speed gearbox with dash mounted gearchange that was modified from a standard four-speed.
Why? The Met was one of the first cars that used a substantial amount of public input and market research in its design. Over 250,000 "Serview" questionairs were filled out by eager potential small car buyers, and the "three-on-the-tree" gearchange (standard on US-built cars for over a decade) was voted most desirable. A bench seat and a more powerful engine were also high on the list. So much for democracy . . . . Later on, two-tone, side-slashed paint and a larger 1500 cc, B-Series engine were added.
These cars sold well - some years second only to Volkswagen - and much like Morris Minors, being small and ever so cute, people tended to put worn hulks in the barn or garden rather than sending them off to the breakers. There still are a bunch around. Prices were never very high. When the Sixties horsepower race was underway, these early econoboxes began to appear silly and became the butt of many jokes and a popular song called "Beep Beep."
Gaining popularity in the Eighties due to their "New Wave" toaster styling and a lot of feature work in popular "youth culture" films, convertibles valued on up to $10,000 and coupes to about $6,500. Though they are less popular today, thus harder to sell, the price of a nice original or well restored Met should have remained within 15% of those Eighties figures.
MG
MGs have always had a special spot in the heart of Americans. They truly are, as the adverts said, "The sports car that America loved first." The TC and TD models were instant classics and never became just cheap old cars.
The BMC corporate MGAs and MGBs weren't so lucky. Due to an undeserved reputation for undependability, based upon hard driving owners who didn't know the meaning of the word maintenance, as well as the muscle car era that reduced the Octagon image to that of a nerdy "Teabagger" car, these solid little sportsters went unappreciated until after production stopped.
At this point, Ralph Nader and the safety mavens as well as the insurance industry had managed to kill almost all open cars in the States and folks started to look to the past for interesting roadsters to restore. The MGs were cheap, cheerful and easy to restore.
While prices rose to new heights in the Eighties, they never got out of hand. T Series cars plateaued at about $25,000 or so for a nice example, MGAs at $8,000 and MGBs at a bit less. Few enthusiasts then even considered a rubber bumpered "B."
Today, after the great old car devaluation of 1990, MGs in general have held up well. T series cars still command $15 - 20,000, nice MGAs have worked up into the mid-teens, and clean, partially restored MGBs at $6 - 9000 are not out of the question. Since most sports cars were exported to the US, buyers in Japan and Europe covet the MG and are now willing to pay more for one than we are! This not only drives up the price, but increases the demand each time one is locked in a sea container and sent away.
Even the pool of the once unloved rubber-bumper cars, the last bastion of low cost Octagoning, is being threatened by new and more favorable Australian importation regulations. Aussies are carting off later "Bs" by the dozen. As of yet, the prices aren't all that high--but when the supply starts to dry up, WATCH OUT!
Mini
While the Mini versions of the BMC cars have never been imported to the US in any real quantity, you wouldn't know it from the enthusiasm found among the ranks of owners today. The numbers of beautiful cars that show up at British car meets, slaloms, and participate in vintage racing would indicate that Minis were as popular here as they were in the rest of the world.
In actuality, the first 850s were considered "real cute," but too small, by Americans who still found Minor 1000 size cars a bit suspect. The cars that hit the spot were the Cooper and Cooper S versions. These pocket rockets became all the rage with the midnight backroad racing set and British sportscar crazies who felt that MGBs were for "girls."
I had a buddy in school who was presented with the new Mini-Minor Traveller his folks used to tour Europe on holiday. In those days, there was none of the silly smog and safety regulations and after paying your taxes, you were on your way. This was during the great surfing scare of the mid-Sixties and owning the world's smallest woodie was surfing status on a grand scale.
While BMC did import a few Minis, most Americans opted for 1100/1300 series cars, Minors and Japanese econoboxes. Though no Riley or Wolesely versions were brought over by BMC, a number of pre-1967 models have been privately imported as they are not subject to regulations.
