Consigning interesting and varied live auction lots can be a tricky business these days, especially in the mid-range of the market that has been so dominated by online sales over the last few years. Which is why Iconic Auctioneers’ Race Retro sale catalogue is so refreshing. The sale takes place 22–23 February at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, and Rob Hubbard and team have brought together a fascinating collection of cars both on day 1, which focuses on competition vehicles, and on day 2, which caters to mainstream classics.
For anyone still looking for an appropriate car for the Hagerty Hillclimb on 11th May, there are some tempting prospects. A 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI with hillclimb championship wins in 2017–18 looks like a lot of car for the £23,000–£27,000 estimate, but if you have a little more in the bank, a 1987 ex-works Peugeot 309 GTi (estimate £70,000–£80,000) that gave Richard Burns his first ‘factory’ seat at the 1991 RAC Rally would certainly draw the attention of the Shelsley crowd. If fast Fords are your thing, Iconic are offering a great selection, from a seemingly very usable 1972 Escort Mexico fitted with a red-top Vauxhall 2-litre engine mated to a Quaife five-speed gearbox (estimate £18,000–£22,000), right up to an ex-Valentino Rossi/Henning Solberg 2007 Focus M-Sport WRC (estimate £340,000–£380,000).
If you’re more inclined toward Hagerty’s RADwood, a celebration of 1980s and ’90s turbo-era cars, the Saturday sale is for you. There are a couple of Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworths and even an unused factory engine to go with them. Estimated at a strong (although not unexpected) £120,000–£140,000, there is also an extremely low-mileage, one-owner 2004 BMW (E46) CSL that could easily set a record. One of the five Mitsubishi Evo VI RS Tommi Mäkinen Monte Carlo Edition cars, possibly the ultimate Evo, is also for sale, with an estimate of £100,000 to £120,000, as is one of Hagerty’s 2024 Bull Market picks: a low-mileage 2002 Honda S2000 GT that Iconic believe may hit £40,000.
But they’re only the teasers. The 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B-STI, number 29 of 400, may have been given a tempting low estimate of £190,000. For those whose pockets are not quite so deep, there’s also an Impreza P1 and an STi 555 Version 2 on offer. There are famous cars, too, including an ex-Richard Burns 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evo V with fewer than 800 miles on the odometer (estimate £100,000) and a 1996 Honda NSX-T that was the UK press car. It is described as being in excellent condition, but its high estimate of £85,000 is still lower than the top Hagerty Price Guide value.
Then there’s an ultra-rare 1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 (estimate £235,000–£275,000) and – for me – the star of the show, the #002 1987/2001 BMW E30 M3 Enhanced and Evolved by Redux. As anyone who follows Redux on social media knows, these cars have been re-engineered to a phenomenal level, and this is the very first time one has hit the open market. Currently the lone UK-registered road version, this may be the only opportunity to buy one (estimate £200,000–£250,000) given that Redux’s order book is reportedly full. Stoneleigh Park may be a busy place.
But in amongst these modern-day collectable icons, a very unusual car also caught my eye. Tucked away in the competition sale is a kit car, a Formosa 120GR, estimated at a fair £22,000 to £26,000. Based on a 2-litre 1963 Triumph Vitesse and clad with a fibreglass body, ‘kit car’ seems unfair, as the lines on this thing are superb, reminiscent of an HWM Jaguar or even a Ferrari 750 Monza. Created by a team who cut their teeth building Sunseeker yachts, it’s the sort of car that would draw attention whenever you drove it, for all the right reasons. I love the look of it; we’ll see if bidders agree.
