A 1980 Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 Custom has sold for an incredible £97,875 at the Silverstone Auctions Classic Motor Show sale, making it the most valuable of its type ever sold at auction.
The remarkable Escort had just 927 miles on the clock, most of which was amassed during the first eight years of its life. A true timewarp vehicle, the car was finished in Diamond White with Chocolate Brown interior, including desirable ‘Fishnet’ Recaro seats and 6x13-inch alloy wheels.
The RS2000’s figure was nearly matched by another low mileage Ford, this time a 1996 Escort Cosworth Lux, which also set a new auction record when it made £91,125. Supplied new to Dees of Croydon, the Cossie had just 837 miles on the clock when it crossed the block, and the trip meter had never been zeroed. The car had two previous owners and spent a number of years in notable Ford collections.
Not to be outdone, a 1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 fetched a remarkable £112,500 – on estimate, but falling slightly short of the world record price it had been tipped to achieve. One of just 500 built, the Sierra was also a low mileage example having covered 6037 miles throughout its life.
Rounding off the fast Ford offerings was a 2011 Ford Focus RS with just 18 miles on the clock and the protective plastic still covering the seats. Considerably more affordable than the older models, the delivery mileage example still performed well, selling for a whisker less than its £44,000 upper estimate.
Away from the Blue Oval, a 1990 Audi ur Quattro sold for £69,750. The 16,000-mile example owed its fine condition to two careful owners.
A 1972 Datsun 240Z Super Samuri fetched £46,125. One of just 75 built, the car had recently been rediscovered by the Samuri Register and subjected to a meticulous nut-and-bolt restoration by specialist ‘Z Farm’. Another Z, this time a 1974 260Z, changed hands for just £12,938.
Also selling well was a 1968 Jensen Interceptor that once belonged to comedian Eric Morecambe. The recently restored GT sold for £95,625 – in line with its £90-110,000 pre-sale estimate.
A brace of late MGBs showing only delivery mileage both sold for around £20,000. A 1981 LE Roadster achieved £21,375, while an earlier 1980 GT made £19,125.
Lancaster Insurance’s charity initiative, which saw TV’s Ant Anstead and Mike Brewer create two classics to sell at auction, raised £50,000, including £22,500 apiece for a 1989 Ford Escort XR3i and Anstead’s scratch built pre-war inspired racer.
Meanwhile, the unique 1967 TVR Tina prototype failed to attract enough interest. It’s thought an offer of £32,200 would be enough to secure the car.
