Fifty Years on Low Mileage Ford Transit Vans Are Selling for £60,000 – Some 40 or 50 Times Their Original Value. Now a Mike Brewer Van and Two of His Porsches Are Back in The Spotlight – This Time at Auction - Could a New Auction Record Be in The Offing?
10TH APRIL 2024
Mk1 Ford Transit
The next Iconic Auctioneers sale offers an incredible opportunity to acquire the finest, low mileage example of the best-selling commercial vehicle in UK history, a Mk1 Ford Transit, rescued from its slumber by none other than TV's Mike Brewer.
When Ford set out to create the Transit Van, never could they have imagined that low mileage examples with good history and in superb condition could be selling around 50 years later for almost thirty to forty times as much as they were new. Celebrated examples have sold for in excess of £60,000 in recent history, and this particular example may just be about to achieve something similar.
Found nestled in the rear of a garage, this particular Transit was found by TV's own Mike Brewer some years ago. It had been acquired as an ex-German Fire Service truck, having been rolled out of its garage occasionally, cleaned regularly and attending very few events explaining the low mileage.
These vans are quick (when empty), nimble (they could out handle an MGB), easy to drive and reverse, and generally totally user friendly. Mike Brewer obviously felt the same way and was quick to snap up this left-hand drive, ‘Fire Engine Red’ LWB twin-wheeler with about 10,000 miles (at the time) for a forthcoming episode of Wheeler Dealers (Season 17, Episode 13).
Mike has called this one if his favourite builds on Wheeler Dealers, and he certainly loved the result. It’s obvious at the end of the programme that he really didn’t want to part with the Transit but the whole idea of the show is that the vehicles have to be sold and it soon became the property of a local van dealer for the full asking price.
The van dealer was a very helpful chap and agreed that Mike could borrow the Transit to take to the Classic Motor Show at the NEC a short time later as part of their Wheeler Dealers presentation, however, once reunited with the van, Mike decided that he wanted to keep it and made his dealer friend an ‘offer that he couldn’t refuse’ and his beloved Mk 1 joined the Brewer Collection.
Mike had no intention of selling the Transit, or either of his two Porsches also in our sale, but a rather exciting (and probably expensive) project is on the horizon, so a bit of space needs to be created.
When Ford set out to create the Transit Van, never could they have imagined that low mileage examples with good history and in superb condition could be selling around 50 years later for almost thirty to forty times as much as they were new. Celebrated examples have sold for in excess of £60,000 in recent history, and this particular example may just be about to achieve something similar.
Found nestled in the rear of a garage, this particular Transit was found by TV's own Mike Brewer some years ago. It had been acquired as an ex-German Fire Service truck, having been rolled out of its garage occasionally, cleaned regularly and attending very few events explaining the low mileage.
These vans are quick (when empty), nimble (they could out handle an MGB), easy to drive and reverse, and generally totally user friendly. Mike Brewer obviously felt the same way and was quick to snap up this left-hand drive, ‘Fire Engine Red’ LWB twin-wheeler with about 10,000 miles (at the time) for a forthcoming episode of Wheeler Dealers (Season 17, Episode 13).
Mike has called this one if his favourite builds on Wheeler Dealers, and he certainly loved the result. It’s obvious at the end of the programme that he really didn’t want to part with the Transit but the whole idea of the show is that the vehicles have to be sold and it soon became the property of a local van dealer for the full asking price.
The van dealer was a very helpful chap and agreed that Mike could borrow the Transit to take to the Classic Motor Show at the NEC a short time later as part of their Wheeler Dealers presentation, however, once reunited with the van, Mike decided that he wanted to keep it and made his dealer friend an ‘offer that he couldn’t refuse’ and his beloved Mk 1 joined the Brewer Collection.
Mike had no intention of selling the Transit, or either of his two Porsches also in our sale, but a rather exciting (and probably expensive) project is on the horizon, so a bit of space needs to be created.
Images courtesy of Chris Wallbank chriswallbank.co.uk
1982 Porsche 911 SC Resto-mod direct from Mike Brewer. Estimate: £60,000 - £80,000
A firm favourite at many a car show, Mike's own 'Hot-Rod' as he calls it, his resto-mod 911SC with styling cues from the '73 RS and a 230bhp mechanical upgrade by Rasant of Long Beach, California.
