PH Auction Blockbusters | Six of the best

Trying to keep track of which AC Cobras are real and which are replicas is becoming increasingly difficult as independent people are getting so good at recreating them that you really have to study the details to spot the differences. However, this example is a combination of both. It may look like it was hand-beaten into shape by blacksmiths in the 1960s, but it was only registered last year. That’s because it’s an official recreation of AC Cars, the same company that builds the new (up to 660 hp) Cobra GT Roadster. In fact, this car was delivered to us straight from the factory, albeit through a few appearances at various shows and concours events throughout the summer. Equipped with the 5.7-litre V8, this Cobra was as new as auction cars get, eventually ending up in the possession of its new owner for £150,080, including the buyer’s fee. That just goes to show how highly regarded these recreations are, and how much more attainable they are compared to one of the originals.

Dave Marsden, Logbook: “The opportunity to sell one of the greats of the motoring world was always going to be an easy decision here at PH Towers. We sent a photographer to photograph it at the London Concours, shortly before it was transported to Geneva where it would be proudly displayed at the Supercar show. Upon returning to Britain, PistonHeads proved to be the perfect place to widen the net even further and find the right custodian to purchase this beautiful car.”

No matter which side of the Jaguar rebrand fence you sit, we can all agree that it has made some huge strides in recent years. Case in point: the Project 7. Based on the F-Type, which was itself a masterful return to form, the Project 7 was a true Skunkworks effort, put together by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations team as a modern tribute to the legendary D-Type. Somehow it worked, probably because everything looks better in speedster form with a headrest bucket for the driver, but it was also 100 pounds lighter, more focused in the corners, and delivered 575 horsepower from its supercharged 5.0-liter V8. Of the 250 copies, 80 were sold on home soil, with this car with a mileage of 1,886 kilometers remaining in the possession of the original owner until the auction. Not that it would make it to the actual bidding stage, where the buyer and seller agree on a price during the preview period before the auction. Yes, there are 79 left in Britain, but few will be as fresh as this one.

Dave Marsden: “When the seller approached us with this incredible Project 7, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem finding a new home. Super rare, super low mileage and great provenance to boot. The car was presented in such a way that this amazing car was picked up before it went to auction, with the purchase attracting an offer the seller couldn’t refuse.”

Ever since Porsche Fantastics started adding a ‘.1’ and ‘.2’ suffix to each 911 generation, the first version has typically been overlooked in favor of the second, as many believe it’s the version where all the niggles have been ironed out. That’s especially true of the 997, not because there was anything inherently wrong with it, but fans were attracted to the update since it was the last 911 with hydraulic steering and the final Metzger engine. That said, the gen-one GT3 RS is still a hugely desirable car, with its 3.8-litre six-cylinder six-speed manual transmission and an aero package that suits the car perfectly. Add to that the Manthey suspension, wheels and lightweight exhaust fitted to this 2008 car, and you’re getting pretty close to the top 911 track car. Such was the interest that it didn’t actually make it to auction, with the buyer making a bid of £128,640, including fees, which the seller quickly snapped up. The former now has a sublime silver GT3 RS parked in the driveway, the latter now has a 911-shaped space to fill.

Dave White, sender: “After working at Porsche for almost twenty years, the 997 GT3 RS was for me the absolute pinnacle of all 911s. This particular car has had some tasteful upgrades added by its professional racing driver owner, improving on what I already thought was perfection. It’s no wonder this car sold in a pre-auction within minutes. They are a very happy buyer indeed.”

Remember when Lotus had its on-off-off flirt with Formula 1 about 15 years ago? The one where the name actually appeared on two opposing teams, including Team Lotus, owners of the original F1 team’s name, and Lotus Cars, which was essentially a rebrand for the Renault team. The latter, decked out in the old black and gold livery, was much more successful than the former, taking victory with Kimi Raikkonen in both 2012 and 2013. To mark its return to winning ways, Lotus Cars released a limited edition Exige S V6 called the LF1 Edition, featuring the same iconic colors as the F1 machine and a comparison plaque. Like the GT3 RS, this LF1 Edition found a new home during the pre-auction preview, selling for £45,024 with the buyer’s premium after the seller received an offer he couldn’t refuse. No wonder the buyer accepted this, because since only 81 exist, you may have to wait an awfully long time before another one becomes available.

Dave White: “No one can resist a black and gold lotus… I couldn’t, and neither could the buyer. Picked up again within a very short period of time via the pre-auction, give me an opportunity to bid. This particular car was built to commemorate 81 victories for Lotus in F1, with an equal number of units finding their way onto the road. It had PistonHeads written on it.”

One of the nice things about PH auctions is that sometimes you come across something that causes an audible gasp. This BMW M3 Sport Evolution is such a car. A homologation special to start with, the E30 M3 would spawn multiple specials to mark BMW’s successes in the DTM of the late ’80s and early ’90s, each more focused than the last. The Sport Evolution was the last of the line, with its four-cylinder S14 bored out to 2.5 liters, resulting in a power increase to 238bhp, and a revised aero kit that closely matched the touring car. Limited to 600 units, the Sport Evolution is by far the most sought-after E30 M3 available, so this naturally attracted quite a bit of bidding activity. That, and the fact that this is actually a Cat D write-off, although obviously repaired and fully roadworthy, making it just that little bit more feasible than the rest. Ultimately the car would sell for £72,400 including costs, proving there are plenty of bidders willing to look beyond an erased copy book for the right car.

Rob Slomczynski, reporter: “With a bit of BMW bias, this was always going to end up on my list. This was special, tucked away on a farm road in the depths of Cornwall, resulting in an 11 hour round trip and a characterful owner with a penchant for homologation specials. The car caused quite a stir with its Cat D status, but we were inundated with inquiries and value estimates. The perfect match for our auction product, ultimately resulting in a sale price that did the car justice and made the seller happy.”

Some people think that the previous Aston Martin Vantage can be unveiled as a new car tomorrow and still look contemporary. Those people are wrong, because many new cars are hideous, while this is one of the most beautiful shapes ever made. In fact, the Ian Callum/Henrik Fisker design was so timeless that it remained largely unchanged throughout the Vantage’s 12-year production run, with the only modifications being larger and more aggressive bodywork for a handful of special editions. The Vantage was perhaps at its best when the V12 was introduced and still looked every bit as elegant as the V8, albeit with a touch more oomph and, oh yes, a mighty 517bhp. You don’t get much better than this 2010 example, with a six-speed manual transmission, the rare lightweight seat option and just 13,203 miles on the odometer. It’s safe to say it caused a bit of a bidding frenzy before the gavel fell at £76,112, including fees. A strong result for one of the great Astons of all time.

Rob Slomczynski: “This is a much-loved example and the seller was clearly reluctant to move forward with it given the strong emotional attachment they had to it. With low mileage and manual controls, potential buyers jumped all over it. We surpassed all the offers that independent dealers had used to tease it out of its grasp and it created a flurry of Vantage auction sales – a feat we are immensely proud of and are very keen to continue!”

*Prices shown include buyer’s costs, which amount to 6% of the sales price + VAT, with a minimum of € 695 + VAT