Prices, once again, are more dependent on condition than collectability. The top value getter would be an original or correctly restored Cooper S that could bring well over $10,000. Modified cars and "Cooper replicas" are valued as a sum of their parts and the quality of the workmanship. Prices range from $6 - 10,000. Though estates, vans and pickups are the rarest of the bunch, many are modified and priced much the same as saloons. Mokes are quite a kick in the California environment and usually command $4,000-$6,000.
Morgan
Morgans do have a market in the US, but it's rare to find one listed in the local classified adverts or on a dealer's lot. This is because these cars are almost rare enough and have been sold in such small numbers that they nearly fall into the "esoteric specialty market" with the Allards, Marcos, and TVRs.
I talked with Steve Miller, one of California's top Morgan specialists. From his shop in Emeryville, just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, Steve's been trading in and restoring Morgans for over thirty years.
Miller on Morgans: "During the Seventies and early Eighties Morgans had an enthusiast based following. Prices were averaged in the mid-teens. By 1990, asking prices shot up to over $40,000, though we can't be sure what these cars actually sold for."
"After the shakeout, prices fell to $15-$20,000 and hard dealing, cash buyers were "lo-balling" clean cars at under $15,000. I did not sell a car for almost two years! These values were absurd in the light of the fact that a proper restoration costs between $25 and $30,000 on a car that the owner already had."
"Today, Morgan values have generally risen to $25-30,000. High demand sellers are the Plus 8s that sell in the $35,000 bracket, the very rare (50 made) 1955-6, four place DHC that can go over $60K, and Super Sports with aluminum bodywork and Laurence Tune engines, that can sell between $40-$70,000."
"These cars are getting back into the hands of people who use and drive them rather than art collectors and investors. It's nice to see them once again on the road and at club events."
Morris
The best known Morris models in the US are the Minor 1000 and the Mini-Minors. The Minis are covered in their own section and the odd Oxford and Marina (that were actually marketed as Austins over here) are so rare that there is little interest or much value.
Conversely, the Minor, with its perky persona, extensive line of body styles and interchangeability of parts with the very plentiful and, until recently, unloved MG Midget/A-H Sprite, has been an American favorite since the early Seventies. Many are still used on a regular basis.
Though restoration costs are modest compared to other marques, prices have never really gone that high. Convertibles and Travellers are the most sought after and can bring from $6-$9000 in good, rust-free condition. Four door saloons were not imported in any quantities and share the two door's values of $3-$4500 for a nice car. Pickups and vans are rare (probably less than 400 still exist) and well used and loved by their owners. Prices fall in between the Saloons and the trendier ragtops and woodies.
While condition is a major pricing factor, modifications, if not too flashy or outrageous, can actually increase the value of a Minor. Disc brakes, Spridget or Datsun engines and transmissions, tube shocks and higher rear end ratios are fully acceptable. Older original MM and Series II cars are a hoot at shows but are hard to sell because of their limited drivability on American highways.
Riley
Few Americans remember the Riley. A small number of the RM series cars were brought in during the early, pre-BMC fifties, and a few One-Point-Five saloons were sent in 1958. The rest of the badge engineered BMC models as well as the complete Wolesely line were considered redundant and not imported.
The Morris Minor based One-Point-Five became accepted as a "Super Minor" by Morris enthusiasts and have enjoyed interest far beyond their limited number. The nicest, show winning, original example in the States is presently available for $5,800 plus shipping from Honolulu!
The RM series cars, exotic looking classics from new, were sold at the MG agency. They sold well in Hollywood and were popular with the post-war medical/legal and country club set. These were the last REAL classic looking cars sold in the US. Today these Rileys gravitate to folks who just can't live without one. With their wooden frame bodies, fabric top and lack of parts interchangeability, these cars are a labor of love.
This writer contends that once sorted, a Riley can be at least as reliable as an MGTD. Other experts question the dependability of antique British equipment in general as well as my sanity. Look for the best you can afford. A saloon in pretty good condition will cost about $10.000. Double that for a drophead (convertible). A friend of mine is presently selling one of the few roadsters that were imported to the US, a nice one at that, for under $15,000.
Rolls-Royce
The Rolls is a marque that is, in reality, a diverse collection of cars that cover many different markets. Coachbuilt cars can't be compared to standard models and prewar models have another market of their own. We could compile a mighty thick book on the subject.
