Barn find Porsche 911 Targa is gold gem at auction

1972 Porsche 911 2.4 t Targa ‘oil flap’

Sold by Osenat, £43,340
As barn finds go, they don’t get much better than this 1972 911 Targa that emerged from a dusty garage where it had lain since 1982. Acquired by the unidentified family when it was just a year old, the metallic gold gem was additionally desirable for being one of few examples with an oil filler flap in the right-hand rear wing – a feature abandoned after only 12 months due to the confusion it caused at the petrol pumps. Save for a set of aftermarket wheels (easily rectified) the car appeared to be 100% original with only a mouldy interior and grimy paint attesting to its long period of hibernation.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTE

Sold by Bonhams, £230,000
This was sold new to Benjamin Guinness (Lord Iveagh), the less-than-brilliant chairman of the brewing business from 1961 until his death in 1992, at 55. The car had remained in the family since.

1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Sold by Manor Park Classics, £2520
The price may have been the start of the new owner’s outlay but, being in running condition, tidy inside and not ravaged by rust, this was the Rolls bargain of the decade. Here comes the bride?

1970 California Show Cars ‘Sand Draggin’

Sold by Historics auctioneers, £22,880
Bob Reisner’s custom-build California Show Cars created this outlandish ‘beach dragster’ more for show than go – although there was plenty of the latter thanks to a 7.4-litre Oldsmobile V8.

1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

Sold by Historics auctioneers, £18,000
This was among 2500 homologation specials built for the Japanese market in order to qualify works Pajeros for competition. Rally versions went on to achieve 12 victories in the Dakar, 1985-2007.

1979 Laverda Jota

Sold by Manor Park Classics, £14,455
A 1970s superbike landmark, the Jota was a handful at low speeds but glorious on the move – and the fastest production bike of its era. This one had the desirable 180-degree crank engine.

1981 Lamborghini Countach LP400s

Sold by Bonhams, £546,520
In the same hands since 1999 when the late owner bought it for £56,000 with 450 miles on the clock, this still-pristine Countach had covered fewer than 1200 miles in the intervening 26 years.

1990 Tornado M6 GT

Sold by Historics auctioneers, £24,000
Ever fancied a Can-Am car for the road? This would do the trick. Inspired by Bruce McLaren’s enclosed-cockpit M6 project, it was produced by UK company Tornado, weighed just 850kg and packed 250bhp. Papaya Orange paint completed the tribute.

Forthcoming sale highlights

• Mecum, Las Vegas, January 27-31
  This motorcycle auction includes one of the first Honda products – a 1952 F-Type Cub engine designed to attach to a bicycle. Fitted to a Firestone 500 bike, it has never been started. Harley-Davidsons from all eras will be on offer, as well as early 20th century board track racers, motocrossers and a 1957 Mondial GP bike campaigned by Sammy Miller.
• Bonhams, Milton Keynes, February 13-23
  The live ‘spring Stafford’ motorcycle sale has become an indelible fixture in the diaries of bike fans around the world. But for those who can’t wait for April, this lesser-known online auction offers a chance to snap up a late winter bargain in preparation for better weather. Rarities include a brace of Bimota sports bikes and a century-old Henderson four.
• RM Sotheby’s, Palm Beach, Florida, February 14
  There can be few better places to visit on Valentine’s Day than a car auction. In this case, a dedicated Ferrari affair being staged during the annual Cavallino Classic up-market car show. The boutique sale will feature only Prancing Horse cars accompanied by Ferrari Classiche certificates or past winners of Cavallino platinum awards. Don’t expect bargains.
• Iconic, Stoneleigh Park, warwicks, February 20-22
  This sale will feature cars and motorcycles for road and track. Ready-to-race offerings include a 1987 DAM 4100 Metro 6R4 built by David Appleby, the Austin Rover Motorsport engineer who fettled works 6R4s. Bikes are highlighted by one of the 260 Ducati Panigale V4 Álvaro Bautista replicas built to celebrate the Spaniard’s 2022 Superbike title win.