Everything must go!
It’s not rare for private collections, single-marque hoards and retired heritage fleet cars to come up for sale, but it’s not often that an entire museum’s worth of vehicles goes under the hammer.
But that’s exactly what is happening at the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum in Devon, UK, which closed its doors in November 2024.
The two-day sale, hosted by Charterhouse Auctioneers, will begin on 15 May 2025 with the museum’s collection of ’bikes and automobilia, before 50-plus cars cross the block on 16 May.
Presented in chronological order, here are 24 highlights from this upcoming auction.
1. 1918 De Dion Bouton Model HD (est: £6-8000)
The oldest four-wheeled vehicle crossing the block in this month’s Charterhouse Auctioneers sale is this 1918 De Dion.
It’s understood that it was used by the French army during WW1, before becoming a police vehicle, then a fire engine on an airfield, and eventually a restaurant’s courtesy bus.
When it arrived in the UK in the 1980s, it was registered as a red estate, probably a result of its fire-fighting past.
Bought by a consortium of enthusiasts at a 1995 Bonhams sale at the Natural History Museum in London, it joined Moretonhampstead Motor Museum in the 2010s.
2. 1924 AC 12hp (est: £25-27,000)
In 101 years, this AC 12hp has had just three owners, including the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum’s custodian, Frank Loft.
It has also completed a cross-continent trip to India.
In 2006, the AC’s Anzani four-cylinder engine was rebuilt by a specialist.
The history file contains some old, black-and-white photographs of the car.
3. 1928 Riley Wentworth 11.9hp (est: £7-10,000)
According to Charterhouse Auctioneers, this two-door Riley Wentworth 11.9hp might be the sole-surviving example.
The fixed-head coupé, which has a dickey seat in the rear, was treated to a body-off restoration in the 1980s.
4. 1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25 (est: £24-26,000)
An early example of the Rolls-Royce 20/25, with bodywork by Mulliner.
In the 1960s, the car was shipped to America, where it stayed for two decades, until it returned to the UK.
Reportedly, a lot of money has been spent on this imposing four-door in recent years.
5. 1950 Morgan 4/4 (est: £10-12,000)
Just three Morgan 4/4s are believed to have been built with this drophead coupé bodywork by Ellis Brothers in Newton Abbot, in the English county of Devon.
Despite the subtle differences, this rare 4/4 is unmistakably a Morgan.
It was clearly well liked by its original owner, who kept the car for 50 years.
6. 1951 Jowett Javelin (est: £3-5000)
The flat-four-engined Jowett Javelin was an important model for the Bradford firm.
Ultimately, the British marque went bust, but its post-war saloon was anything but a failure.
This de Luxe model has added leather and wood, plus more instruments on the dashboard compared to the standard car.
It could be yours this month for £3-5000, but bear in mind that, like most cars in this sale, it will likely need some work before it is ready to be driven on the road.
7. 1951 Wolseley 6/80 (est: £9-11,000)
Essentially an upmarket variant of the Morris Six, the Wolseley 6/80 was typecast as the police vehicle in British films and TV shows throughout the 1950s.
The association remains strong, and, even today, many are dressed up as former law-enforcement vehicles.
In that respect, this standard, maroon-coloured car is a pleasing break from the norm.
8. 1954 Triumph TR2 (est: £19-23,000)
Following a 19-year spell in a barn between 1979 and 1998, this Triumph TR2 was restored at the turn of the century.
And the hard work paid off: It was a class-winner at the TR Register’s Millennium Concours d’Elegance.
Photographs of the car – some dating back to when it was new – are included in the sale.
9. 1954 Vauxhall Wyvern EIX (est: £6-8000)
Clearly influenced by American cars of the time, the Vauxhall Wyvern was the Griffin’s medium-sized offering in the post-war years.
This car, finished in a fetching combination of silver paintwork and dark-red interior, was restored by a member of the Vauxhall Wyvern Owners’ Club.
10. 1959 Berkeley T60 (est: £6500-7500)
The three-wheeled Berkeley T60 is powered by a transverse engine and fitted with a glassfibre bodyshell.
According to Charterhouse Auctioneers, just 1780 were built.
This restored car is surely one of the finest remaining examples.
11. 1959 FMR KR200 (est: £15-18,000)
When West Germany joined NATO and Messerschmitt was allowed to manufacture aircraft once more, it abandoned its microcar project.
Hence, this car is badged FMR, the consortium managed by the car’s designer, Fritz Fend, that continued producing Messerschmitts after 1957.
It is arguably one of the quirkiest cars in Charterhouse Auctioneers’ Moretonhampstead Motor Museum sale later this month.
12. 1959 MG Magnette (est: £8-11,000)
How about an MG Magnette with fewer than 20,000 miles on the clock?
