Our Next Auction – The Collection of Andrew Hooker – Is Now Live! – 23rd September

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Our Next Auction – The Collection of Andrew Hooker – Is Now Live! – 23rd September

Amati Instruments Ltd logo
  • Buying
  • Selling
  • Auctions
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  • My Account Contact us
    Buying at Auction Upcoming auctions
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    My Account Contact us
    Upcoming auctions About our auctions Amati Specialist Amati Affordable Catalogues Buying at auction Selling at auction
    My Account Contact us
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    News 11 September 2026

    Winston Goes To Town

    Winston, a 1990s Fairway London taxi, parked outside the Amati office in Chandos Street, London
    James Buchanan avatar

    James BuchananDirector and Specialist

    With all the subtlety for which I am famous, I drove Winston the taxi up to London yesterday. Parked it outside the office and took a few photographs. Anyone who lives in London knows that keeping a Fairway Taxi in town is financial suicide. A big Nissan diesel that kills a hedgehog every time you start it up is not something the Mayor looks kindly on. It also shows the engineering brilliance of British manufacturing in the 90s, i.e. it rusts.

    So: a stunt. A brutal one, because Winston does 55mph on a good day and the M4 motorway was not having a good day. Closed in fact.

    The intention, successfully achieved, was to drive Jasmine around London while she played instruments coming up to auction. We nailed Eros (Piccadilly), Nelson (Trafalgar Square), Big Ben (Westminster), and the London Eye (no idea, I don’t go South of the River). Genuinely good fun.

    Anyway. I digress. The point is, in case the penny hasn’t dropped, it is a faint attempt to remind everyone that, although we travel almost everywhere, we are a London auction house, doing London auction house things.*

    *drinking at John Lewis, eating in Mayfair and selling lots of instruments.

    James Buchanan avatar
    James Buchanan
    Director and Specialist

    James is an expert in examining and valuing stringed musical instruments. He has worked for Bonhams, Christies, and was a founding member of Brompton’s.

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