Equipment
328/18hp Excelsior two-stroke engine, front-wheel drive, floor shift 3-speed sequential gearbox, centerlock wheels, leather upholstery.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Good paint. Aged wheels. Pitted door hinges. Slightly grimy engine. Lightly worn seats and small crack in the steering wheel. Driver condition, but that’s sort of the point with an offbeat, funky, fun car like this.
Market commentary
Berkeley was a leading caravan maker in the 1950s, and used the experience gained in working with fiberglass to make a compact sports car. Its drivetrain and layout were unconventional but Berkeleys became popular in small displacement sports car racing. Berkeley claimed 70mph speeds and 70 mpg fuel economy. Subsequent Berkeleys got a little larger and faster but had the same basic layout aside from the three-wheeled T60, and the company went bust in 1960s after building just two prototypes of its four-stroke Bandit. This SE328, which from a user standpoint sits somewhere between a microcar and a small displacement sports car like a Sprite or Spitfire, sold big on charm. We don''t see Berkeleys pop up for sale very often, but they typically bring significantly less money than this.