£2.25 Million Worth of Classics Sold at Imperial War Museum

Bidders from four continents contested and paid over £2¼ million for classic, collector and performance cars at the latest H&H Classics auction, proving that cars with exceptional heritage still hold value and remain in strong demand.

Held at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, 132 iconic cars went under the hammer at an auction that had a strong British influence. The eye-catching sale came in the form of the RAC Rally winning 1936 Jaguar SS100, which provoked a combative bidding war amongst punters. Eventually, a British collector beat competition from America and Australia to secure the car for £400,000, the highest sale price of the day.

Other big sales on the day included the rebodied 1933 Lagonda M45 Tourer which sold for £109,125. Falling short but still selling for an impressive £92,250 was a Cassis Red 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Supersport, one of only 24 RHD C16 specification examples.

Jaguar E-Types sold strongly also, with a 1967 4.2 2+2 Couple selling for £66,375, more than £26,000 above estimate and beautiful yellow 1969 4.2 Fixed Head Coupe selling for £55,125.
British classics were in high demand throughout the day and other successes included a 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1 which reached £78,750 as well as a rare 1982 Bentley Corniche convertible, just 1 of 77 examples, which sold for £72,000.

The successful sales of these cars will have classic car owners both excited and distraught in equal measure. I’m sure we all know at least one person who used to own a car many years ago that has since massively increased in value. Of course, proud owners who have preserved cars like this are now reaping the rewards of their careful ownership, cashing in on these pieces of art.

Roy Hitchman, Sales Manager at H&H Classics was delighted with the outcome of the auction:
“Our latest Duxford sale was a fantastic event, filled with some marvellous cars, and we’re very pleased with the results. However, we have very little time to rest as we move straight onto the preparations for our motorcycle and Pavilion Gardens sales which take place next month, as well as the preparations for our 30th year celebrations in September.”

The full list of results is available here, along with information about how to enter a vehicle into an upcoming auction.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: H&H Classics Limited