Wednesday 25 November 2015

Classics continue to climb ever upwards!

Silverstone Auctions 5th year at the NEC Classic Car Show on November 15/16th resulted in several new world records, including an amazing £60,188 paid for a 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo.

Total sales of £4.4m, which represented 80% of the 95 classic cars being sold, was a great result for the team and included other 'Fast Fords" such as a time warp Ford Sierra RS500 that had covered just 13,000 miles from new which sold for £90,000.

Other UK records included a right hand drive Ferrari 512TR which sold for £185,625 ~ an amazing £75,000 over it's estimate.

The Jaguar XJ220 is now starting to achieve prices higher than it's original launch price back in 1990 for the first time and our 5,000 mile ex Brunei Royal family car sold for £315,000 confirming the car's recognition as a real collectable Supercar.

Meanwhile the rise of the Porsche crest continued with a very pretty 356 A T1 Cabriolet selling for £196,875 which was more than £26,000 over lower estimate.

And finally the two celebrity cars - the ex Peter Sellars Elan and the ex Henry Cooper Ferrari 365 GT4 - both went to private collectors for £50,625 and £30,938 respectively.

NW Sportscars have continued selling strongly  through this Autumn  and NW Motorhome's have enjoyed a great open weekend on Nov 21st/22nd. Both companies have great stock available at the moment and would welcome your call.

Our team at all 3 businesses wish every one of our highly valued customers a happy, healthy and peaceful  Christmas and new year.

Nick Whale




Tuesday 10 November 2015

Porsche Sale succeeds as NEC Classic approaches fast!

Will a single make classic car Sale work in this market? This was the debate back at Silverstone Auctions HQ in Gaydon during the early Autumn months of 2015, prior to our late October single make Sale.....

If its a 'Porsche Sale' the answer , it seems, is a resounding yes!

Total sales of £2.75m and a sales success rate of over 70% on the day confirm the rude health of the Porsche sector of the classic car market.

Over 400 Porsche Club GB members filled Halls 1 and 2 of the Wing at Silverstone Circuit and were able to join in an exclusive Porsche track day, visit and dine at the Porsche Experience Centre, or join in the varied Automobilia Sale, as well as the 60 car strong classic car sale.

Headlining the results was the '73 2.7 RS Touring which reached £410,625 from a German buyer. More modern classics also rang the bell with a  five thousand mile 2007 Gen1 911 GT3RS making £168,750, some £28,750 over it's estimate.

Even a more modest 944S2 Cabriolet was in record breaking form, achieving £27,560, as was the  two thousand mile from new 2004 Boxster S 550 Anniversary, finally selling for £23,850.

The one-off Porsche 911 'Project 50' amazed the room by selling for £173,250 which was a reflection of the Porsche GB Central Operations build quality and flair.

This coming weekend 14/15th November, Silverstone Auctions heads to the NEC Classic Car Show with another 100 quality classics under the hammer and we hope to see many of our valued clients there.

Meanwhile the motorhome division  of NW Sportscars enjoyed an outstanding show at the NEC in October with no less than 12 new IH Motorhomes finding new homes.

Digital developments are ongoing at both Nick Whale Sportscars and Motorhomes with a very exciting new website likely to appear early in 2016. NW Sportscars continues to offer varied and exciting sportscars, strengthening it's position in a competitive market place. Its a busy time all round!




Wednesday 9 September 2015

2015 Salon Prive Sale

A total sales value North of £5m confirm the continued rude health of the classic car market in general at our September Salon Prive Sale, although niche sectors - particularly left hand drive - are now suffering from over supply.

To offer and sell big classics is always special and this year at Salon Prive the Silverstone Auctions team delivered with the £900,000 sale of their Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante, one of just 29 right hand drive cars built.

Rare Porsches, and a 700 kilometre from new wide bodied 1986 911Carrera Supersport is about as rare as they come, continue to deliver - and £163,125 was forthcoming on the day. A left hand drive 997 GT3 RS 4.0 made a comfortable £281,250 and an even rarer 2010 911 GT2 RS (one of just 16 right hand drive) found a buyer at £315,000.

Continuing the theme of 1980's and 1990's cars selling well the Ferrari 328 GTS (ex Al- Fayed collection) surprised at £137,250 as did the 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello taking that model in to new territory with a 43,000 mile UK car achieving £110,250.

