The ‘brand new’ 1967 Ferrari that sold for £2.6m

1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
Sold by Bonhams, £2.6m

If someone offered you a second-hand car that had been through the hands of too many people to list, been shipped back and forth across three continents and started life as a coupé before being converted to a spider and then back again, chances are you’d walk away. But when it’s a Ferrari 275 GTB all, it seems, can be forgiven. This car’s owner acquired it in 1996 as a NART Spider replica before sending it back to Ferrari 17 years later for a rebuild that cost £100,000 for the mechanicals and £150,000 for the bodywork. It’s now ‘exactly’ as it was when it left the factory in 1967.

1992 Porsche 944 SE
Sold by H&H, £27,000

The condition of this rare Sport Equipment 944 belied the fact it had done 168,000 miles with nine owners. The most recent sent it to Rennsport for restoration as it’s one of just six SEs left of 14 built.

1984 CitroËn Visa 1000 Pistes
Sold by Aguttes, £46,900

This 800-mile time capsule from Citroën’s foray into Group B rallying was one of 200 1.4-litre, four-wheel-drive homologation cars. It was previously at a Haute Savoie dealer for 30 years.

1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Sold by Collecting Cars, £200,000

This V8 was a demonstrator before being returned to Aston Martin works where it served as a development prototype for the performance X-Pack variant, resulting in a 400bhp engine.

1979 Fiat 127 Sport
Sold by WB, £11,170

Classic hot hatches continue to draw strong money, as demonstrated by this dusty 17,000-mile Fiat 127, believed to be one of just seven Sport models left in the UK. An Abarth cylinder head gives 70bhp.

1975 Suzuki RE5
Sold by Aguttes, £4555

This example of Suzuki’s short-lived, rotary-engined, Giugiaro-designed RE5 had covered 603 miles in 50 years. Part of a 200-bike collection kept near Paris at Neuilly-sur-Seine, it was all original.

1980 Ford Escort RS2000
Sold by H&H, £49,500

Crying out to be slid around a gravel stage, this meticulously-built RS2000 featured a 450bhp Harvey Gibbs Cosworth YB engine and weighed less than 900kg. Less than 600 miles on it, too.

1962 Jaguar D-Type Evocation
Sold by Bonhams Cars Online, £23,025

A genuine example of Jaguar’s triple Le Mans-winning D-type would likely set you back upwards of £5m. This convincing replica certainly looked the part – but closer inspection revealed that it was based on Triumph Herald underpinnings and powered by a 2-litre Vitesse engine. Not quite the same.

Forthcoming sale highlights

λ H&H, Newark, September 10. H&H has consigned some impressive cars for its inaugural sale in the grounds of Kelham Hall, a 19th century stately home that’s now an events venue. Its architect, Sir Gilbert Scott used it as inspiration for the design of the Midland Grand Hotel beside London’s St Pancras station. Top lots include a rally-ready Mercedes-Benz 300SL at £650,000-750,000.

λ Bonhams, Beaulieu, September 5-6. Taking place during the renowned Beaulieu Autojumble, this sale has been a fixture of the calendar for over 25 years. In the early days the majority of lots were restorations but, while those still crop up, there are plenty of roadworthy offerings, too. Look out this time for an elegant and nicely patinated Renault 4CV from 1926 with coachwork by Windovers of London.

λ Iconic, Silverstone, August 23. Drawing around 90,000 visitors, the annual Silverstone Festival should offer a captive market for this sale, so don’t expect too many bargains. One car which looks to be worth every penny of its £100,000-140,000 pre-sale estimate is a Bristol-engined 1958 AC Ace that has been in the same ownership for 60 years and has clocked just 75,000 miles.

λ RM Sotheby’s, Hershey, October 8-9. Pennsylvania’s Hershey is the US equivalent of the Beaulieu Autojumble (except it’s called a ‘swap meet’). As has become tradition, RM Sotheby’s will field a large selection of American cars built between the turn-of-the-century ‘brass era’ and the 1950s, including some classic ‘woodies’ and a smattering of luxurious Auburns and Packards.