Escort Mk2 for £280,000!

1976 Ford Escort RS1800
Sold by Historics Auctioneers, £276,848

If anyone had suggested 20 years ago that a Mk2 Ford Escort would sell for more than a quarter of a million pounds, they would have been laughed out of court. Times have changed and the RS1800 has become one of the most collectible fast Fords of all. Just 109 were made to homologate the car for international rallying, with Ari Vatanen using one to win the 1981 WRC championship. This example represented a once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy an RS1800 that began life as a press car before being sold in 1977 to the family which consigned it. Just 24,186 miles on the clock, and pristine and original.

2010 Morgan 4/4 ‘The Hornsleth No1’
Sold by Bonhams, £10,925

Easy to spot in the multi-storey, this was the first of 10 4/4s painted by Danish artist Kristian Hornsleth in a bid to funk-up Morgan’s image. This car appeared on a float in the 2010 Lord Mayor’s Show.

2012 McLaren MP4-12C
Sold by Bonhams Cars Online, £68,000  

As the purest and first of McLaren’s 21st century road cars, the MP4-12C must be considered a ‘classic’ – so this one, with 13,000 miles on the clock, is a bargain. New price was £100,000 more.

1985 CitroËn CX 25 GTi Turbo
Sold by WB & Sons, £12,500 

It might be 40 years old, but this excellent example of a CX looks more futuristic today than when it left the showroom. Being a GTi Turbo, it combined the CX’s famed comfort with 130mph performance.

2023 Mercedes-AMG One
Sold by Bonhams, £2.5m 

Despite enduring the painful seven-year gestation period that the hybrid F1-engined One demanded the vendor of this example covered a mere 100 miles before selling it on… seemingly with no profit.

1928 Indian ‘Grass Tracker’
Sold by Iconic auctioneers, £9200

This 1000cc Indian – built from parts in the 1970s by marque enthusiast Alf Tindell – remains a formidable competitor and was sold with trophies from past wins achieved by Tindell’s son, Graham.

1970 Jaguar E-Type
Sold by Historics auctioneers, £19,448

The 2+2 coupé may be among the least-loved of E-types but this ready-to-go example was a steal. One owner for 28 years, a Getrag five-speed conversion and full service history back to the ’70s.

2007 Creation CA07 LMP1
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £410,000

One of only three CA07 LMP1 chassis constructed by Oxfordshire-based Creation Autosportif, this car competed at Le Mans in both 2008 and 2009, finishing 24th overall on both occasions. It has since proved its mettle in the Masters Endurance Legends and WEC championship support races.

Forthcoming sale highlights

• Bonhams, Goodwood, September 13
  This year’s Revival sale could see impressive prices. Among the stars will be one of the two factory-approved Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction III cars built by leading marque restorer RS Williams. Made in 1998 using two spare bodyshells from the Zagato factory, they followed the four Sanction II cars of ’91. This one is tipped to fetch up to £1m.
• Bonhams, Los Angeles, September 20-21
  If beautifully built American hotrods from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s are your thing, the sale of the Robert Richardson Collection is a must. A Mercury Eight Custom ‘Sled’ and a 1948 Ford ‘Woody’ station wagon demonstrate the diversity of offerings, which also includes well-preserved tin-plate toy cars, restored ‘tether’ racers and classic children’s ride-ons.
• Artcurial, Poitiers, France, September 28
  This collection of the late Jean-Pierre Nylin comprises 50 cars which he kept available for public viewing at a museum at his Château de Vernon home. Highlights include a 1926 Lancia Lambda (£60,000-£85,000), a 1958 Facel Vega (£70,000-£100,000) and a 1997 Chrysler Viper V10 (£35,000-£50,000). Lots from other owners will also feature.
• RM Sotheby’s, Munich, Germany, October 18
  RM Sotheby’s heads back to Munich to stage its fourth successive sale at Motorworld, the giant classic car service centre, museum, event space and car storage facility opened in 2021 after a build said to have cost £85m. Look out for an exquisite Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II with drophead bodywork by HJ Mulliner. It is expected to realise £250,000.