Vauxhall Lotus Carlton price tops £100k

1991 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
Sold by Historics, £111,524

If prices for fast Fords can hit six-figures, why shouldn’t it be the same for (very) fast Vauxhalls? This well-preserved Lotus Carlton shows that some collectors will pay whatever it takes to own the best of anything, and the completely original, 177mph Q-ship with a mere 17,823 miles on the clock was probably the finest example of its type. Just 950 were built, with 3.6-litre straight six engines. All were finished in Imperial Green and, as well as holding the title of ‘world’s fastest four-door saloon’, the Lotus Carlton also had the distinction of being the subject of a Daily Mail campaign to ban it.

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1993 Porsche 911 RSR
Sold by Bonhams, £1.7m

People with a passion for perfect Porsches might be tempted to shy away from this grubby-looking example – but its appearance belied the fact that in 30 years it had travelled just six miles.

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1974 Ducati 750 Super Sport
Sold by Gooding & Company, £126,760

Just 401 of these ‘Green Frames’ were built to commemorate Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari’s 1-2 victory at Imola in 1972. This one belonged to fabled rock photographer Guy Webster.

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1968 Kellison SandPiper
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £66,700

This buggy looked out of place among more than 50 white Porsches in the single-owner White Collection. Although the owner hadn’t lost the plot – this was restored by 356 guru Tim Goodrich.

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1975 Mercedes-Benz 350SL electric
Sold by Iconic auctioneers, £45,000

Converting classics to battery power is not cheap – restoring this ‘Sportline Zero’ SL and substituting its 3.5-litre engine for electric motors allegedly cost close to £200,000.

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1949 Speedway race vest
Sold by Bonhams, £1536

Automobilia doesn’t come much more niche than vintage speedway race bibs. This one was once worn by West Ham Hammers star Reg ‘Fearless’ Fearman, who celebrated his 90th birthday in April.

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1984 Audi Quattro WR
Sold by Iconic auctioneers, £21,375

Anyone who has put a car away ‘just for a while’ will know how quickly time can pass. This Quattro had been in the same family ownership from new; 28 years later it came out looking like this…

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Forthcoming sale highlights

• Mecum, Kissimmee, Florida, January 2-14
  This sale marks 25 years of Mecum auctions, and will include the so-called Apex Collection of what the house describes as “insanely rare cars”. The rarest of the lot will be one of only 30 original Ford GT40 road cars ever built. With just 13,442 miles recorded, it was comprehensively restored by RUF Automobiles and probably represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
• Bonhams, Paris, February 1
  Bonhams returns to the spectacular Grand Palais venue for its latest sale designed to take advantage of the captive audience of classic car enthusiasts attending the ever-growing Rétromobile show. Fresh from raising £1.2m for the wreckage of the Lamborghini Countach featured in The Wolf of Wall Street, the house will offer an immaculate 1981 LP400S Series 2 with an estimate of £500,000-£600,000.
• Iconic, Stoneleigh park, Warwickshire, February 24
  This annual one-stop shop for anyone looking for a turnkey competition car had already attracted some interesting entries as this issue goes to press. Stars include a 1971 JRT Ford Escort RS1600 Group 2 car dubbed ‘Lairy Canary’ (£100,000-£120,000) and the Ford Sierra RS500 (£240,000-£280,000) built by Andy Rouse and driven by Guy Edwards during the 1988 British Touring Car Championship.
• RM Sotheby’s, Miami, February 29-March 3
  No, RM Sotheby’s hasn’t decided to follow US rivals such as Mecum and Barrett-Jackson by staging multi-day sales – this four-day ModaMiami event is set to be a “celebration of automobiles and luxury culture”. Being held at the vast and lavish Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, it will combine a display of ultra high-end classics with multiple opportunities to buy expensive stuff.

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2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4/21

Sold by Bonhams, £2.2m

The astronomical £15.1m achieved for Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 winning McLaren-Mercedes at RM Sotheby’s made the mere couple of mill paid for this one in which Kimi Räikkönen scored podium places in Bahrain (third) and Australia (second) seem like a bargain.