A 1959 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe, formerly owned by Dr Stephen Ward, the physician at the centre of the Profumo affair political scandal, was one of the stars of this year’s record breaking Race Retro sale.
A frenzied bidding battle saw the car eventually sell for a premium inclusive total of £124,200, more than twice its pre-sale estimate.
A host of other magnificent results saw Silverstone Auctions sell a massive 70 per cent of the road cars on offer, along with a remarkable further 13 competition cars, achieving total sales of £1.8 million - the highest auction figure ever achieved at the event.
“We’re delighted to start our 2014 auction season with such a fantastic record breaking result,” comments Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions. “We put together a really strong catalogue with a great mix of cars, and I’m delighted that we managed to achieve such excellent results for our vendors.”
Indeed, such was the quantity of quality entries into the sale that, for the first time ever, Silverstone Auctions held the event over two days.
Classic road cars which sold particularly well included a stunning 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack, which sold for a premium inclusive £167,900, more than £32,000 above its pre-sale estimate; a 1968 Jaguar C-Type by Proteus Enduro, which fetched £71,300; a 1957 Porsche 356A Coupe, which sold for £60,950; and a beautiful 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster, that achieved £49,000.
In the appropriate surroundings of Race Retro, Europe’s premier historic motorsport show, nearly £400,000 worth of competition cars were also successfully auctioned including a 2000 Ford Mondeo Super Tourer, which fetched £103,500; a 1964 Lotus Cortina Mk.I race car which sold for £53,000; a 1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth Group N Rally car, which made £23,000; and a 1968 MG C V8 race car which achieved more than £21,600.
The sale also included an exquisite collection of luxury lifestyle and automobilia items which raised a further £171,000, including James Hunt’s 1978 season race helmet fetching £21,780 and an F1 Champions Edition Opus book selling for £15,500.
“Race Retro is a fantastic event, attended by so many passionate enthusiasts, so we look forward to returning again next year,” adds Nick. “However, our next sales, The NEC Restoration Show sale and our May sale, are just weeks away, so anyone wishing to submit an entry is invited to do so at the earliest opportunity.”
For the full list of results from Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale or to find out more about submitting an entry in its upcoming sales, visit www.silverstoneauctions.com.
