Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Two Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Editions and two Ford Focus RS500’s from the 212 and 101 produced respectively, is a nice record for Silverstone at the NEC in Birmingham.
And this was only the appetizer of the dreams that awaited anyone brought up on bread and simulators. 168 cars offered, of which 73.21% changed hands with takings of £7,025,788 (€8,097,300) and an average price per car sold of £57,120 (€65,850).
The top lot? Needless to say, a youngtimer that dreams are made of: a 1988 Ford RS200 Group B. Of the 200 examples built (necessary for homologation purposes), the one sold at Silverstone was one of the 90 built to road spec with a 300 bhp engine. Arriving at auction with just 7,794 miles on the clock and an estimate of £225,000-£275,000, bids surpassed all expectations and the final price was £292,500 (€337,100).
The two different Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Editions were fascinating to follow. Both built in 2000: one with the famous Ralliart livery (red, 50 produced), the other one in black. The first was in absolutely pristine condition, with just 30,000 miles on the clock, while the second one had been locked away in a garage since 2014 and hadn’t seen any action since. And while the black one came with an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 and went for a very healthy £28,125 (€32,415), the red one was estimated at £70,000-£80,000, however the market decided to reward it in style: sold for £110,250 (€127,065).
And these results tell two stories in their own unique way. The one sold for over £100,000 is the second-most expensive one ever sold. The record is still held by the first one produced (£146,250 or €168,765) and in concours condition. In light of this, the price paid for the Silverstone model was actually much higher. The £28,125 barn find should be an indication for its new owner that his Evo deserves a good a restoration.
The Jaguar XJ-S market has been growing for a few years now and a never-registered 1989 5.3 V12 Convertible with just 100 miles from new was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The estimate of £50,000-£60,000 was enough on its own to set a new world record but this milestone was literally swept away when the hammer dropped at £131,625 (€151,700).
Bringing us back down to earth was the Jaguar XJC 5.3 V12 Coupé that once belonged to Harry Metcalfe, founder of the EVO magazine for true petrolheads, and sold for £12,375 (€14,260). No rewards for its history? Who knows, although it did need quite a bit of work to bring it back to its former glory.
There was also a “Ford avalanche” at Silverstone. The auction house is famous for offering sports cars from the Blue Oval and this year it went out of its way to break every record in the book.
Let’s start with a series of Ford Focus super-sports with negligible mileage. So, a MkI RS with just 21 miles on the clock – not 21,000, just 21 – changed hands for £74,833 (€86,245), slightly below its estimate.
Then three examples of a Mk2 RS, with 54 miles, 357 miles and 958 miles respectively. The one used the least ended up not selling, the one in the middle changed hands for £63,000 (€72,600) and the “globetrotter” went for £56,250 (€64,900).
Finally, the two Ford Focus MkII RS500’s went for truly incredible prices: the one from 2010 with 6,857 miles on the clock sold for £65,250 (€75,295) while the other, from 2009 with 948 miles to its credit, changed hands for £99,000 (€114,100). Suffice to say, all these Fords set the record for their particular model.
And that’s not all: I think it’s safe to say a new record was set for the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. A 1986 car with 8,795 miles on the clock sold for £132,750 (€152,995), well over the estimated £90,000-£110.00. Best previous price? £103,500, so not bad at all.
Finally, a new record was also set for a Ford Transit van, albeit a very rare MkI Twin Wheel LWB Panel Custom Van with just 7,071 miles from new. Offered without reserve and without an estimate, its beauty and rarity ignited the room until the new owner took it home for £61,875 (€71,310). The record it broke? £28,600 (€33,000), or less than half.
The Fords and Japanese brands were not alone, of course, and there was also room for a Renault to set a new record. A Clio V6 3.0, estimated at £85,000-£100,000, which seemed optimistic, changed hands for £92,250 (€106,320). Truly spectacular.
Last but not least, the BMW Isetta 600 from 1957 which once belonged to and was restored by Sir Stirling Moss! The famous champion used it in London traffic with a tuned engine – and it couldn’t have been otherwise – that he had enlarged to 700cc. The room was half expecting a record to be set here too, but the £56,250 (€64,825) paid was just a whisker short of the £57,500 it needed to beat.
