Three Volvo luxury SUVs used last month during the Valletta Migration Summit and the CHOGM will not be auctioned because they were damaged in a crash, the Times of Malta has learnt.
The three brand new cars crashed into each other on the Coast Road last week while transporting dignitaries. Although at first it was thought that the vehicles only had minor damage and would be repaired in time for the auction and then sold at a discount, sources close to the CHOGM task force said this was not possible.
“The damage caused to the cars is substantial and a low-loader had to be used for one of them,” a source said. “We were being asked whether the damaged cars will also be sold and this caused undesirable concern among potential buyers.
“We therefore decided to pull them out of the auction and put everyone’s mind at rest that all the cars at the auction are damage-free,” the source added.
The accident happened when the three cars were being driven in the same direction.
For some reason, the car in the front lost control and the two following it crashed into each other, then hitting the one in front.
When the Times of Malta enquired with about the accident, the police said that it was “a bumper-to-bumper collision”.
Contacted by this newspaper, auctioneer Pierre Grech Pillow confirmed that instead of the 78 planned cars for sale there would now be 75.
He said interest in the auction among car enthusiasts was high particularly due to the Volvos’ attractive tax-free price-tag.
The starting sale price of 20 Volvo S60 saloon cars will be €30,500, or €11,500 below the normal selling price. The SUV XC60 will have a starting price of €32,500, instead of the normal €44,000 sale price.
The starting price total will go to car importers GasanZammit, which signed a sponsorship agreement with the government.
In fact, the company is expected to recoup the full cost of the vehicles.
The rest of the funds raised will be passed on to L-Istrina charity campaign.
The same system was used following the 2005 Malta CHOGM when BMW cars were employed.