The 911 SC
In 1978, Porsche introduced their latest development of the 911, christened the '911 SC', with the SC standing for Super Carrera. Powered by a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a five-speed, 915 transmission, power output initially was 180bhp, subsequently 188bhp and finally, in 1981, it was increased to a heady 204bhp. 1979 was the year that Porsche had envisioned that their new 928 would replace the 911 (we are still waiting for that to happen), however, 911 sales remained so strong that
Porsche revised its strategy and decided to inject new life into their core model.
This splendid example belongs to Wheeler Dealers’ charismatic host, Mike Brewer, and started life in the US as a standard, left-hand drive 911SC. Around four years ago, Mike was spending increasing amounts of time in America, particularly California, and was fed up driving around in ‘rentals’ so decided one day that it would be more fun to find a suitable ‘classic’ locally. After a few weeks searching, he came across this 1982 SC and, as an existing Porsche owner and a bit of a ‘neunelfer’, it fitted the bill. It was finished in its original
Guards Red and was basically standard apart from the ‘73 RS-esque ‘Ducktail’ spoiler and a set of all-black, ‘Group 4’ wide-rimmed alloys. It turned out to be a great buy and is described by Mike in one of his videos as ‘almost perfect’ but inevitably its original 200bhp had over time reduced to, in reality, around 160-170, still decent 40 years ago but not very exciting in the 2020s.
A chance meeting at a car show with Andrew, who heads up Rasant Products of Long Beach (now based in Seattle) led to a conversation regarding how much more power it was possible to extract from the 3-litre flat-six without major surgery. Rasant specialise in a range of ‘bolt-on’ products that are designed and manufactured in-house for a variety of classic Porsches. The results are undoubtedly impressive without troubling the crank, pistons or combustion chambers.
Enthused by the conversation, Mike decided to hand over the car to Rasant and see what they could do. There is a series of three videos covering the whole process in detail (Mike Brewer X Rasant Products Project SC) but to summarise, the work included the fitting of a 964 Plenum Chamber, Individual Throttle Bodies, MOTEC engine management, a custom engine harness and M & K Mufflers. The subsequent output was measured at 200bhp at the rear wheels (so probably around 230 at the crank) which represents a 25% improvement since Mike took the car in. The third video in the series covers Mike collecting the car and driving it for the first time and his excitement and unbridled enthusiasm is infectious.
Porsche revised its strategy and decided to inject new life into their core model.
This splendid example belongs to Wheeler Dealers’ charismatic host, Mike Brewer, and started life in the US as a standard, left-hand drive 911SC. Around four years ago, Mike was spending increasing amounts of time in America, particularly California, and was fed up driving around in ‘rentals’ so decided one day that it would be more fun to find a suitable ‘classic’ locally. After a few weeks searching, he came across this 1982 SC and, as an existing Porsche owner and a bit of a ‘neunelfer’, it fitted the bill. It was finished in its original
Guards Red and was basically standard apart from the ‘73 RS-esque ‘Ducktail’ spoiler and a set of all-black, ‘Group 4’ wide-rimmed alloys. It turned out to be a great buy and is described by Mike in one of his videos as ‘almost perfect’ but inevitably its original 200bhp had over time reduced to, in reality, around 160-170, still decent 40 years ago but not very exciting in the 2020s.
A chance meeting at a car show with Andrew, who heads up Rasant Products of Long Beach (now based in Seattle) led to a conversation regarding how much more power it was possible to extract from the 3-litre flat-six without major surgery. Rasant specialise in a range of ‘bolt-on’ products that are designed and manufactured in-house for a variety of classic Porsches. The results are undoubtedly impressive without troubling the crank, pistons or combustion chambers.
Enthused by the conversation, Mike decided to hand over the car to Rasant and see what they could do. There is a series of three videos covering the whole process in detail (Mike Brewer X Rasant Products Project SC) but to summarise, the work included the fitting of a 964 Plenum Chamber, Individual Throttle Bodies, MOTEC engine management, a custom engine harness and M & K Mufflers. The subsequent output was measured at 200bhp at the rear wheels (so probably around 230 at the crank) which represents a 25% improvement since Mike took the car in. The third video in the series covers Mike collecting the car and driving it for the first time and his excitement and unbridled enthusiasm is infectious.
