Hello fellow enthusiasts
Just in time (we hope) to wish you all a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS from the team at Berlinetta!
Those of you who have been keeping an eye on the website or the classic car press may already know that our November sale went far better than it had any right to, being as it was held in the teeth of some rather ‘determined’ weather.
However, that was our gamble and whilst in terms of results it certainly paid off, it’ll be a while before we set up shop outside in late November again, and next year’s Manor Sales have already been confirmed for what we hope will be rather more balmy occasions – 7th May, 2nd July and 24th September - so some dates for your diaries there!
To be fair, Sunday was er, pretty fair weather-wise and we had a good number of visitors to view and in many cases test drive the broad range of classics on offer. Monday.... less so.
The picture next door perhaps captures the essence of what we’re trying to do – the owner of a fantastic little Austin 7 Ulster replica off on an (apparently hair raising) tour of the local lanes with a prospective buyer in tow. Our intrepid passenger didn’t buy the car in the end (something about his life flashing before his eyes), but it did sell on Monday to another enthusiast.
Including a number of after-sales we have now closed our books on a sale rate of about 65%. Whilst not yet at the levels achieved by some of our competitors, this is up from the 50% we achieved back in May and represents a significant step in the right direction.
If we continue at this rate, we’ll be up at 80% for sale three, and 110% by sale 5 (!)
So we look forward to our next joint adventure at The Manor in the Spring of next year, but in the meantime, to keep us busy (and dry) in mid January we will be launching Berlinetta Weekly, a new online only arm of the company that we will run throughout the year alongside our Manor sales.
Berlinetta Weekly sales will (as the name suggests) be held every week and will feature a carefully curated selection of about 5 high quality, interesting, desirable classics each time - with every car being available to bid on for the full 7 day period.
Our team will still photograph and catalogue the cars as and when required, so sellers can expect the full Berlinetta service as per a Manor sale, as well as our 0% commission rate which will also remain in place. There’s no need to move your car and no need to wait until the next physical auction comes along - if you call us on a Monday we can have your car listed on the site by Wednesday and sold just a week after.
For buyers, the quality of our catalogue descriptions will remain as high as ever or improve further, with inspection ramp photos now being the norm rather than a bonus, and without a venue to hire we can cut our buyer’s premium to 5% for Weekly sales. Registration to bid is free and our bespoke bidding module is easy to use and totally secure.
So, along with our increasingly popular Manor Sales we believe that we'll have something for everyone in 2017, with seriously attractive options tailored to suit the needs of classic car enthusiasts far and wide.
We can’t wait until January frankly - and it’s not often you hear that sentence.
In the meantime though we’re very much looking forward to a few mince pies and a drop or two of Baileys.
Cheers!
Berlinetta CCA
01903 530926
01636 627115
