Top nine cars from the Classic Motor Show auction

By Greg MacLeman

| 2 Nov 2017

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show is less than two weeks away, and with it the chance to browse thousands of square feet of show halls packed to the rafters with incredible machinery. Once again, Silverstone Auctions will be bringing a dazzling array of cars to the event, which will go under the hammer on 11 and 12 November.

Here’s our roundup of the best classic cars for sale at the 2017 Classic Motor Show:

9. 1973 Volvo P1800ES £15,000-18,000

Among the classics set to cross the block with famous names on their logbooks is a 1973 Volvo P1800ES. The California White rarity was first registered to TV personality Jimmy Tarbuck, who kept the car until 1976, when it was sold to General Advertising of Weybridge, and then to its third owner, who kept the Volvo for 36 years.

Remarkably unmodified, the car still sports its original duck egg blue leather upholstery, Volvo radio cassette player and full-length sunroof. The history file is bursting with bills, invoices and old MoTs, plus the original handbook and a period sales brochure.

8. 1988 Range Rover EFI £40,000-45,000

Range Rovers don’t typically lead easy lives, which is why this 1988 example with just 5500 miles on the clock is such a rarity. Indeed, fewer than 500 of those miles have been covered in the past 16 years.

The post-facelift Range Rover was delivered new to Mr J Evans, and remained with the same family until very recently. Finished in Portofino Red, the paint retains a deep shine and the shut lines are smart. The service book has five stamps, the original bill of sale and a host of old MoT certificates.

7. 1990 Audi ur Quattro £65,000-75,000

The game changing Audi Quattro first broke cover in 1980, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the 20-valve engine was introduced. This example was supplied new to an owner in Sheffield, and was specified with heated seats, central locking, ABS, a beefier alternator and electric windows, plus stunning Chrystal Metallic Silver paintwork.

Incredibly, the car has covered just over 16,000 miles during its life, and has been in the care of just two owners (the first transferred ownership between himself and his company, so there are four names on the logbook).

With values of low mileage modern classics on the march, such a cosetted example is sure to appreciate in coming years.

6. 2011 Ford Focus RS £38,000-44,000

You may wonder why a car so new has earned a place in our top 10: after all, most of us have pairs of socks older than this Ford Focus. But the socks are likely to have covered a few more miles. Astonishingly, this fast Ford has racked up just 18 miles throughout its life.

The car was delivered in May 2011 in the desirable shade of Ultimate Green, and was highly specced with 19-inch wheels, a digital radio and ‘Luxury Pack 1’. Despite the low miles, the Focus has been regularly serviced, with stamps showing for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. The wheel centres have never been fitted, and the interior is still wrapped in the same plastic from the day it was delivered.

You’re unlikely to find another Focus RS in such mint condition, and with the prices of fast Fords continually defying expectations with their steady rise, it’s sure to be a sound investment… as long as you don’t drive it.

5. 1967 TVR Tina prototype £30,000-40,000

The TVR Tina may not be the most expensive car in the sale, but it’s certainly one of the most interesting. The car offered is one of two examples built during Martin Lilley’s ownership of TVR, and was intended to rejuvenate the firm by targeting the US market.

Despite being well received at the 1966 Turin Motor Show, the Trevor Fiore-penned coupé and convertible Tinas – named after Gerry Marshall’s daughter – never entered production, making this example one of the rarest TVRs ever built.

The car was inherited by Tina, the car’s namesake, in 2005, and has now been fully restored to the condition in which it was first shown in Italy.

4. 1980 Ford Escort RS2000 Custom £80,000-90,000

Low mileage performance Fords are like busses: you wait all day and several come along at once. This amazing RS2000 Custom was sold in 1980, just over a year after the model was first introduced. It boasts ‘Fishnet’ Recaro seats, full door cards, 6x13-inch alloy wheels and a distinguishing droop snoot front end.

This particular example has covered just 927 miles from new, thanks to sparing use by its first owner, and the fastidious nature of his friend, who bought the car after it had been driven for just 700 miles. The timewarp example is finished in Diamond White with Chocolate Brown upholstery, with no radio or aerial. Since it was sold in 1988, the car has lived a charmed life, spending most of its time stored in an air chamber.

3. 1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 £100,000-115,000

Of all the fast Fords set to cross the block at the NEC in November, the most special is arguably this RS500 Cosworth, which has been tipped to sell for a world record figure. The car is one of just 500 built, and of just 56 finished in white. Coupled with that, it’s covered a remarkably low 6000 miles from new thanks to spending a large part of its time in a private collection.

London-based dealer Joe Macari sold the RS500 for £28,000 just 10 years ago, but that’s unlikely to deter the legions of Ford fans expected at the Classic Motor Show. A similar car with almost twice the mileage was recently sold for a figure in excess of the guide price, so expect to dig deep to bring this one home.

2. 1968 Jensen Interceptor £90,000-110,000

A Series I Jensen Interceptor is a special car in its own right, but this particular example holds even greater allure owing to its first owner: Eric Morecambe. The comedy great bought the car new in 1968 at a time when the model cost roughly double the price of an E-type.

Morecambe’s time with the car was bittersweet: the comedian suffered a heart attack while driving the Jensen just two months into ownership, a tale he would go on to recount on the Michael Parkinson show.

The Interceptor was subsequently tracked down by Silverstone Auctions’ Nick Whale and bought as a restoration project in 2014. A concours-standard restoration running into six figures courtesy of marque specialist Cropredy Bridge Garage followed, with the entire process documented at www.ericmorecambejensen.co.uk

1. 1996 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 £280,000-320,000

Commanding one of the largest pre-sale estimates in a 1996 Lamborghini Diablo SE 30 – one of just 150 examples built, of which just 12 were specified in right-hand drive.

Built to celebrate the firm’s 30^th anniversary, the SE30 featured a number of improvements over the standard car, which was already a 200mph+ world-beater. The most notable change was the return to rear-wheel-drive, which reduced weight and enhanced driving dynamics. The SE30 also received a magnesium intake manifold, sports exhaust system, lightweight magnesium wheels, sports suspension and lashings of Alcantara trim.