Fast Fords led a strong weekend of sales for Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show from November 9-10, 2024. Total sales of £9m at an 82 percent sell-through rate bucked current market trends, and £63,000 was raised for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The most headline-grabbing result was posited by a 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Lux that had covered just 2221 miles. This timewarp example has had only two owners from new, and has been preserved as part of a private collection for three decades. Consequently, it sold for a world-record £202,500. The previous record for the model was £163,125.
A pair of low-mileage Ford RS200s also achieved strong results at the auction. The most expensive was a 1989 example with just 1798 miles on the odometer. This particular car was the 100th RS200 built, and it features factory-supplied Ford Motorsport decals. It sold for £247,500.
The other RS200 was one of 90 built in the more refined road-car specification. This 1987 model covered just 8877 miles from new and sold for £236,250.
The ex-Tim Harvey 1990 Sierra RS500 brought in another strong result for the Blue Oval, having gone under the hammer for £309,375. The iconic, Labatt’s-liveried Group A race car was built by Andy Rouse Engineering for the 1989 season of the British Touring Car Championship. Period successes included multiple wins in the BTCC in 1989 and 1990. It was then used for Historic racing events, including the Silverstone Festival, Australian Touring Car Masters and the Gold Cup at Oulton Park.
“Since selling the late Lady Diana Ford Escort in 2022, we have developed somewhat of a reputation for being the auction house to sell unique Fords,” enthused Iconic Auctioneers managing director Rob Hubbard. “Including the two RS200s we sold this weekend, we have sold a total of ten RS200s more than any other auction house… With our next sale being Race Retro in February, we will be on the lookout for more fabulous Fords to offer along with our renowned collector-quality cars.”
Iconic Auctioneers had plenty of temptations on offer aside from fast Fords, too. One example was a 1980 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 offered directly by English singer and songwriter Chris Rea. Finished in Grigio Ferro over Blu Dino Scurro and a Bordeaux Red interior, the car was restored by QV of London shortly after being acquired by Rea. It crossed the block for £64,688.
Another machine with celebrity provenance was a 2011 Land Rover Defender 110 that was commissioned by film director Guy Ritchie. Setting this Landie apart is a 6.2-litre Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine that develops 430bhp. Other bespoke features include fully adjustable air suspension, a Focal stereo system, Range Rover heated leather seats and a custom gun drawer concealed in the luggage bay floor. The commission was completed by Nene Overland in 2015, and the car attracted a winning bid of £84,375.
This 1977 Jaguar XJC-R restomod sold for £63,000, with the entire proceeds donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The unique build was completed by Jaguar specialist Tom Lenthall Ltd before being auctioned in memory of Tom’s friend, Emma, who passed away from cancer in 2023. Upgrades include the installation of a supercharged 4.0-litre AJ16S inline-six-cylinder engine, a Getrag five-speed manual transmission, Brembo brakes, plus the suspension and subframes from a mid-1990s X300 XJ.
A single-owner 1990 Citroën 2CV6 Spécial with just 557 miles on the odometer was another highlight of the Iconic Auctioneers NEC Classic Motor Show sale. The diminutive Citroën was originally purchased as a 21st birthday present, despite the buyer’s daughter being only six years old at the time. That little girl is now a former international athlete and sports journalist, and she received £22,500 for her consignment.
For information on forthcoming Iconic Auctioneers sales, see here.
