£7.8m for Silverstone at its final 2020 sale

Despite the cancellation of the NEC Classic Motor Show, Silverstone went ahead with its associated auction, running it ‘live’ from another location with bidders online and on the telephones. At 77% sold by number, it proved another success for the Midlands firm.

The sale was conducted over two days, augmented by a short catalogue of automobilia relating to the late Sir Stirling Moss offered on Saturday that grossed ca. £260k. Items sold included £67,850 paid for one of The Maestro’s famous solid-gold twin-bar watch bands he wore whilst racing, in this case with attached Jaeger-LeCoultre gold watch.

Silverstone’s tried-and-tested lockdown-friendly format of an entertaining and likeable auctioneer handling bids from the telephone bidders and various online platforms clearly worked once again. Viewing was conducted by appointment only for a week prior to the sale at Stoneleigh Park exhibition centre. Twelve cars were sold post-sale.

At a glance:

* Gross, motor cars: £7,766,869
* Percentage sold by number: 77%
* Top-selling car: 1980 BMW M1 £382,500 gross, £340,000 net (est. £385k to £435k)
* Well sold? The fantasy 1960s ‘evocazione’ based on an unsuspecting 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 that sold for double top estimate at £166.5k incl. 12.5% buyer’s premium
* Well bought? Ditch the privacy glass ASAP and the silver-grey, 60,000miles ex-Martin Brundle 550 Maranello makes sense at around £60k all-in
* One to take away? It was the second time round this year for the Citroën Ami 6 Break (pictured, bottom) with Silverstone, but we loved it at £3,150 gross for the unrestored LHD car

Much pre-sale interest centred on the seemingly cheap (£300k to £350k, pictured, above) 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS Touring. Speaking to K500 on preview day, Silverstone boss Nick Whale told us it was the car for which he had received the most enquiries. It sold for £315k gross/£280k net, a low price due to a restamped by Porsche GB (for reasons unknown) front, and a vendor wanting room in his garage. The restoration looked good, and the car had a big history file – which once again underlines the importance of unimpeachable numbers and high levels of originality on these cars.

The 1996 Porsche 911 (993) Carrera RS had been reshelled in 1997 and was sold post-sale for an undisclosed amount.

Other than £337.5k all-in for the ex-Jean-Luc Thérier and Jean Ragnotti 1982 Renault 5 Turbo Group 4, the impressive selection of ex-rally machinery failed to find many buyers. Nor did the Maserati Vignale Spyder or Aston Martin DB4. From a price perspective, both are in a weak part of the UK market; sub-£120k is booming, as the results show.

The top-selling BMW M1 was owned new by Frank Farian, the creator of German disco band Boney M., and had been uprated to a Procar look by BMW Motorsport in period. There’s interesting ownership and there’s cheesiness; Farian was no Niki Lauda or Nelson Piquet.

The 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL65 (R230) AMG sold for £61.9k with premium, while the 2013 Porsche 911 (991) Club (est. £130k to £150k) sold dead on top estimate for £168.8k gross. The latter Brewster Green car, one of 13 worldwide, believed two in RHD, and the one-off Mercedes SL commissioned at a cost of a €200k new by Indian steel billionaire Aditya Mittal show there’s still interest in recent limited-editions.

Hat’s off to Silverstone, then, for a good sale. The combination of accurate estimates and a well-judged catalogue worked once again.

Silverstone Auctions, 13-14 November 2020 - results

Total gross cars: £7,766,869
Number of cars not sold: 34
Number of cars withdrawn: 0
Total number of cars: 151
Number sold: 117
Percentage cars sold by number: 77% (day one 77%)
Percentage by value average low/high estimate: 58%
Percentage of cars sold below low estimate: 56%
Percentage of cars sold not met avge of estimates: 68%
Percentage of cars sold met/exceeded top estimate: 16%
Average value of cars sold: £66,383
Average year of cars offered: 1985
Percentage of cars offered at No Reserve: 5%

Photos by K500