Should a car be worth more because it previously belonged to a celebrity?
That’s up for debate, but some people certainly think so, because vehicles previously owned by Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Jay Kay and Noel Edmonds were among the big sellers at Silverstone Auctions’ Classic Motor Show sale this week.
The showbiz-related cars were far from the only big successes, though, with an Aston Martin DB6, Porsche 911 ‘Flatnose’, Maserati 3500GT and Facel Vega HK500 all selling handsomely; in all, £4.2million of cars changed hands.
The Sinatra car – a 1984 Rolls-Royce Corniche – was a particular success, going for £140,625 (including buyer’s premium). That’s more than £15,000 above its upper estimate, but hardly a surprise given its provenance: it was a 70th-birthday present to the star from his Rat Pack buddies Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
What’s more, it went to auction in fantastic shape, with just 66,550 miles on the clock and having been treated to a £47,000 refurbishment recently.