Basic saloons from the fifties and early sixties can be found in the $12,000 to $35,000 range but repair costs often have to include the medical bills of owners who go into shock upon first viewing their repair order. These astronomical maintenance expenses have kept the value of later model Rollers at reasonable levels for years.
Though a great deal of car for the money, one must not only pay the piper, but all of his ancestors, in order to dance with one of these. The wife of a repair shop owner I know loves her, daily driven, '72 Shadow. She will confess that it's easier to drive a Rolls if you sleep with your mechanic.
Rover
Rover has been a marque that's made a name for itself for being out of step with American taste and values. The early postwar "Aunty" Rovers were seen to have the bad points of both the American and British cars of the time as well as being smaller, less powerful and more expensive than many domestic models. The 3-Litre Series was characterized as a British Buick.
The 2000/3500 saloons, were generally considered over complicated, expensive and not particularly stylish. These cars were popular primarily with college professors and serious Anglophiles. Or, if your uncle worked for a BMC agency, you could get a great deal on one that was still on the floor in March of the next model year.
These fine old runners have stood the test of time. They are surely no worse than other cars of the same era and today price is of little factor as a good looking and operating Rover can be had for $2-3000! The nicest 100 in the States couldn't cost more than $7000.
Sprite/Midget
These entry level sportsters allowed young Americans to indulge themselves in proper British motoring, and all of its glories for the price of a good used car. Find a tweed flat cap and some string-back leather gloves and Bob's-your-uncle.
The slowdown came when the American insurance companies eventually refused to insure people under 21 years of age in sportscars and the buyer demographic went up. Since MGB and TR-4 prices weren't THAT much higher, especially when compared to domestic convertibles, most buyers opted for a bigger and more powerful car.
As collector cars, the Bugeye Sprites were the first to be discovered in the late Sixties. Prices were in line with most other Fifties era British roadsters but the Sprite developed a reputation for being pretty dependable and easy to repair so there was always a demand.
Like the Mini, it's hard to find a stock Bugeye. Many owners fitted them with bolt-in disc brakes and the 1275 engines from later models, as well as alloy wheels and roll bars. Prices on Bugeyes range between $6 - 12,000 and seem to be more determined by the quality of the restoration/modification than originality/correctness. It's not that a correctly restored car won't pull top buck, a well done modified car might as well.
Later model "chrome bumper" Spridgets are climbing up into the $4,000 range and while the last "rubber bumper Spitfidgets" (1500 Spitfire Engine and gearbox) are not in any sort of demand, the Aussies are presently buying up a bunch rubber bumpered MGBs and, I guess Spitfidgets could be next.
Sunbeam/Rootes
Rootes cars have come and gone in America since WWII. Hillman Minx and the big Sunbeam Talbots/Alpines made their way to these shores in a trickle for the years prior to the great foreign car invasion of the late fifties. At that point, Rootes mobilized its troops and flooded the US market with Hillman and Sunbeam saloons, dropheads and estates. Singer and the larger Humber models were not brought over to any extent.
When the Hillman based Series I Alpines appeared, attitudes changed about Rootes cars. Viewed as better finished and more civilized than an MG or Triumph, the new Alpine was a favorite among college coeds and suburban housewives. It also helped that Elizabeth Taylor drove one in the film Butterfield 8.
The later introduction of the Ford V8 powered Tiger prompted considerable interest in the hot rod/musclecar camp and V8 conversions of earlier cars became fashionable. The Sunbeam was now viewed as more than just a "girl's car."
By the mid-sixties, Chrysler Corporation had purchased Rootes and started selling the cars at Plymouth agencies. The Tiger was dropped because no Chrysler built V8 was small enough to replace the Ford 289, and the small saloons like the Hillman Hunter (sold as Sunbeams) and the Avenger were styled to resemble junior versions of Chrysler's big cars. In the early Ô70s, Hillman's last stand against the Japanese on American shores was an Avenger, badged as a Plymouth "Cricket."
