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Thread: Suspicious BAT auction

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Rutland, Vermont
    Posts
    757

    Default Suspicious BAT auction

    Been a while since I've been on here but I still lurk now and then. I like to watch the various auctions on Bringatrailer and saw this one today for a 63 IIA. I looked at it for a minute and I grew suspicious when I saw reference to south america and florida sales. I've seen other Florida "restorations" that amounted to lots of bling and in the end a dressed up pig worth a tenth of what some poor schmoe ended up paying for it.

    This one:

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ies-iia-4x4-3/

    Looks really nice at first glance but then starts looking suspect when you really look. Things like it seems to have really nice body...but then why did every single thing get painted....like the carburetor...the intake...the entire exhaust system etc. If you look closely at the exhaust you can see its covered in corrosion thats painted silver . The springs are painted black but you can see rust in the corners so they clearly were just old springs. The chassis has a lot of pitting thats of course coated in a thick layer of black paint. Some areas look dented and maybe coated holes too.

    I'm not bidding on the thing...but am I right in that this seems very likely to be a scam truck...dressed up to look like a diamond but really a turd.

  2. #2

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    Are those bias ply trailer tires???

  3. #3

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    I realize this is an old post but I always follow the BAT auctions just for fun, and to learn from the really knowledgable people who comment there. One of the old crows remarked that there are a couple of super-quick tipoffs that seem to be leading indicators of a hokey restoration:

    1. is the galvanized trim painted over? (certainly this is one of my pet peeves)
    2. were the spot welds all over the body bondo'd in and now invisible?
    3. instead of seeing some (hopefully very) minor leaks here and there under the car, and maybe a smidgen of surface rust, have they just sprayed over everything and it seems too good to be true?

    My own 88 was resprayed before I bought it, and it's a little too glossy for my taste, but mercifully they left the galvanized parts correct. They also didn't nail the Marine Blue color -- it's a little too dark and bluish, almost like a later Defender color. I really wish it hadn't been repainted at all though -- there's really no need or purpose for that.

  4. #4

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    I follow the BAT auctions too, and as a result last week doubled the insurance coverage on mine. Had to change companies to do so, but feel better about it all now.

    Mine isn't nearly as nice as the couple that have gone over $50K but the $10K I had mine insured for wouldn't have replaced what I've got, so increased it to $25K.

  5. #5

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    The current one that seems dubious to me is

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...-series-iii-7/

    These type of restorers just paint thickly/glossily over everything, get the Limestone color wrong, and bodge little details ... in this car, for example, the fresh air intake was mounted inside out (see their photo 23). The odd rear side windows. Painted over all the galvy. Then jump underneath the car with a rattle can of black paint and get rid of surface rust. Brake lines that are too short and are not properly supported along the axles. Spare tire incorrectly mounted w/missing hardware. Wierdo air filter.

    I don't know why these heavy, ham-fisted restorations give me the creeps, but the do. They don't look anything like what, say, Lanny Davis would do.

    I also think the BAT site tends to have a lot of shill bidders. Just something I've noticed over the months.

  6. #6

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    Agreed. I always follow them on BAT too, and this one is a mixed bag. I actually like the color, although I prefer original colors. The new frame is nice, but all the little details @davidd mentions are annoying. The goofy rear windows are ugly, and the air filter is unforgivable. I think this restorer was going for a Defender look. I often see Series Land Rovers advertised as "early Defenders."

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