Buoyant winter sale at Mercedes-Benz World, 25th November, grosses £4.8 million+ and a 67% rate of sale
A buoyant live sale bristling with competitive bidding - in-hall, by phone and online - saw Historics close its 2023 auction year on a high on Saturday, 25th November at Brooklands’ Mercedes-Benz World. The showcase venue provided the backdrop to an absorbing sale that grossed £4.8 million+ and a rate of sale of 67%.
The 164-strong auction entry, brimful of variety, interest and quality, attracted a full auction hall accompanied by hundreds of international online and phone bidders, making for an energetic eight-hour sale.
It was a fitting stage for the rare auction appearance of an enormously collectible icon, an exquisitely-presented 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster. Resplendent in its apt Fantasiegelb ‘Fantasy Yellow’ coachwork, it didn’t disappoint, wafting elegantly to a new owner following an in-hall bid of £860,000.
And this wasn’t the only Mercedes-Benz highlight at this bustling sale... A 2006 Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabriolet cruised to its new owner for £118,720, whilst an equally collectible, multiple show-winning 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL returned £104,160. It was joined by an exceptional 1962 190 SL with a six-year, £85,000 restoration behind it, selling for £101,920.
Waving the flag for modern Mercedes-Benz classics was an exceptional, as-new 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. It attracted an ocean of bidding, having spent the majority of its life dry-stored by its one owner, with just 646 miles on the odometer, leaving the new owner to enjoy at £66,080.
An entertaining seven-minute bidding tussle in-hall, by phone and online focused on a 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 restoration, the car having been disassembled awaiting restoration 35 years ago. It remained untouched until unearthed from the family’s home garage to bring to sale, the successful bidder parting with £59,176. In stark contrast was a 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate Edition, its excellent presentation and rarity appeal rewarding its vendor with a sale price of £141,120.
Adding to the sale success was a very fine, coach-built, 3.2 litre 1976 Porsche 911 Targa, restored and re-imagined by marque specialists 911 Rennsport, whilst for Stuttgart classicists, a 1985 Porsche 930 Turbo was pure eye candy, settling on £108,110. It was joined by one of just 120, immensely collectible right-hand drive 2.2 litre Porsche 911 S models.
Meanwhile, showing that it’s not just classics Porsches that command the restomod stage,a bespoke 1977 Alfa Romeo Spider R by the renowned Alfaholics settled on an exuberant £136,560.
Waving the flag vigorously for the impressive value of modern classic icons, an exemplary 1991 Lotus Vauxhall Carlton sold for a thumping £111,524, a record auction price for the model.
In contrast, whilst staying with Luton’s finest, an enormously attractive and wonderfully-presented 1959 Vauxhall Cresta PA, in most recent ownership for 26 years and in fine fettle after a rotisserie restoration, was a fine buy at £28,280.
For sheer charm, a 1931 Austin 7 RL in fine condition was centre stage, promising sheer enjoyment for just £7,840. It was joined by a wonderful pre-war selection from Rolls-Royce, an elegant Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sportsman Coupé by H.J. Mulliner – complete with a hidden compartment for one’s golf clubs – finding a new owner at £33,600. A superb counterpoint was the sale of a magnificent and hugely desirable 2018 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
Japanese classics made an imposing presence, a rare, right-hand drive 1974 Datsun 260Z rewarding its owner’s immaculate restoration diligence with a sale price of £53,480. A barnstorming 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI ‘Tommi Makinen’ Edition – chassis No 029 – returned £40,968 whilst its rally-inspired Subaru stablemate - a 2000 Subaru Impreza P1 - magnificently presented following a thorough restoration, passed to its new custodian for an equally impressive £45,360.
Staying with the performance genre, an uprated and wonderfully-presented, 550bhp 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth that benefitted from some £80,000 spent on it over a 20 year period, found a new enthusiast owner at £51,520, while Ford USA tarmac-scorching honours were well-represented by a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, plucked from a collection and finished in Highland Green as a tribute to the iconic ‘Bullet’ film car, changing hands for a shade under £60,000.
For full results see HERE
ENTRIES ARE INVITED
Historics is now inviting entries to its opening sale of 2024, at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday, 2nd March. E-mail or call us to reserve an entry.