A 1998 Lamborghini Diablo SV, (subtle in bright purple), sold for a very strong £185,000 underlining the emerging late classics as the most desirable to buy.

Silverstone Auctions have an exclusive sale for the Porsche marque coming up at Silverstone on 25th October at the Wing, Silverstone Circuit and then head to the Classic Car Show at the NEC on 14/15th November.

Entries are open and welcome at both sales. Please contact me personally to discuss an entry.

Silverstone Classic Sale

Three Sales in three days generated £5.2m in total sales at the 2015 Silverstone Classic, with a race car and two classic car sales keeping everyone busy!

Highlight of the Competition Car Sale was definitely the 1959 Cooper Monaco which sold for £219,375 and was eligible for myriad historic events worldwide.

£92,250 may seem a lot of money for a Ford Capri, but when raced by Gordon Spice in period, the rarity of the ex-BTCC car spoke for itself.

Classics also made their presence felt with a De TomasoPantera GT5-S (one of only 17 RHD) fetching a strong £157,500 and a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5 16V EvoII rocketing through the £100k barrier at £100,697.

There is no doubt that cars from the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's are the emerging Classics and currently showing the fastest rate of growth in the classic car market, helping Silverstone Auctions to successfully sell over 75% of all cars offered year to date.

The NW Sportscar business also continues to grow and in particular the NW Motorhomes business is enjoying great success at the various Shows around the country and is now regularly selling close to 20 motorhomes every month.

Friday 12 June 2015

May Sale, Silverstone Classic, Motorhomes and Sportscars

The May Sale for Silverstone Auctions produced a pleasing result for vendors and buyers with an overall  hammer value of £3.4m and a sales rate of over 80%.

Several cars surpassed their higher estimates with Ferrari and Porsche continuing to be the brands of choice for the serious collector and investor market.

The UK market, right hand drive 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS (one of sixteen) sold for a remarkable £281,250 - more than £30,000 above estimate. Older Porsches needing restoration continue to surprise with a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI in just above barn find condition making a substantial £146,250 - 50% above estimate. A very rare Porsche 911 Speedster with Turbo body and just 8,000 recorded miles sold for £144,000 - more than £24,000 over estimate.

Ferraris continue to be the most consistently appreciating brand over recent years with an early 1986 UK right hand drive Testarossa making a solid £95,625 and the desirable 355 model also starting to show promise with several examples changing hands well above estimate.

Entries are now open for the prestigious Silverstone Classic Sale on July 25/26th with capacity for 100 cars to be sold in two 50 car sales taking place on Saturday and Sunday. Please contact me personally if you wish to submit an entry.

Meanwhile our new Motorhome Showroom is now open and full of IH Motorhomes latest quality conversions to view. Tim, Paul and 'new Tim' look forward to welcoming you and showing you around. We are very proud of our new facilities and continue to invest in the very best people who help us find the very best stock.

Its great to see our Sportscar business in it's 17th year of trading getting back to the heady days of the past with really special and rare modern sports cars for sale, all of which are the very 'best of breed'.

Nick Whale
June 2015




Tuesday 14 April 2015

NEC Restoration Show delivers!

Our second visit for Silverstone Auctions to the NEC Practical Classics Restoration Show resulted in an excellent sale totalling £2m with an 84% sales rate.

The eclectic mix of 'project restoration' cars as well as road ready classics were sold to a wealth of International buyers joining those in the room via both the internet and the telephone. The 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, one of just 500 made, sold for £236,250, more than £30k over the original estimate to a buyer from the USA.

The 996 GT2 set a new benchmark for it's type selling for £86,625 as well as a rare BMW Z8 achieving £123,750 - an incredible £50k over lower estimate. The market for Ferraris continues at a pace with all cars selling well above upper estimate to buyers spread across the globe.

All Aston Martins sold well, not least an early 1971 V8 DBS for £79,875, which was £25,000 over lower estimate, while a 1980 V8 achieved £87,750. A restoration project Healey 3000 surprised some selling for £19,125 as did the Rolls Royce Corniche surpassing the guide price and selling for £23,625, still great value in the market today.

