McFeeters Motor Museum collection auctioned

After 19 years in business, the McFeeters Motor Museum in Forbes, NSW, has closed, with the sale of its contents conducted by Burns & Co. Auctions. Consisting of 104 lots covering more than a century of automotive history, the auction of Bill and Jan McFeeters’ lifetime collection drew national attention, with several bidders travelling from interstate for the event.

Opened in 2007 in a purpose-built, 45,000 sq. ft. facility on the corner of the Newell Highway and Oxford Street in Forbes, McFeeters Motor Museum housed more than 50 cars, most of which were offered at the auction, along with a small selection of motorcycles, a vintage caravan, kids’ pedal cars and selected memorabilia. Cars in the auction ranged in age from a 1902 Elmore runabout to a 2015 HSV Maloo ute, with vehicles from the UK, USA, Europe and Japan, as well as Australia.

Along with volume models, like an Austin Seven, HJ Kingswood, EJ Premier, early Mustang convertible, and XA Falcon 500, the McFeeters acquired some genuine rarities, too. These included a fabric-bodied Velorex three-wheeler from the Czech Republic, Kia Elan convertible, Clement Bayard tourer, modified ‘flame’ Honda CRX show car, Japanese Reikyusha hearse based on a Lincoln Continental, and a replica of an ‘English Mechanic’ from the veteran era that was a predecessor to the kit car.

Premium vehicles in the collection included a 1923 Rolls-Royce 20hp tourer that had been bought new by the Syme family (owners of The Age newspaper) and remained in their possession until 1970. Acquired by the McFeeters in 1994, the 20hp was in need of restoration, which was completed by specialists over a three-year-period. Other top-spec offerings included the aforementioned HSV Maloo and Elmore runabout, plus a 2014 FPV GT-F, 1923 Berliet, 1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and two 1950s Armstrong Siddeleys, one of which was a very rare Station Coupe, ie. utility.

The McFeeters say they chose Burns & Co. to handle the sale of their collection after seeing how they conducted the dispersal of Charlie McCarron’s Holden collection in 2016.

“When Ashley [Burns] visited and explained the process, it just felt right,” Jan McFeeters explained.

With a collection of this size, Burns & Co. staff spent months photographing and preparing all the items in the museum’s collection ahead of the live webcast auction, that was conducted on-site on 1 February.

“The organisation was amazing,” Jan continued. “The team were here well before the sale, and having the catalogue online for a month beforehand was very efficient.”

With most of the collection offered without reserve, a strong sell-through rate was expected, but even with that caveat, the final results were impressive. As expected ahead of the auction, the 1923 Rolls-Royce proved to be the top seller, making $188,700. The buyer was renowned car enthusiast and collector, Clive Palmer, who intends to add it to his own museum in Queensland. The FPV GT-F sold for $142,080 and the Berliet for $116,550, while the Elmore made $105,450 (all prices include buyer’s premium).

“We had a great roll-up of people and some very good bidders we wouldn’t have had without Burns & Co’s client network,” said Bill McFeeters.

“It certainly brought interstate buyers and broader interest,” Jan added. “Some prices were above expectation, some a little under, but the final figure was very close to what Bill had hoped for. We’ve got to be happy with that.

“We would certainly recommend Burns & Co. - for their efficiency and their team - to anyone looking to hold an on-site auction.”

For more details from this auction, go to: burnsandcoauctions.com.au