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REMEMBER that Ford Escort you owned – the one that was hard to start, needed the choke on for miles and had such poor build quality that things regularly fell off? Remember selling it to a “mate” for $200 and happy to see it go?

You’re probably not smiling now.

A 1980 Ford Escort RS2000, the hot two-door of the 1980s that sold for $A6814 when new in Australia, has just sold at auction in London for a record £97,875, the equivalent of $A170,000.

The two-door Ford, the sporty version of the Escort and with lineage through track and rally competition, has become increasingly in demand by right-hand-drive collectors.

Such is the demand for “classic” and desirable cars that collectors and enthusiasts have returned to the car market with a rush, smashing records for prices as far apart as Australia and Europe.

The Escort, which sold recently at the Silverstone Auctions at the Lancaster Insurance NEC Classic Motor Show, was joined by other Fords including a 2011 Focus RS with only 18 miles (29km) on the odometer that sold for the equivalent of $A76,000 and a 1988 Sierra Cosworth RS500 that went for more than $A195,000.

In Australia, last week’s Shannons Sydney Spring Auction saw a Ferrari-built 1972 Dino 246GT – when new it was the cheapest Ferrari product on the market at about $A18,000 – sell for a huge $A550,000.

Shannons also saw a lot of interest in Australian cars, with a 1968 Holden HK GTS 327 ‘Bathurst’ Monaro Coupe selling for $155,000 and a 1991 VN Commodore SV5000 sedan in excellent condition hit $52,500.

Auction audiences may have included some former hippies who contributed to protracted floor and internet bidding that helped push the price of a fully-restored, right-hand-drive 1964 Volkswagen Kombi ‘Split Window’ Microbus to $97,000.

A beautifully-restored 1967 HR Panel Van and a restored 1963 EH Station Wagon with suitable period accessories sold for $25,000 and $23,500 respectively while a 1970 Ford Fairlane ZD 351 ‘K Code’ sedan brought $26,000.

A 1974 Leyland P76 Executive Sedan also sold for $13,000 and for people who wanted something a bit smaller, a 1949 Austin Pathfinder pedal car was a steal at $7000.

Other Silverstone sales were a 1968 Jensen Interceptor once owned by comedian Eric Morecombe that went for the equivalent of $A166,000 and a 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 that sold for $A105,000.

It’s not just about sportscars, though. The Silverstone auction saw the three-wheeled Reliant Regal used in the TV show Only Fools and Horses sell for the equivalent of $A72,280!

A 1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL went for the equivalent of $A206,000, and a similar 1960 roadster sold for the equivalent of $A220,000.

A 1960 Austin Healey 3000 Mk1 beat its pre-sale estimate of £20,000 by more than three times with a final price of £60,650 ($A106,000).

A total of £3.6 million ($A6.3 million) changed hands during the auction with 67 per cent of the lots on offer finding new owners.

Meanwhile, Manheim’s recent quarterly prestige public vehicle auction in Sydney saw a clearance rate of 71 per cent with strong pricing. Total sales on the night amounted to more than $4.3m.


Some of the stand out vehicles were:

  • 2014 McLaren 650s 2D Cabriolet – $293,000
  •    2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG – $224,000
  •    2012 McLaren MP4-12C – $216,000
  •    2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT-S – $190,000
  •    Range Rover Sport V8 SC Autobiography – $165,000
  •    2014 BMW i8 2D Coupe – $152,000

More than 900 people were in the lane for the auction and with a peak of 250 online bidders, almost half the cars sold went to buyers using Manheim’s Simulcast online auction app.

By Neil Dowling

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