20 youngtimers that’ll get you raiding the piggy bank

Our picks from RM Sotheby’s next two sales

Youngtimers are the hottest thing in classic car circles right now – and if you fancy buying one then you should look no further than a couple of upcoming auctions.

RM Sotheby’s Fort Lauderdale (29 March) and Essen (11 April) sales are absolutely packed with rare performance cars from the 1980s, 1990s and early ’00s, including the final 100-odd lots from the 140-strong ‘Youngtimer Collection’.

Picking a handful to showcase is like telling a seven year old they can have just three sweets from the pick’n’mix counter, but here are 20 of the most interesting.

1. 1989 Lamborghini Countach Anniversary

Estimate: £167,000-197,000 / $220,000-260,000

Let’s start with RM’s sale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday (29 March), and a rather opinion-splitting Lambo.

Love ’em or hate ’em you can’t not have an opinion on the styling changes wrought on the ageing Gandini supercar by a young Horacio Pagani to celebrate the company’s quarter century, and the end of Countach production.

As with earlier Countach models the rear spoiler was optional; tests showed it sapped 10mph from the V12’s 180mph top speed, though customers didn’t seem to care.

2. 2003 Aston Martin DB AR1

Estimate: £227,000-265,000 / $300,000-350,000

Aston Martin and Zagato had already teamed up multiple times with spectacular, if not always beautiful, results, when then-owner Ford commissioned the V12-powered DB7 Zagato coupé for launch in 2002.

A year later Andrea Zagato and Aston design boss Henrik Fisker collaborated again, this time on a convertible, the AR1, specifically for the US market that had been denied the coupé.

This example is being sold at Ford Lauderdale and is included as part of the 26-strong ‘Retro Motors Collection’.

3. 1993 GMC Typhoon

Estimate: £15,000-19,000 / $20,000-25,000

SUVs with supercar pace are commonplace these days, but back in the early 1990s the GMC Typhoon (and its Syclone pick-up sister) was a revelation.

A turbocharged 4.3-litre V6 sent 280bhp to the ground through all four wheels, enabling it to reach 60mph in 5.6sec – fast enough to give the Corvette a fright.

This one is up for grabs at Fort Lauderdale and is another one from the ‘Retro Motors Collection’.

4. 1979 Mercedes-Benz 500TE AMG

Estimate: £51,000-60,000 / €60,000-70,000

Heading over to the Essen sale, which takes place on 11 April, and we have the treasures of the ‘Youngtimer Collection’ to hunt through.

This all-black wagon looks like the devil’s own W123 estate and is powered not by a modest 2.3 ‘four’ or 2.8 straight-six, but rather by a huge 5.0 V8 and a wealth of other AMG performance parts.

It’s unclear from the history whether it was an official AMG conversion, but either way it’s a fascinating window into the world of AMG before it was taken into the Benz fold.

5. 1985 Renault 5 Turbo 2

Estimate: £69,000-77,000 / €80,000-90,000

Inspired by the Lancia Stratos, Renault stuffed a 158bhp turbocharged 1.4 behind the seats of its little 5 supermini to contest Group 4 rallying in the early 1980s.

The second-generation Turbo 2 cars were more numerous and less exotic, with plainer interiors and fewer lightweight parts, but they’re still among the most extreme hot hatchbacks ever built. This one’s offered as part of the 140-strong ‘Youngtimer collection’.

6. 1986 Alpina B7 Turbo

Estimate: £64,000-86,000 / €75,000-100,000

Another one from the ‘Youngtimer collection’, the 297bhp B7 Turbo built on the already rapid Alpina B10 by adding forced induction to the M30 3.5-litre straight six to create a 161mph autobahn-stormer that could leave even BMW’s M5 red faced.

Packing a huge 119lb ft more than the M5, in-gear acceleration was epic, and this engine could also be enjoyed in a 6-series coupé shell with even more power. Both types will cross the block at Essen.

7. 2007 Wiesmann GT

Estimate: £146,000-171,000 / €170,000-200,000

Germany’s answer to TVR, with a healthy dash of Morgan thrown in, Wiesmann released a range of retro-infused BMW-powered two seaters to critical claim before financial woes called time on the business in 2014.

This GT M4, offered as part of the ‘Youngtimer Collection’, features a 402bhp 4.8-litre BMW V8 that’s good for 0-62mph in 4.6sec. Earlier Wiesmanns used the M3’s straight-six.

8. 1982 Lancia 037 Stradale

Estimate: £300,000-343,000 / €350,000-450,000

Lancia’s original Group B monster was loosely based on the meek Monte-Carlo, but fitted with a supercharged Fiat 131 engine turned through 90 degrees driving the rear wheels.

