A SCRATCHED and dented chassis of a vintage 1930s Austin 7 car which may have sat in a Gloucestershire barn for the last 50 years was sold for £18,000 at a Chippenham auction.

The body of the Austin, minus its engine, wheels and rear axle, sold for a higher price than several roadworthy Austin 7s at Richard Edmonds Auctions at the weekend.

Auctioneer Richard Edmonds said: “It’s very hard to know why one lot sells for more than another, but in this case I think we had some very keen bidders at the sale looking for a restoration project. The body sold for £18,480 while the roadworthy Austin 7s went for £6,000–£12,000 each.”

The auctioneer and his team found the body, along with three other Austin 7s, in a disused barn in Gloucestershire, where they had been hidden away from view since the 1960s.

The auction sold 16 of one of Britain's most popular cars, as well as a 1930 Austin 12/4 Low Loader taxi for £21,5000 and a 1932 Austin High Lot Taxi for £11,000.

While the Morris Model G taxi failed to sell, a 1912 McLaughlin Buick, believed to be one of two surviving examples, sold for nearly double its guide price at £25,000 and will return to its home in Canada.

Mr Edmonds added: “It’s been a great sale, our biggest ever, with 65% of the cars sold. Even the slightly damp weather didn’t stop visitors and buyers having an enjoyable time.”

At the same auction, a rare 1970s swatch of trim paint colours from Lamborghini cars attracted a substantial amount of interest, eventually selling for £1,080 with a Lamborghini brochure from the same period.