Tantalising promise of affordable rarities in Northamptonshire

| 10 Jul 2013

Rare models from Porsche, Ford and Lotus will be alongside more glamorous – and expensive – cars at the Silverstone Auctions’ sale on 27 July.

One such car is a 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GT that is estimated to make £19-23,000.

Just 75 were built and the homologation special allowed Stuttgart to compete in the Group 4 Sports Car Class at the 1980 Le Mans 24 Hour.

It produced 210bhp courtesy of a 2-litre turbocharged engine, which yielded a top speed of 150mph and 0-60mph time of 6.5 secs.


The 924 on sale has covered 80,000 miles and comes fully documented.

A 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth surely betters the track success of the Porsche, but is more notable for having just 3360 miles on the clock.

The price of such a factory-fresh example is expected to be £26-30,000, but the car is said to be in splendid condition, with neither the dashboard, seats nor steering wheel showing any signs of age.

The car’s bodywork and mechanicals are nigh-on perfect, too, the vehicle having been stored for many years.

While the Cossie is a performance icon, a 1971 Cortina Savage valued at  £22-26,000 is perhaps less well known.

It was built by Jeff Uren – who raced in the inaugural, 1958 British Saloon Car Championship before turning his hand to engineering.

Uren understood the need for ‘hero cars’ and set to work fitting large engines to mainstream Fords.

The Cortina on offer was his personal transport and features a 3-litre Essex V6, automatic transmission, Lotus gauges and RS seats.

Uren used it for 20 years, the vehicle passing through two more owners before it was acquired by the vendor in 2001 and subject to an exacting restoration.

While the words performance and Lotus go hand in hand, the 340R was still a shock when the firm launched it in 2000.

Two examples of this rare car (340 were built) will go under the hammer at Silverstone with this machine, priced at £24-26,000, set to be the more attractive.

Adding to its wild looks are factory-fit options such as a power upgrade (to 190bhp), an ultra-close-ratio gearbox, a stainless-steel exhaust, adjustable dampers, four-point racing harnesses and lightweight Reverie seats.

Celebrity cars will also be a feature of the sale with a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 that was owned by Des O’Connor set to be one of the top lots with an estimate of £100-120,000.

It was bought new by the TV star, but later spent 30 years in a French barn.

The Aston has since been fully restored and comes with bills for the work completed.

The second celebrity vehicle – a 1969 Fiat 500 Gamine Vignale ‘Noddy car’ – is set to make £20-25,000.

The charming Fiat has just 4553 miles on the clock, plus a larger 594cc engine and synchro gearbox (probably from a 126).

See the full lot list on the Silverstone Auctions website.