Even though most visitors to Race Retro do not get to wander around the cars in the auction, they can view them from behind a low fence. For most people its not worth the extra £20 (for 2 people) to get in amongst the cars unless they are planning on a making a purchase. For those that do, they can get close to some of the most iconic cars in the world.
The auction is an ongoing event and so we dipped in and out throughout the day. Run by Iconic Auctions it featured four categories, Collector cars, Iconic automobiles, Competition cars and Automobilia.
My overall impression of the results matches the recently reported trends. Older classics (pre 1970) are falling in value while the 80’s and 90’s cars, especially the high value models are soaring. I have picked out a few of the more interesting cars below, but if you want to look at all the results click this link Past Car Auctions UK | See Results & Sold Prices
1977 Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 ‘Pre-Custom’
This RS2000 surprised me because it is not a low mileage princess car. This has done over 81 000 miles and sold for £34,875 incl. premium. Granted it was in exceptional condition having had some restoration but that seemed like a punchy price to me.
983 Vauxhall Chevette – ‘The Vader’
This is one of those cars that makes me ask why? Why would you spend £200 000 building a car as tribute to a star wars character, or even buy it for £67 500. I don’t doubt that the specification made the car worth it, but for me a rally tribute would have been more appropriate clothing. The ‘Vader Restomod’, is painstakingly finished and fitted with an Exon Racing C20XE 285bhp engine mated to a Quaife sequential gearbox. But for me, there are cars well ahead of it in my fantasy garage.
1987 MG Metro 6R4 ‘Clubman
This is very much my kind of car and definitely one for my fantasy garage. .Just 3,423 miles and mechanically refreshed by its long term owner, this road-registered 6R4 is as close to a totally correct, original ‘Clubman’ as you will find. The price of £200 500 seems like a good buy given their increasing popularity.
2000/2024 Prodrive P25
Last year we wrote about Prodrives plans to build a car to celebrate the 25th anniversary of WRC97. This new car would be a reengineered car celebrating the DNA of the original with modern upgrades to almost aspects of the car. To find out more click on the link below which will take you back to the original article.
This car is Serial Number One of 25, offered directly from its first and only owner with just 121 miles from new. A modern interpretation of an icon by Prodrive – reimagined, redefined and recreated to deliver the ultimate competition car for the road. The launch price was £460 000 and it sold for £562 000, a solid investment and surely a car with further to go.
2007 Bentley Arnage T Mulliner Level II – 500bhp
I have always enjoyed driving around in small cars. My current fleet has 3 cars that by todays standards are tiny. But in the back of my mind I have always hankered after a really luxurious car, in my head it is usually a Bentley. This example of Bentley’s 500bhp Arnage T equipped to Mulliner’s highest level of luxury features and refinement is exactly what I would want. It was immaculately presnted and for £22500 was a real bargain.
1967 Lotus Elan S3 SE Drop Head Coupé
This baby Elan perhaps represents the shift in the classic car market at the moment. Fully restored by ‘The Elan Man’, Brian Buckland, with a new Spyder spaceframe chassis and a rebuilt engine it was superbly well presented. But at £21 937 the price will disappointing to any owners of Elans like this. But at least the buyer got a bargain.
Competition cars:
1987 Jaguar XJ-SC Competition Car
Race Retro is all about historic motorsport. I have no doubt that many visitors come away with thoughts about going racing or rallying. All I can say (from experience) is that motorsport is expensive and not to be entered into lightly. But just for you, I have picked out an entry level car that might just get you started. Very rare – possibly unique – within UK Club motorsport, this well-prepared XJ-SC has the added benefit of being road-registered and sold for £7,875 incl. premium
Past Car Auctions UK | See Results & Sold Prices