The 2025 season closes with a flourish at £4.42 million and a 73% sale rate.
Classic enthusiasts, owners and collectors alike flocked in their droves to Historics’ 2025 live auction season finale on Saturday, 29th November, attracted by one of the most eclectic and dramatic collections of classics ever assembled for sale.
Brimming with superb collector quality, unique appeal, whimsical flavour, enormous breadth and depth, the 200+ entries provided an excellent counterpoint to the contemporary ambience of Historics’ familiar Mercedes-Benz World venue.
Following some seven hours of frenetic gavel action in the buzzing full-to-capacity auction hall, plus a cascade of online and phone bidders internationally, Historics returned a gross sale of £4,418,266, with 73% of entries finding delighted new owners, in the UK and well beyond.
Fittingly, it was a magnificently presented 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda that raised a round of applause as it powered through its top estimate of £200,000 after a bout of competitive bidding, while some 15 lots later, another Mercedes-Benz showcase - a feisty 2008 SL63 AMG - soared to nearly twice its upper estimate, settling at £68,640. Earlier, a very fine example of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG found a fresh owner at £211,344.
With Christmas coming, a faithful child-sized working replica of a 1989 Batmobile proved irresistible, making £13,728 and setting the scene for the equally whimsical, albeit considerably larger, trio of 1970s US show cars created by the likes of George Barris.
With names like ‘Sand Draggin’, ‘Pool Hustler’ (most certainly the one and only classic featuring a century-old pool table) and ‘Sidewinder’, these V8-powered one-off champions of excess didn’t disappoint, reflecting huge pre-sale interest and vigorous bidding tussles to all finally sell to a USA collector.
Also destined for a transatlantic trip was ‘Sonic’, the outrageous twin-Rover V8-engined one-off promotional car built for Wolfrace founder Barry Treacy in 1981. Nevertheless, the power-packed persona of the aforesaid paled into insignificance compared with the 27-litre V12 Spitfire Merlin-engined ‘Beast’ built in 1972 by mercurial John Dodd. Dominating the auction hall with its sheer presence, it remains in the UK after selling strongly.
Contrasting magnificently was an uber-elegant 2001 Rolls-Royce Corniche V. Cosseted throughout its life and showing just 6,000 miles from new, it sold for a stately £211,640 whilst the following lot, a 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S – also sub 7,000 miles from new - crested its top estimate of £200,000.
Indeed, it was a strong day for the Newport Pagnell marque, with a clean sweep sale of five superb examples - the earliest, a 1966 Aston Martin DB6, making £144,144.
On the sporting classics front, a 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL didn’t disappoint at £75,504, a 1989 BMW 635 CSi Motorsport Edition also attracting plenty of attention prior to selling above estimate for £44,616.
Meantime, waving the Union Jack charmingly was a no-reserve 1960 Austin Healey 3000 Mk 1 BT7, which sold just short of £39,000.
A delightful and cherished 1947 MG TC ex-police car - one of 11 originally owned by a Yorkshire Constabulary - made £21,164 whilst proving that ‘restomod’ culture isn’t just the domain of Porsches was a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTB that powered to £67,496 after a bespoke build costing some £80,000.
As emphatic a statement was the 1963 Jaguar E-Type Series I Coupé ‘re-imagined’ by Home Counties specialist Helm. Featuring a wonderful, utterly appropriate uprated and bespoke specification, this masterpiece of 2,800 man-hours sold strongly after significant pre-sale interest.
Proving hugely popular in the auction hall and amongst bidders by phone and online was a wonderful, utterly unrestored yet supremely cared-for 1961 Vauxhall Cresta PA, dripping rightly with superb chrome embellishment, rewarding it fanatical owner with a sale price of £35,464. Also a firm favourite with those bidding and upholding Luton honours too was an earlier wonderfully cherished 1956 Vauxhall Cresta E, one of three examples on the road and magnificent in Champagne over Claret coachwork.
Top of the motorsport provenance stake sales was an ex-works 1955 Triumph TR2 Le Mans 24-hour entry with full eligibility for major historic motorsport events, whilst resplendent in fresh Audi works warpaint and festooned with a gallery of nine driving lamps up-front was the 2007 Audi RS4 driven by Jeremy Clarkson in an Amazon Prime ‘The Grand Tour’ episode, selling for a spritely £41,184 after a frenzy of bidding across all channels.
Full results can be viewed online, whilst Historics is now inviting entries to its 2026 season opener at Ascot Racecourse on 7th March. www.historics.co.uk
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