Bidders bitten by the speed bug

BIDDERS at a Cotswolds antiques auction were bitten by the speed bug last Friday (July 22).

With its saleroom filled with antique furniture, delicate bone china and cherished glassware, auctions at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester generally exude an air of reverence, as serious collectors and dealers browse the antiques while Vivaldi's Four Seasons plays in their heads.

But all that went out the window on Friday, when auctioneer Philip Allwood offered for sale a Wasp R500 off-road go kart with powerful Honda 5.5HP petrol engine.

The brash, noisy, racy red go kart – which the auctioneer had to admit he had taken for a test drive himself – was expected to make £200 to £300.

But as the in-head soundtrack switched from Vivaldi to The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, bidders started to imagine themselves on the starting grid.

And as the chequered flag fell, the final bid had reached £620 – the top price of the day.

After the flurry of excitement, it was back to business as usual. A late Victorian ebonised and amboyna banded jardinier in the aesthetic taste, which graced the front cover of the auction catalogue, made £580 against an estimate of £200 to £300, while a pair of Dresden porcelain baluster shaped vases with twin scrolling serpent handles made £350 against an estimate of £80 to £120.

And if a contemporary go kart could make £650, what would an oak chest – with parts dating from the 1600s – achieve? The answer was £280 – comfortably within the auctioneer's estimate, although less than pound for every year of its long life.

For more information about buying and selling antiques at auction, log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk

A Wasp R500 off-road go kart with powerful Honda 5.5HP petrol engine	An oak chest with parts dating from the 1600s
A late Victorian ebonised and amboyna banded jardinier in the aesthetic taste