BCA sells 250 convertibles in a blizzard
It was hardly the most appropriate weather to sell soft tops, but Lex Autolease and BCA recorded a first class result in the annual spring convertible sale staged at the Blackbushe auction centre on Saturday 23 March. Every single car on offer sold for a 100% success and multi-million pound turnover.
Despite a severe weather warning from the Met Office, a wind chill of minus-3 degrees and snow falling heavily, the team at BCA Blackbushe pulled out all the stops to present 250 convertibles to a large crowd of buyers who had braved the elements to bid.
The cars – a superb selection of business, ex-lease and finance soft tops from Lex Autolease and Black Horse - had the benefit of BCA Assured which offers peace of mind to buyers by providing a report on a 30 point mechanical check carried out by an independent motoring organisation. Every car in the sale had been prepared to a high standard with a Smart Enhanced Valet and all the finance cars were offered with a Black Horse Care Pack, which contained the V5, MOT and service history (if applicable) and confirmed the number of previous owners.
When the first car was offered at 10.30 am, there were over 150 buyers in the hall and 377 trade buyers participating via BCA Live Online from across the UK and as far away as Malaysia, New Zealand, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey. Bidding was brisk from the first to the last car 3½ hours later as all 250 cars sold for a turnover of £2.1 million, equivalent to 102% of CAP Clean. A third of the cars were brought by internet bidders.
Highest valued seller on the day was the 2009 BMW M3 DCT Convertible which realised £28,000, but there were also plenty of budget value cars on offer including the 2003 Citroen C3 Pluriel which sold for £400.
Other strong sellers included:
Year - Make/Model – Mileage – Sold Vs CAP Clean
2007 Saab 9-3 Convertible 2.8T Aero V6 Auto 32,500 £8,300 135.5%
2005 Toyota MR2 1.8 Roadster 44,000 £3,600 125.2%
2009 Renault Megane 1.5D Dynamic S6 Convertible 73,500 £5,850 121.2%
2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible 24,000 £10,900 118.1%
2008 Ford Focus CC 2.0 TDCi (136 PS) 6 Speed 81,200 £4,700 116.0%
2008 Mercedes-Benz SLK 200K 27,800 £13,600 111.4%
2009 Audi A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSi SE 45,200 £15,300 111.2%
2006 Audi RS4 4.2 Cabriolet Quattro 56,000 £16,900 111.1%
Robert Sturley, Auction Manager South for Lex Autolease commented “We have had some spectacular convertible and sports sales at BCA Blackbushe in recent years, but this result was absolutely incredible. The weather was atrocious, but the whole BCA team pulled together to overcome the arctic conditions and stage an event that was truly fantastic!”
Alan Gupwell, Corporate Account Manager for BCA commented “The freezing conditions and heavy snow meant the BCA Blackbushe team had to pull out all the stops to ensure the event went off without a hitch. With such a fabulous selection of soft tops from Lex Autolease and Black Horse and the first class presentation by BCA, even the worst of the British winter weather could not deter the enthusiasm of the hundreds of buyers competing for these convertibles.”