All said and done the sale was testament to a very strong market that is continuing to grow and quality classics continue to offer great fun and a more than worthwhile investment.

Entries for our next sale at Silverstone to take place on Saturday May 23rd are now invited. Please contact me personally to consign your car via www.silverstoneauctions.com

Meanwhile expansion plans at Nick Whale Motorhomes continues at a pace to cope with ever increasing demand, with an extension to our premises taking place now. More information and photographs to follow shortly.

Friday 27 February 2015

Race Retro Records are made!

A great start to 2015 for Silverstone Auctions was made at the Race Retro show at Stoneleigh on February 22/23 with no less than 5 world record prices achieved.

Total sales topped £3.62m and an excellent sales rate of 78% was achieved meaning that our sellers were happy with the prices achieved and our buyers bought some fantastic cars and motorbikes. 13 out of the 19 entered race cars were also sold, including a 2010 Aston Martin GT2 , chassis 007, for £105,750. The ex Works Audi Touring Car driven in period by Hans Stuck also sold to a well known racer for £101,250 and will be seen on the grid in the Super Touring Car Championship in 2015.

The 1991 Ferrari Testarossa surprised the pundits when sold for a world record price of £202,500, as did the Ferrari 456M which sold for another world record price of £118,125. Another Italian classic, the Alfa Romeo SZ, made a world record £84,938 and even our motorbikes were in record breaking form when the Triumph Bonneville 'Thruxton' made a world record price of £21,938.

Porsche was the most popular brand with no less than 16 sold as values continue to climb with this popular marque.

Entries are now invited for our next sale at The Restoration and Classic Car Show to be held at the NEC, Birmingham on Saturday 28th March 2015.

Please contact me personally for full details or to submit an entry on 07831 440158 or see www.silverstoneauctions.com for full details.

Thursday 5 February 2015

Race Retro - an amazing £5m catalogue!

Well - Silverstone Auctions have surpassed themselves again by consigning 90 amazing cars to our next sale on 21/22 February 2015 at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

Over 70 Classic Cars and 19 competition cars are entered with a combined value (at lower estimate) of over £5m, which is double our 2014 Race Retro Sale. Please see www.silverstoneauctions.com for the electronic catalogue and a full list of entries.

We look forward to seeing you at either of the 2 sales on Saturday and Sunday where some excellent classic cars can be bought for reasonable prices ranging from £10,000 to a quarter of a million as well as a host of memorabilia, lifestyle items and watches to suit all pockets.

We hope to see you there!

Nick Whale








Thursday 15 January 2015

Launch of Classic Car Auctions

We are proud to announce the launch of Classic Car Auctions Ltd. which is a new auction house specialising in the sale of "everyman" classic cars valued between £5k and £25k.

It is our intention to hold sales on the first Tuesday of every other month at the Formula 1 pit garages at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire.

We hope to get as many as a hundred entries on average and our charges will be deliberately very modest at:

£60 entry fee
6% sellers commission
6% buyers commission

Our resident auctioneer, Jonathan Humbert, will preside over the sales and we will aim to keep the standard of classic cars high in what is a very competitive price sector.

All are welcome at our first sale which is to be held on Tuesday 3rd March 2015 and quality entries are now invited. Full details can be found at www.classiccarauctions.co.uk






Monday 12 January 2015

Exciting move to stunning new premises for Nick Whale Sportscars and Nick Whale Motorhomes

Its a new year and a new start for Nick Whale Sportscars as the whole team move from Warwick to amazing new bespoke premises at Lauriston Park in Evesham.

With the combined growth of the European motor home sales and the Sportscars division fairing equally well, the company has experienced an unprecedented demand for more space during 2014.

At Lauriston we can now display over 40 motorhomes in a dedicated facility which means that Tim and Paul will now be able to provide an even more professional experience from an ideal facility designed to improve our customer experience. Customers can now fully enjoy an excellent display of both IH Motorhomes and a wide and varied used selection.

Meanwhile Darren and Mark can also display over 30 cars indoors from a purpose built facility with easy access, plenty of parking and a very impressive showroom. They now intend to specialise and focus on modern sports cars and modern luxury vehicles.

Please call in and come and see for yourself what we have been up to. One of the team will be delighted to show you around and the kettle is always on.