Silverstone Auctions – The Silverstone Classic sale 2015 preview
Rather like Coys’ Blenheim Palace auction the salient feature of this sale is that so many of the cars seem to be recent arrivals here in the UK and a lot of them have the steering wheel on the wrong side. Not that this is a problem in itself but it does beg the question – why are so many foreign “collectors” choosing to put their cars through UK auction houses?
The whole point of being a collector is presumably that you collect things – and so many of the cars for sale are fresh back into the UK that you have to wonder if these collectors are truly committed.
“…purchased the car in May of 2014….”
“….It returned to the UK in October 2014….”
“This particular NSX is an early production right-hand drive car supplied new to Japan, from where it has just returned…”
One day we may see sales descriptions stating “the owner is looking to return a quick and considerable profit” but until then it looks like some buyers will have to settle for foreign collectors’ also-rans. As always with imported cars it is imperative that you clearly understand who has title to the car and also the tax implications/ complications.
The cars
There are a large number of SL Mercedes, many from the USA, which appear to have been keeping Merc specialists like Roger Edwards busy preparing them for sale. There are also a considerable number of E-type Jaguars from the US with a number of LHD to RHD conversions and even a coupe to roadster conversion. We particularly like the flat floor Series 1 Etype that has been converted to non-flat floor!
Flat floor no more!
Of the Ferrari’s offered there is a 328 GTS with a very low estimate as well as another 328 GTS with only 1600 miles and an estimate of £120-150,000 that would buy something in UK stock with average mileage. We are also interested to see what a 3000 mile F430 could make.
There are some interesting Porsches including a 911 Turbo Martini. There is plenty of confusion about how to identify these (although they weren’t an official “edition”) so we would recommend confirming that any Martini had the factory optioned racing stripe M42 on the build sheet. There is also a 930 Turbo LE and an intriguing creation called a “Last Waltz” 993 Turbo which is listed as 1 of 20 special run-out 993 Turbo S commemorating the death of Ferry Porsche. Details of this production run are very scarce and the only evidence are some stickers on the windows, a dashboard plaque and sill plates with “The Last Waltz” inscribed on them in English – unusual for a Germany-only vehicle.
The “Last Waltz” 993 Turbo
There are a number of other interesting cars including a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II estimated at £65-75,000. This could be a critical auction result for this sector of the UK market as it represents the more affordable cars that are changing hands much faster than elsewhere in the market.
