On February 24 and 25, 2023, Silverstone Auctions auctioned a total of 165 cars and some automobilia at the "Race Retro" trade fair. The 48 racing cars plus a trailer went under the hammer on February 24 and the 116 road vehicles on February 25.
The total value of the vehicles was around £10.5 million, with each lot expected to fetch around £62,800.
In total, 63% of the vehicles were sold and a turnover of £ 6.5 million was achieved.
Relatively young offer
On average, the vehicles were 41 years old; the average age of the racing cars and road cars was roughly the same. Only three cars dated from before the Second World War.
While the Chrysler Series 75 Roadster from 1929 sold even above expectations, the MG F2 Magna from 1932 achieved a price of £ 48,375, which was slightly below the estimate.
The 1942 Ford GPW Jeep with royal history stopped at £28,000.
Racing cars met with little interest
Only 21 of the 49 racing cars were sold, resulting in a sales rate of just 43 percent.
The road cars had an easier time, with 85 of the 116 cars finding a new owner, resulting in a sales rate of 72 percent.
Ford ahead of Lotus
22 Ford, 15 Lotus, 14 Porsche and 10 MG as well as 10 Jaguar were the largest brand contingents. They were followed by BMW with 8 and Mitsubishi with 6 vehicles. Austin-Healey, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Subaru were each represented with a handful of cars, while the remaining brands had smaller numbers of vehicles.
The list of single-digit brands on offer was long and also included exotics such as Arnott, Bristol, Elva, Ghia, Ginetta, Melling, Toj and Warwick.
With regard to the Melling, which is little known in this country, it should perhaps be noted that it was a further developed TVR Griffith with a Chevrolet LS 5.7-liter V8 and Tremec five-speed gearbox, which was sold under the name Melling Wildcat. Only seven cars were built before Al Melling's death. The rare car was sold for just £13,500 as no minimum price was required.
While only 12 of the 22 Fords were sold, the sales rate for Lotus was 80%. Porsche (79%) and MG (80%) performed similarly well.
Lotus sports cars from famous people
Around half of the 15 Lotus cars came from the Piddington Collection, which focused primarily on Elan models with famous previous owners. Various Elan models that were once driven by Ron Hickman, Jochen Rindt, Rob Walker, Keith Duckwort and Peter Sellers came under the hammer.
Almost all of them certainly did well compared to the prices that could otherwise be achieved on the market for good Elan examples, even if the estimated values could not be achieved in almost all cases.
One, however, clearly exceeded the estimate. The Lotus Elan S3 DHC from 1966, which once had a lot of screen presence in the television series "The Avengers" with Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) at the wheel and later went to Diana Rigg, was already estimated to be quite expensive at £ 80,000 to £ 120,000.
The highest bidder, however, went up to £ 146,000, meaning that the Elan cost £ 164,250 (EUR 185,603, CHF 183,960) (including surcharge and before tax). This was probably a record.
In comparison, the Elan +2 S130/5 from 1972, which was once driven by Colin Chapman himself, fared much worse. Nobody wanted to offer more than £40,000 for the then expensive Elan Coupé, despite its famous previous owners. The car was left behind.
Record price for Sierra RS500
The bidding war for a 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 was even tougher than for Emma Peel's Lotus Elan, however. Called up at £ 110,000, the last two interested parties, neither of whom were present at the auction, eventually bid up to £ 530,000, 3.21 times the median estimate.
The Sierra thus cost £ 596,250 (EUR 673,763, CHF 667,800).
Another Sierra, a 1990 Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4, also sold above expectations for £109,125, while most other Fords sold below expectations.
Even the rare RS 200 S from 1986 had to be sold just below expectations for £315,000.
Precision landing of the Fiat 131 Abarth
The performance of one of the approximately 400 Fiat 131 Abarth Rallye Stradale built in 1976 was eagerly awaited.
It was estimated at £120,000 to £150,000. The highest bid came in at exactly the median value, with £ 151,875 (EUR 171,619, CHF 170,100) being paid for the Fiat.
A Ferrari 512 TR from 1992 went for £ 145,125, a BBI from 1982 for £ 163,125 and a Ford GT from 2005 for £ 265,500. Together with the RS 500, these were the most expensive cars at the auction.
British exotics
Of course, there were also some British exotics on offer at the Race Retro.
These included the AC Formula 2 from 1959 (unsold) as well as an Elva Mk VII from 1963 (also unsold).
A Daimler Dart SP 250 from 1961 fetched £33,187, while a Ford Maverick Grabber from 1971 fetched £20,250.
The 2004 Noble M12 GTO-3R fetched £42,750.
A Warwick MkII Sports/FJ from 1961 cost the new owner £27,562.
Of course, there were also exotic cars from non-British manufacturers; the Ghia 450SS Spyder from 1967, which found its way into a new garage for £67,500, is certainly worth mentioning here.
An Opel Manta 400 rally car from 1988 could not be sold as only £ 72,000 was offered.
All in all, the Silverstone Auctions sale at the Race Retro was full of surprises and disappointments, but the organizers were satisfied with the result.
Offered and Sold Vehicles
The following table lists all offered and sold vehicles with estimated prices, highest bids, and sale prices. The price conversion was made at the exchange rate valid on the auction day. All information is provided without guarantee.
| Lot | Car | Year | £ Est from | £ Est to | £ HP | £ SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Ford Puma Rally Car | 1998 | 3500 | 3937 | 4409 | 4448 | V | |||
| 302 | Lotus Elise S1 Fast Road / Trackday | 1996 | 7100 | 7987 | 8945 | 9025 | V | |||
| 303 | Arnott 500 F3 | 1952 | 15'000 | 18'000 | 17'500 | 19'687 | 22'049 | 22'246 | +19.32%
|
V |
| 304 | Pilbeam MP62/82 - Race Car / Hill Climb | 1992 | 12'000 | 16'000 | 5000 | 5625 | 6300 | 6356 | -59.82%
|
V |
| 305 | Ford Maverick Grabber | 1971 | 20'000 | 25'000 | 18'000 | 20'250 | 22'680 | 22'882 | -10%
|
V |
| 306 | Ford Lotus Cortina Competition Car | 1964 | 30'000 | 35'000 | 24'000 | N | ||||
| 307 | MG A Roadster Race Car 1850cc | 1960 | 20'000 | 25'000 | 14'500 | N |
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All information is provided without guarantee.
Legend: Column S = Status (V = Sold, N = Not sold, Z = Withdrawn, U = Under reserve)
Est = Estimate, HP = Hammer Price, SP = Sale Price
