A series of classic cars smashed a number of world records after going under the hammer at auction recently.
The Silverstone Auctions NEC Classic Motor Show Sale in Birmingham saw a number of models go up for grabs, with the event’s total coming to £7 million with a 75 per cent sell rate.
Rob Hubbard, sales director of Silverstone Auctions, comments: “Given the tough economic situation the country currently finds itself in, this sale was a vote of confidence in classic car collecting.
“The international interest was the biggest we’ve seen with a strong presence of Europeans. As a result we had a good sell rate and some very satisfying new world and UK records achieved.”
One of the record-breaking cars was a 1989 Jaguar XJ-S convertible, which registered just 100 miles from new. It smashed a previous world-record price by over £86,00, with the hammer finally falling at £131,625.
Another record-breaker was a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII MR FQ-400, which sold for £72,000, while a 1998 Mercedes 300SL with just under 6,000 miles on the clock went for £75,375.
A big-hitter was a 2009 Ford Focus RS with just 357 miles on the clock. Finished in an iconic ‘Ultimate Green’ colour, this achieved a new world record sale price of £63,000.
A 1972 Ford Transit MK1 long-wheelbase van in ‘impressive collector quality’ fetched £61,875 at the auction, beating a previous record set in 2020.