A fine example of the rare (US-only, 1976-only) 2-litre, four-cylinder, fuel-injected 912E sympathetically restored by our old friend, Mike Brewer. Estimate: £40,000 - £50,000
Even the most knowledgeable of 911 enthusiasts might look at the title '1976 Porsche 912E' and think that it didn't sound quite right. After all, the 912 was in production from 1965 until 1969 and was never fitted with fuel-injection (E for Einspritzung). The raison d'etre of the original 912 is well known as in 1964, Porsche had a problem with the sales of their new 911 proving a touch disappointing and continuing demand for the 356, which was scheduled to be phased out, necessitating that the production lines kept rolling.
The solution seemed to be financial, and the decision was made to replace the 356 with a four-cylinder, more appropriately priced 911 and, as a result, the 912 was conceived. It lasted until 1969 when the Porsche 914/ VW-Porsche 914 arrived offering a mid-engined,
Targa-topped roadster powered by a flat-four meaning that Porsche could now offer a more economical four-cylinder model that didn't suffer the stigma of being seen as a 'poor man's 911'.
So that was the end of the 912, well, not quite. By 1975, 914 production was coming to a full stop but its replacement, the 924, was 14 months away leaving Porsche in North America, their biggest market, without an entry-level model. Whilst no more 914 body shells would be produced, the 914’s VW Type-4 2.0-litre engine was still very much in production and there was also no shortage of corrosion-resistant, galvanised chassis, G-Series 911 bodyshells, so the decision was made to mate the two, thereby reviving the four-cylinder 911 and, once again, calling it the 912. The “E” suffix simply indicated that the car was now fitted with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, which was later adapted for the 911. Built between May 1975 and July 1976, just over 2,000 found homes in the US.
The 912E has the same chassis as the 911 and therefore handles much like the 911 but with less power and less weight behind the rear axle, it tends to be more forgiving and less prone to sudden oversteer. The interior is the same as the 911, though some pieces were extra cost options including two of the five gauges and the standard 15-inch wheels were usually replaced by 14-inch Fuchs or 'Cookie-Cutter' alloys.
The solution seemed to be financial, and the decision was made to replace the 356 with a four-cylinder, more appropriately priced 911 and, as a result, the 912 was conceived. It lasted until 1969 when the Porsche 914/ VW-Porsche 914 arrived offering a mid-engined,
Targa-topped roadster powered by a flat-four meaning that Porsche could now offer a more economical four-cylinder model that didn't suffer the stigma of being seen as a 'poor man's 911'.
So that was the end of the 912, well, not quite. By 1975, 914 production was coming to a full stop but its replacement, the 924, was 14 months away leaving Porsche in North America, their biggest market, without an entry-level model. Whilst no more 914 body shells would be produced, the 914’s VW Type-4 2.0-litre engine was still very much in production and there was also no shortage of corrosion-resistant, galvanised chassis, G-Series 911 bodyshells, so the decision was made to mate the two, thereby reviving the four-cylinder 911 and, once again, calling it the 912. The “E” suffix simply indicated that the car was now fitted with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, which was later adapted for the 911. Built between May 1975 and July 1976, just over 2,000 found homes in the US.
The 912E has the same chassis as the 911 and therefore handles much like the 911 but with less power and less weight behind the rear axle, it tends to be more forgiving and less prone to sudden oversteer. The interior is the same as the 911, though some pieces were extra cost options including two of the five gauges and the standard 15-inch wheels were usually replaced by 14-inch Fuchs or 'Cookie-Cutter' alloys.
More details and images about this Ford Transit and two Porsches along with the other cars entered the Supercar Fest Sale can be found in the Iconic Auctioneers website www.iconicauctioneers.com. In person viewing of all the lots will be available on Friday the 17th May at the auction venue, Sywell Aerodrome and the auction will take place on Saturday 18th May from 12pm. Anyone interested in entering a vehicle to this auction can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact their team on specialist on +44 (0) 1926 691 141. Entries close on 19th April.
For more information please contact:
Gary Dunne
+44 (0) 7740 946796
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information please contact:
Gary Dunne
+44 (0) 7740 946796
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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