Auto Jumble

The shape and set up of cars are changing all the time. These days you have to be more of an electrician to fix a car than a mechanic. But there are still those that appreciate the wonderful lines of classic cars, how they rock and how they roll.

But alas there are still those who would rather spend thousands tinkering with an old car rather than buying a modern one. Yes they exist and yes they are enthusiasts and yes they have to do strange things to get the right parts to fix their cars. At Egham and District Social Club the first Tuesday of each month the Auto Jumble Auction takes place. That’s what I said-the Auto Jumble Auction.

With my Dad I walked into what I can only describe as the hall of a Working Men’s club. Two red and white striped plastic sheets were on the ground. Gradually as more people came into the hall the plastics sheets began to get covered with old cars parts, boxes of car books, car photos, tools and other car related objects. All the items were to be auctioned off.

As I sat on the dusty blue sofa that lined the edge of the room, I wondered what everyone was waiting for. The goods were laid out, the auction forms filled in, why wasn’t anything happening? The Auctioneer hadn’t arrived. Wow, I thought. We’re in the back room of a bar, there’s about 15 people here drinking cider and guiness and we are waiting for the professional Auto Jumble Auctioneer to arrive. But he did, carrying his own PA system he jumped up onto a small stage and so the auction began. It’s amazing what can happen in a room full of middle age men, alcohol and boxes of old junk. Bidding wars. Bidding starts at £2 and sometimes it got fierce. A box of old car books went up to £22! It was the most surreal thing I’ve witnessed in a long time. Not put off by my Auto Jumble inexperience I put in a bid for an old wooden toolbox. Three pounds; I got it! Only then did I fully understand why these things take place.