This post contains my picks from the second day of March 2021’s Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Sale, which comprises of competition cars, classic cars and modern classic cars too. As with the auctions from both Silverstone Auctions and CCA over the last couple of days, there are a lot of wonderful cars on offer, and something for all tastes.
The first car that caught my eye from the lot list, and also when I walked into the auction hall, was lot 403, a 1981 BMW 320 Group 5 race car. I don’t think a standard E21 is a particularly well styled car, but it certainly suits the wild aesthetic that the body kit of this one adds (probably because it doesn’t look much like an E21). The 2.0 M10 engine in this only produces around 180hp, which doesn’t sound like a lot when you consider just how wide those wheel arches are, but the car is believed to weigh around 850kg, so hopefully it is plenty fast. Guided at £45,000-£50,000.
My next pick is lot 404, a diminutive BMW 700 which, whilst not particularly restrained, looks relatively pedestrian next to the larger E21 mentioned above (even with most of the exhaust hanging behind the car). This little 700 is fitted with a 950cc, twin cylinder engine producing 110hp, and I would imagine the car may weigh a little less than it did in original spec too. I don’t think I’d easily be able to fit in this car, but I’d give it a go! Guided at £25,000 – £30,000.
Lot 443 is next up, a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro 396 SS, which has been UK registered since 2000 and features a rebuilt engine producing 450hp. The history of this car appears to be a nice one, having been brought to the UK by the actor who had owned it in the US since 1991. The current owner bought the car in 2010 and spent a lot of money on it, and has only covered 1,000 miles in it in the past decade, which gives the reason for the sale. I really love the menacing aesthetic that this muscle car has. Guided at £25,000 – £28,000.
I can admit that I’m a fan of the Aston Martin Virage and its ugly duckling looks. I also like them in unusual colours, so this Suffolk Red example really does appeal, although the fact it has only covered 1,010 miles its lifetime and is automatic count against it. Despite the incredibly high prices some dealers ask for a Virage, this example is guided at £46,000 – £52,000, which can only be described as utterly reasonable.
Lot 453 is a 2001 Bentley Continental R Mulliner Coupe Wide Body, and once you’ve gotten your head around the name, you can take a moment to appreciate what a brute this car truly is, and just how outrageous those arches are for a Bentley. Only 131 of these cars were built, and there aren’t many Bentleys I would rather have, as for me it encapsulates everything a Bentley can be. This one is guided at £75,000 – £85,000, and I’m curious to see what it makes.
Quite possibly one of the rarest cars in this auction, the 2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT, as it is only of only 10 built for the UK market. It has covered just one 3,000 miles from new, so needs a new owner who is going to take it out and put some proper miles on it, or all that developmental work will have gone to waste. Guided at £100,000 – £120,000, I’m very curious to see what this car makes.
