Ex-Mike Hailwood sports car leads £2.5m Silverstone auction

Classic car sale sees huge haul of winning bids

A windswept former airfield in the heart of Northamptonshire might not seem like the most glamorous location for a multi-million pound auction – but that’s exactly what you'd have found at Silverstone on Saturday.

Following a Ferrari-only auction on Friday – the first of its kind in the UK – the next day saw a host of high-value classics go under the hammer at the UK circuit, from ultra-rare Italian sports cars to fast Fords straight out of the ’80s.

And, while several of the rarest lots didn’t sell, a host of big-ticket machines changed hands in an auction with sales totalling more than £2.5m. Here are the 10 biggest winners from the weekend.

1966 Iso Griffo GL 350

Estimate: £220,000 – 260,000
Sold for: £270,000

Even without details of its former owner, this 1966 Iso Grifo GL 350 would be worthy of attention: one of just 26 right-hand drive variants built by the now-defunct marque, it’s a rare and stunning blend of Italian style and US power. That it was owned by motorcycling legend Mike Hailwood? Well, that just adds to the provenance of this special machine.

1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

Estimate: £90,000 – 105,000
Sold for: £112,500

A race-ready homologation special hand-built by Aston Martin Tickford, Ford’s Sierra RS500 was built to destroy its touring car competition in the late-’80s. In road trim, it could do 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and maxed out at 154mph. This immaculate 1987 example is one of just 500 ever built and has covered a mere 12,000 miles in its 30 years on the road.

1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 ‘Flat Floor’

Estimate: £80,000 – 100,000
Sold for: £92,250

A crisp Carmen Red Jag, this 1961 machine was the 100th right-hand drive E-type to leave the production line. An early, ‘flat floor’ example, it was first delivered to the owner of Humbrol Paints. Still carrying its original engine (as rebuilt in 2004), it’s in need of some care and attention, but remains a stunning illustration of that most iconic British sports car.

1967 Jaguar E-type 4.2 Roadster Series 1.5

Estimate: £75,000 – 85,000
Sold for: £105,750

Between the early E-types and the arrival of the upgraded Series 2 in 1968, the unofficial ‘Series 1.5’ arrived in the mid-’60s with a 4.2-litre engine and synchromesh gearbox. More powerful and more drivable, fewer than 2000 were built – and this recently refreshed, effortlessly evocative 1967 example is one of just 320 Series 1.5 Roadsters produced.

1973 Porsche 911 S 2.4

Estimate: £160,000 – 180,000
Sold for: £166,500

Next up is the first and, quite possibly the best, of several Porsches at the Silverstone sale. Sure, its mileage might top 200,000, but a fully documented history of extensive, money-no-object maintenance makes this 911 S one to lust after. Built in 1973, it’s a stunning illustration of Porsche’s pure, lightweight 2.4-litre sports car – bettered in its day only by the 2.7RS.

1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4

Estimate: £100,000 – 120,000
Sold for: £101,250

Another 2.4 S, this earlier 1972 example is a rare right-hand drive model in brilliant condition. Bought as a project and kept off the road since 1985, the last four years have seen it comprehensively restored, including an engine and gearbox rebuild, as well as an interior retrim, meaning it went to auction as an immaculate and desirable sporting Porsche.

1981 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo

Estimate: £125,000 – 150,000
Sold for: £129,375

A 930 from the early-’80s, this Venetian Blue example is all stock and all the more valuable for it. Carrying an air-cooled and turbocharged 3.3-litre motor, with that iconic tea-tray spoiler hanging off the back, this right-hand drive, 300bhp machine has just 16,000 miles on the clock and is in highly original condition – including the engine and interior.

1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL

Estimate: £78,000 – 90,000
Sold for: £81,000

To call the 190SL a poor man’s 300SL is to do it a great disservice: this 104bhp autobahn cruiser might have been less powerful than its legendary roadster sibling, but it was still a truly elegant Merc. This 1960 example was cosmetically and mechanically restored in 2014, and goes to market as an immaculate runner.

1966 Mercedes-Benz 230SL

Estimate: £80,000 – 90,000
Sold for: £92,813

The capable 230SL was the successor to the 190SL, but had a distinctive style of its own: squarer and more Americanised than its forerunner, it gained the ‘Pagoda’ moniker thanks to its dipping hardtop. This 1966 example is as good as they come, having been fitted in the '90s with the later 2.5-litre engine and subjected to a restoration to the tune of some £100,000.

2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG

Estimate: £110,000 – 125,000
Sold for: £112,500

Last of the big lots is this more recent Mercedes – one of only 25 right-hand drive models built for the UK. In fact, only 700 of the high-performance coupé were built worldwide, making this low-mileage, single-owner example a real rarity. Based on the CLK63 Formula 1 safety car, in road trim this German muscle car punches a hefty 507bhp from its V8 engine.