This year we have seen the rise of the affordable classic – as predicted by our friends at Hagerty. What is an affordable classic? We would define an affordable classic as cars under £50,000 and we have seen a real surge in interest in these cars in 2016. In this segment cars can look like a great deal to one buyer and a bit rich to the next – it really does come down to opinion.

Historics’ November sale at Mercedes-Benz World was packed with a fantastic selection of those affordable classics with nearly 90% of the cars on offer hammering for £50,000 or less. As usual we’ll let you decide for yourselves where you think the bargains were but there is no doubt that despite values in this sector increasing many of the cars sold still look like great value for money and this is why many enthusiasts are concentrating on this sector rather than the £100,000+ market. Take a look at our selection below and let us know what you think in the comments.

The superb venue was packed on the day and unlike many auctions, dealers weren’t immediately obvious although the evidence suggests there are more “amateur” traders getting involved. The lovely Alvis Special sold for £70,000 post-sale and still looked like a good buy even though it had sold at another auction for £20,000 less just five months previously. Benz’s sold well on the day – maybe unsurprisingly given the location. We salute the buyers of the Alvis, the C43 AMG and the Carver One – all looked like good value and great fun.

Historics are achieving consistently high sell through rates at their auctions with a relatively high proportion selling within estimate or above – a reflection on the health of the market they are serving.

The cars

2001 Subaru Impreza P1 – sold for £14,840 inc premium. 69,000 miles – full Subaru service history.

There can’t me many unmolested examples of the mighty P1 with lowish mileage.

1991 Honda NSX –  sold for £26,320 inc premium. Japanese import – recently landed in the UK.

1999 TVR Cerbera (4.5 Litre V8 AJP) – sold for £26,320 inc premium. 28,000 miles, Japanese import.

Straight to a dealer forecourt – now £32,000.

1981 Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk.I  – sold for £7,280 inc premium. 131,000 miles.

1948 Peugeot 202 Pick-up – sold for £8,400 inc premium.

1939 Alvis 12/70 Special – sold for £70,000 inc premium. Sold earlier in the year at Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale for £51,175 – and still a good buy.

1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Sport Targa – sold for £107,520 inc premium. Previously restored by Porsche Brooklands as their entry in the Porsche GB Restoration Competition 2014. Unique, “300 miles” and lovely.  Good value as a driver or an exhibit.

1990 Lamborghini Countach Anniversary – sold for £238,560 inc premium. LHD, 7081 KM. This car arrived in the UK in 2002 and was recently described by Classic Assessments as in “very good order”.

A shrewd by?

2008 Carver One – sold for £29,680 inc premium, more than the cost new. Fantastic fun to drive and we’re sure the new owner has made a fantastic investment in their own enjoyment at the very least.

Worth every penny in our opinion.

1957 Tourette Supreme – sold for £31,360 inc premium. Estimate of £18-24,000.

2003 Aston Martin DB7 GTA – sold for £56,000 inc premium. Estimate of £34-40,000. 22,000 miles.

1998 Mercedes-Benz C 43 AMG – sold for £8,960. 83,000 miles, full MB service history (13 services) and a very clean car. A bargain.

The numbers:

Full auction results and heatmap