Silverstone’s November sale at the Birmingham NEC Classic Motorshow is often one of the year’s best attended auctions. By virtue of its prime location at one of the classic car world’s key events, the auction generates footfall like no other by sheer osmosis alone. The hordes of browsing enthusiasts and people who approach the auction with a modicum of intent make up the majority of those present, but don’t for a second think that this makes for a half hearted sale.
Last year this auction saw the lion’s share of the E-Type boom with a number of outrageous sales of the long nosed Jag, expectation for this year’s sale was at a similarly high level; and rightly so given the stock in the lot listing. The value of holding an auction at this type of Motorshow is the genuine variety of metal for sale – where else would you see a 6×6 Defender for sale opposite a Diablo? The old cliché of something for everyone was alive and well at this sale and thus you could hardly move for keen buyers and interested auction goers once the gavel came into play.
So how did the Silverstone sale go?
A bit of a mixed bunch to be frank with you. An auction aimed at a wide spread of car fans featured a suitable wide spread of sales, there were some that surprised (for better and worse) and some that played out exactly as one would expect.
The USP of this auction seemed to be the plethora of fast Fords, we spoke about them before the auction and their sales played out just as one would expect – most notably the Sierra Cosworth RS500 sold for £112,500 including fees (all prices quoted here include fees) and an 18 mile Focus RS sold for £43,875. You could have probably guessed those sales would pan out in that way, however it begs the question – what has prompted the Focus RS to become a garage queen? We’ll look into that one for you in the not too distant, so hold tight for that one.
Aside from the brisk blue ovals playing out as one would expect we also saw some pleasing 190SL sales – both of the examples listed for sale sold for either side of the £120,000 mark (£118,125 & £126,000). With the recent E-Type bubble popping could the 190SL be the next classic car darling of the auction room? Take a look at the data of their price change below and see for yourself.
It wasn’t all price hikes and record sales at the NEC sale, however, the market has a lot of variability at the moment and this really showed over the weekend. Not necessarily in a bad way either, well, for the buyers. One of the most notable dips was for the off roaders of the sale – a long wheelbase 280 GE, Range Rover soft dash and a 6×6 defender all sold for under £20,000. If you’re looking for some classic off-roading this muddy season then we highly recommend taking a look at the full lot listing HERE.
Aside from some affordable off-roading it was the supercars and the top level exotica that took a real hit at the show. The big show stopper cars, the modern classic supercars and poster cars really struggled in the room. The Lamborghini Diablo SE30 failed to sell even at £200,000 and likewise for the elegant silver Ferrari 360 at the £150,000 mark. One of the 80 UK Jaguar Project 7s faced a similar struggle when it’s time came as well. The Project 7 was presented in possibly the most elegant colour combinations of white with grey decals, a far cry from the other outlandish designs and the most subtle of the Project 7 cars – if such a thing actually exists. This journalist’s thoughts on the design aside the car is currently listed for a buy it now price of £161,000 if you’re interested in taking a closer look.
To round up then, the Silverstone sale at the NEC provided plenty to talk about. Perhaps fewer groundbreaking sales than last year, but to be expected considering the market has calmed down a touch since we were last at the NEC a year ago. It seems that now is the time of the Fast Ford and the 190SL in terms of increasing value, and with the slow supercar sales perhaps now is the time to bag a bargain supercar?
What’re your thoughts on the Silverstone sale, and most importantly what do you make of the year’s classic car sales? Do let us know in the comments!
