Monty's car for sale :- Sutherland Green 948cc 1961 Mk1 Deluxe Countryman

[Keith Bennett]

To Derek's great surprise he received the following:

"eBay bid change notice – Item 155482662316 : Austin-A40-Farina-Mark-1-Countryman
Hi Derek,
A previously entered bid on your item (155482662316) has been retracted or cancelled. You can view the retraction/cancellation and the reason provided by selecting the (bid history) link from the individual item page. As a result of this retraction/cancellation, there is a possibility that the highest bid amount and the current highest bidder have changed. You can always view the current status of any item by going to the individual item page. (Be sure to refresh or reload the page to view the most up to date information.) "

So we decided to reduce the asking price to £1,850 and have so far attracted one bid. The auction finishes on this coming Sunday, so it'll be interesting to see whether this bid, too, is retracted. Hmmm.

[Dave the rave]

One thing I don't understand is how a bidder can cancel a bid ......I always thought it had to be the seller who had to do so, at their behest.
It's £1250 Keith.

[Keith Bennett]

Oops , finger trouble. £1250 it is!

[sid]

let's hope it sells.

[Derek Minter]

Once again bad luck has struck with this sale and the one bidder did not make contact or of course pay up as required (cash on collection). I have been in touch with ebay but when it comes down to it they are pretty toothless! I was told he would get a black mark on his account and if he did it twice more would be banned. So basically he has got away with it... especially as he is not a regular ebay bidder and could always start a new account. I have been refunded the cost of the listing and there won't be any commission to pay.

Over the years we have sold several A40s this way but this has all been a pain and I am not inclined to go down this route again.

Please contact Keith if you are interested in buying this car.

[Dave the rave]

I've recently had two non-payers. Second totally ignored every message I sent.....five I think.
eBay said same as you Derek.

"A legal binding contract" they say.....my 'arris it is

...

[Dave the rave]

New price for Monty’s car.

[Keith Bennett]

Sadly time has run out for this car - the person whose driveway it sits has given notice that it be removed asap.

It will be scrapped unless we can sell it very soon, so the owner's widow has agreed to a price of just £200 to shift it. It would be such a shame to see this rare Mk1 Countryman go for scrap, so is there any interest forthcoming? It will need trailering from the village of Finmere, Northants.

[Dave the rave]

Bumping this back into view.

[Keith Bennett]

Well hooray - a lovely couple of folk came up from near Brighton with an impressively equipped closed trailer and van to look at Monty's sad old A40 - and loved it!! Granted it needs work (don't we all?) but Martin unearthed some more spares to go with the car. And his perceptive wife Dawn, thinking out loud, wondered why cars had to have female names, if any at all.

"You know what this car's gonna be called? Monty!"

That kind gesture from a complete stranger tugged at widow Pat and my heartstrings, making it a very special day. So Monty was divested of his long-term car cover and we pushed him out of his leafy lair into the sunshine.

Cautiously poking his nose into the world, "Monty" emerges from his home since 2006

Here's the crew wot did it - left to right, Club members Dawn and Martin with Pat, whose late husband would have been so relieved to see his old car in such good hands at last.

Flat tyres on loose gravel - not an easy birth, but come on everybody, PUSH!!

Mercifully Martin's trailer boasted a strong winch, so loading the Mk1 safely aboard didn't take long. Once securely strapped down, Monty could begin his journey down towards the south coast.

Off for a lengthy and comprehensive restoration (Andrew on welder and big 'ammer, Dawn on the sewing machine) and "Monty" will have many more years flying the A40 Farina flag. Thank you, guys!