Sixties saloons that aren’t Jaguars still represent a lot of value – but prices are creeping up, say classic market experts
The Rover 3-litre and its 3.5 successor, the Humber Snipe and Super Snipe and the Vanden Plas 3-Litre and its 4-Litre R successor have always been credible alternatives to Jaguar’s Mk2, Mk X and 420G.
They were cheaper, too, and remain so today. The Rover was always king in the sales slug-out in period but nowadays of good examples of all three are climbing in price, with well-restored cars often picking up the best results.
H&H Classics’ Damian Jones says: ‘The Rover is the most popular today because it has more cultural pull/ relevance than the other two. None of the trio are worth professionally restoring but thankfully there are still people who will bring a car back to its former glory without any consideration as to its end value. Similarly, there are some extremely well-preserved original cars out there.
‘Values have increased gently over recent years. These are not cars to get rich quick with, but they will get you into various Goodwood car parks and start conversations pretty much wherever you go.’
Last week CCW reported that the average selling price for a Rover 3500 P6 in good condition had jumped from £5000 back in 2019 to £6500 today – a 30 per cent increase – and it’s a similar story for its Sixties saloon contemporaries. Good examples of the Vanden Plas 4-Litre R are now valued by the Classic Cars price guide at £10,500 – 17 per cent more than were five years ago. The Humber
Super Snipe has seen a more modest increase of around 12 per cent and is valued at around £7000 today, but well-restored examples have made significantly more, such as the 1963 saloon sold by Richard Edmonds for £13,500 last summer.
Brightwells consultant, Matthe