Its first owner, who took delivery of the MG in October 1959, kept it for 23 years, in which time they drove it just 13,000 miles.
Its second keeper held on to it for 36 years, and added just 4300 miles to the odometer.
It’s hardly been used since it joined the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum and is looking for a new home this month.
13. 1960 BMW Isetta 300 (est: £6-8000)
If the FMR KR200 we looked at earlier didn’t do it for you, perhaps this bright-yellow BMW bubble car is more up your street?
The three-wheel configuration suggests it’s one of the 26,000 licence-built variants produced in the UK, conceived to avoid the higher Purchase Tax that was applied to four-wheeled vehicles.
The Moretonhampstead Motor Museum’s founder, Frank Loft, will donate all proceeds from this Isetta’s sale to the charity Children’s Hospice South West.
14. 1962 Rochdale Olympic (est: £8-10,000)
Rochdale is a little-known marque today, but in 1960 it was hot on the heels of Lotus with one of the first glassfibre monocoque cars on the market, the Olympic – named after that year’s Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.
This rare Phase I car has previously been restored.
15. 1963 Ford Cortina MkI (est: £6-9000)
There’s a surprising connection between the Ford Cortina and the Rochdale Olympic on the previous slide.
Both cars have the Olympic Games to thank for their names.
We’ve already explained the Rochdale’s link. Ford’s early-1960s model was called Cortina after the 1956 Winter Olympics held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
16. 1965 Austin A40 ‘Farina’ (est: £3500-4000)
The Austin A40 ‘Farina’ was the first BMC product styled by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina’s design house.
This example, finished in Embassy Maroon, comes with a Heritage Certificate from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.
17. 1967 Sunbeam Alpine V (est: £6-8000)
The fifth-generation Sunbeam Alpine got an enlarged Hillman Minx engine that powered the roadster to more than 90mph.
OPC 39E was exported to California, USA, when it was new, but returned to the UK in 1991, when it was repainted red (it was originally finished in green) and converted to right-hand drive.
18. 1971 Rover 2000 (est: £2-3000)
The Rover P6 was one of Britain’s most innovative cars when it was released in 1963.
All-round disc brakes, overhead-cam engines, a steel monocoque and a de Dion set-up at the rear were among the headline-grabbers.
The example for sale this month is a 2000SC MkII, powered by a 1978cc ‘four’. It’s fitted with a four-speed manual gearbox.
19. 1974 MG Midget (est: £4500-5000)
This 1974 MG Midget – one of the last with round rear wheelarches – belonged to a friend of Moretonhampstead Motor Museum curator Frank Loft.
They were a retired mechanic who bought the MG as a project.
During their ownership, they fitted a new exhaust manifold, water pump and clutch, and refurbished the gearbox.
20. 1974 Reliant Robin (est: £2500-3500)
Production of the Reliant Robin began in 1973, which means this 1974 model is a very early example of the British marque’s three-wheeler.
It’s covered a little more than 40,000 miles, a figure that’s supported by the car’s MoT history.
21. 1984 Ford Escort 1.6 GL (est: £1400-1800)
When was the last time you saw one of these?
Ford Escorts, like this 1.6-litre estate, were seemingly everywhere in the 1980s and 1990s, but they’ve slowly fallen into obscurity.
This rare survivor has fewer than 50,000 miles on the clock.
It looks like this forgotten load-lugger needs some love, but it could make for a nostalgic restoration project.
22. 1986 Talbot Samba (est: £3500-4500)
Sorry for repeating the sentiment expressed on the previous slide, but when did you last see one of these? Let alone a lilac-coloured convertible.
The Pininfarina-styled drop-top was built to the tune of 13,000 units between 1982 and 1986.
23. 1990 Rover Metro (est: £1-1500)
Not again! A once-common sight on UK roads, fine examples of the Rover Metro are now dwindling.
According to Charterhouse Auctioneers, this 1990 Metro 1.1S had some engine work done in 2012 and it is predicted to achieve at least £1000 at this month’s sale.
24. 2023 Tiger GTA (est: £14-15,000)
This kit car was hand-finished by Tiger Racing (now ERA Sports & Racing Cars) at its Cambridgeshire workshop in 2023.
Based on the Lotus Seven-esque Tiger Avon, the GTA added closed-wheel bodywork.
It has a 2-litre Ford Zetec engine, and the gearbox and differential are also Blue Oval components.
The sub-900kg Tiger GTA was the most modern vehicle in the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum.
Not long to go
Tempted by any of these lots? Click here for more information about the vehicles for sale from the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum collection.
The on-site classic car auction will take place from 11am on 16 May 2025, following the ’bike and automobilia sale from 11am on 15 May.
The lots will be available to view at the museum from 9am on both days, and 10am-4pm on 14 May.