This post includes the lots from day one of the Silverstone Auction’s weekend sale (and day two of the three day sale when combined with the CCA auctions from yesterday). This includes a mixture of competition cars, classic cars and modern classics. There is such a huge selection of cars on offer, and something to entice everyone too.
First up on my shortlist is lot 209, which is a 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk Racer, which looks both bonkers and quite ugly too (which is a good thing in this case, I think). Of course, being a racer means this is a very non standard car, and the listing details a lot of work that has gone into making this an ‘ultra competitive’ car which has been built to a very high standard. According to that, it isn’t only fast, but also handles brilliantly. One of my favourite parts is that the heavy chrome bumpers have been replicated in chrome wrapped fibre glass to save on weight and make repairing it a more reasonable proposition in the event of a racing incident. If you’ve got the time (and the money), it’s well worth a read. This car is guided at £45,000 – £55,000.
Next up is another competition car, lot 214. It is a 2017 Morgan AR V6 Championship Winning Race Car. According to the listing, only six of these cars were built, and five remain in the U.K. With a dry weight of 850kg and 320hp on tap, it’s probably safe to assume that this little Morgan is plenty fast enough for most of us. Guided at £35,000 – £45,000 it would be an expensive track toy, but there is still the chance it could be raced, and it’s probably one of the meanest looking road legal Morgans available.
Quite possibly the best paint colour in the entire auction is lot 238, a 1961 Jaguar mk2 3.8 MOD LHD. This car originally left the factory in the metallic brown with magnolia interior that you see today, but had an automatic gearbox and power steering, and was delivered to New York. The car returned to the UK in 2006 and was converted to manual, using the correct type of gearbox, and has spent a lot of the intervening fifteen years at the current owner’s home in Finland. It is entirely possible for a UK buyer to convert this car to RHD, especially since it has already been modified and originality isn’t such a concern. Alternatively it would be the perfect car for a second home somewhere pleasant, if you’re fortunate enough to have one. Guided. at £30,000 – £38,000.
Next up is lot 269, a Mercedes 190SL. I’ll admit, I’ve never been the 190SL’s biggest fan, but this car stood out in the auction hall. Originally a US car, which was imported to the UK four years ago before being restored (with a colour change from cream to graphite grey, something that I think suits it very well). According to the listing this car has been affectionately named Grace by the current owners. A guide of £80,000 – £90,000 certainly isn’t cheap, but it is one of the more eye catching 190SLs I’ve seen in a while.
The Renault Sport Spider is quite possibly my favourite lot in today’s auction, especially since it is in the best colour – Liquid Yellow. I know there is the old line that a Lotus Elise is a better car (and it may well be), but for me the Renault is a much more desirable car. I’ve never really wanted to own an S1 Elise, but I’ve always wanted a Sport Spider. This particular car has covered just 7,800 miles, which seems like a waste, but then it isn’t exactly daily driver material for most people. It has recently benefitted from a cam belt service and two new front tyres. Guided at £35,000 – £40,000, this is the car that I would love to be able to drive home in.
Last up there is an honourable mention for lot 277, because not many cars scream the eighties more than a Grand Prix White 911 Speedster. This low mileage RHD model was originally registered in Australia before being exported to the UK in 2015. It has had three services since then, and only seven services in total over its lifetime. The fact that this car has covered less than 5,000 miles in its lifetime is a crying shame for me, especially as there is one with hundreds of thousands on the clock. I hope the new owner uses it as much as is reasonably possible, but somehow I doubt it sadly. This car is guided at £170,000 – £200,000.