The market for these cars is strange. All Hillman and Sunbeam badged saloons, from the late Ô40s, right up to the last Crickets, have little following and seem to have been adopted as orphaned oddities by Alpine enthusiasts. Nice original cars never seem to exceed $3000. The only exceptions are convertibles and pillarless hardtops which can bring up to twice that figure.
Early Talbots and Alpines are viewed as interesting "classics" and are generally owned by folks that don't know much about the cars or the market, but know what they like. Many have been re-engined with American V8 power and automatic transmissions. Unmodified examples are rare and quite successful on the Concours circuit. Prices range around the $15,000 territory, with correct, restored cars selling for about $28,000.
Later Alpines are just being discovered and prices are going up monthly. Today they are priced along with comparable MGBs and can be picked up for $3-5000. Tigers are another story. Like Cobras and Corvettes, it's hard to find a stock one, yet modification sometimes enhances the value. The price of decent looking, good running Tigers range from $15,000 to $25,000 for a recent restoration. Some sellers ask more.
Taxis
British cabs, while never used for taxi service in the States, always seem to find a home among the pub and bed and breakfast crowd. There even is a woman in LA who has a limo service using London cabs and features a few white painted and limousine fitted Austin FX4s for wedding service as well as the standard black livery. Most cabs are of the FX4 variety, though we do come across an FX3 or Beardmore from time to time.
Though Perkins diesel engine parts are readily available, many are converted to V6 petrol powered engines. The small engine bay is a limiting factor. The latest series of LHD models sold here came fitted with US built Ford 2.3 liter fours. Prices are dependent primarily on condition and lack of rust. While a restorable, running taxi can be purchased for under $2000, a ready-for-hire, well maintained example could fetch up to $10,000.
Triumph
The Triumph market is pretty much the same in the US as it is in the rest of the world. Since we got most of them and sold them to each other for 40 years, our present market is based on what people, who didn't live here, can afford to pay for one. As with MGs, many have been shipped overseas. Just take the European market prices, convert them to US dollars and voila - the American market.
The hottest item seems to be the later six cylinder cars with the TR-250 (TR-5 with smog equipment ) as the star. TR-7s are treated as jokes and can be picked up for next to nothing. TR-8s have kept a constant value of $6-10,000 and are starting to be viewed as a lower cost alternative to the Sunbeam Tiger. Those big ugly black bumpers and the "flying doorstop" styling that kept buyers away in droves when these cars were new, seems to not look so bad in retrospect, when compared to the bizarre automotive styling that came later.
Saloons were never imported in sufficient quantities to constitute a market. A nice old Herald or Vitesse Sport Six will sell for two to three thousand dollars but it will be hard to find people who know what one is. They did sell some Imps here but most ended their lives early and were stacked among the Issettas, Lloyds, and DKWs in the breakers yard.
While the Stag is considered a fine luxury cruiser in Europe, here they are handsome oddities that are hard to repair and often get re-engined with Rover V8, and Ford or GM V6 running gear.
Conclusion
There are a number of other more obscure marques like A.C, Allard, Aston Martin, Berkeley, Marcos and TVR that were commercially imported in very small quantities or owner imported and are more dependent on international values and local demand. A British sedan oddity that also shows up from time to time is the Vauxhaul. This is General Motors' UK division, that while quite popular in England, was only imported to North America during the great import invasion of the late Fifties. These tailfinned, medium sized sedans were sold at Pontiac agencys. They disappeared without a trace when the American compacts were introduced in 1959.
Another factor to consider is the racability of many of the British sports cars. Cars with a TRUE racing history and logbook can command a serious price increase and one that was raced by a well known driver or movie personality has even more value. Now that certain race sanctioning bodies will accept correctly prepared racers built from cars that never had been used in competition, some cars have become more valuable as racers than street going restorations.
While not a complete British car encyclopedia, this article should give the reader some idea of what's out there and what prices to expect today. Bring a copy along next time you attend a British car event and amaze your friends with facts and figures about cars that you've never seen before. Remember; most people who approach this hobby with a commercial eye become disillusioned and move on to telemarket time share condos and long distance calling schemes. If you're looking for fun, you won't be disappointed.