In the 1983 season the 037 fended off the mighty Audi quattro to become the last rear-wheel drive WRC champion, but this example has led a much more gentle life.

One of 207 road-going Stradale cars built to homologate the racer, chassis 022 has covered just 2175 miles from new.

9. 2001 Mini Cooper S

Estimate: £17,000-22,000 / €20,000-25,000

Number 11 of the final 50 Issigonis Minis built (and with an accompanying certificate signed by John Cooper to prove it) this silver-over-black Cooper has the rare S-pack engine upgrade and just 850 miles on its odometer.

Originally right-hand drive, this one’s been converted to left-hand drive, though the beauty of Minis is it shouldn’t be much trouble to swap it back.

10. 2000 BMW Z8

Estimate: £141,000-159,000 / €165,000-185,000

Famously cut in half (though thankfully that was a movie fake) in James Bond’s The World is Not Enough, the Z8 hails from a time when carmakers were going retro-crazy.

Powered by the M5’s 395bhp V8 and styled with a nod to BMW’s gorgeous 507 from the 1950s, it was surprisingly un-sporty to drive, but has been a hit with wealthy youngtimer fans.

11. 1996 Lamborghini Diablo SE30

Estimate: £338,000-424,000 / €395,000-495,000

Built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 30th anniversary, the 518bhp rear-wheel drive SE30 appeared in 1993 offering more power and less weight than a regular V12 Diablo, plus adjustable ant-roll bars that could be tweaked from the cabin.

It’s often remembered for its appearance in Jamiroquai’s Cosmic Girl video, but not all were purple. This silver stunner has covered just 250 miles from new.

12. 1993 Porsche 993 Turbo prototype

Estimate: £253,000-338,000 / €295,000-338,000

A switch to four-wheel drive and twin-turbo power meant the 993 Turbo made a huge leap over its predecessor, but this particular car is more desirable than most.

Believed to be the first 993 Turbo development car, and possibly the only surviving one, this car was originally a standard 993 Carrera before being pulled from the production line and sent to the Weissach motorsport department for its 402bhp flat-six and bulging arch flares.

13. 2005 Ferrari Superamerica

Estimate: £236,000-278,000 / €275,000-325,000

The Superamerica badge, reserved for Ferrari’s fastest GTs in the 1950s and 1960s, was brought out of retirement in 2005 for the convertible version of the 575M.

Designed by Leonardo Fioravanti, the man responsible for greats such as the 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’, its party piece is a glass roof that flips through 180 degrees, disappearing under the rear deck. Only 559 were built.

14. 1987 Lancia Thema 8.32

Estimate: £14,000-19,000 / €16,000-22,000

Ferrari never built a four-door saloon (though it came close with the Pinin concept), but it did supply the power for one: the Lancia Thema 8.32.

Based on the 308 GTB’s V8, the detuned 212bhp version driving the front wheels of the Thema was fitted with a cross-plane crankshaft for better refinement, but it was still capable of pushing the 8.32 to 149mph.

15. 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG

Estimate: £193,000-236,000 / €225,000-275,000

Built to commemorate Bern Schneider’s 2003 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship win, this CLK DTM is one of only 100 coupés produced. Slightly incongruously, AMG also built a run of 80 cabrios.

Power comes from the famous AMG supercharged 5.5 V8, here producing 574bhp and the kind of rumble that could start an avalanche.

16. 1986 RUF BTR

Estimate: £193,000-236,000 / €225,000-275,000

The little brother to the famous Yellowbird twin-turbo CTR, the single-turbo CTR was itself no slouch, with a top speed of more than 186mph. The BTR was also the first car built after RUF was granted manufacturer status.

This particular car is one of only three BTRs that used the special-order flatnose 911 Turbo as a base. Under the rear tea-tray spoiler there’s a 3.4-litre flat-six with an enlarged KKK turbo that’s good for 369bhp.

17. 1995 Ferrari 512M

Estimate: £154,000-197,000 / €180,000-230,000

The final evolution of the car that started life as a Testarossa, the 512M was the last of Ferrari’s big flat-12-powered sports cars. A year later it was replaced by the front-engined V12 550 Maranello.

The MX-5-like smiley grille, fixed headlights and odd three-piece wheels were an acquired taste, but a 196mph top speed meant there was no doubting its supercar credentials.

18. 1994 Porsche 968 Clubsport

Estimate: £47,000-73,000 / €55,000-85,000

Ditching the back seats and much of the 968’s luxury trim made the Clubsport faster and more focused. And reflecting its stingier equipment list, this version actually cost less to buy, too.

These days though, they’re worth far more, particularly if in a desirable spec such as this one: Speed Yellow paint, M030 sports suspension, bucket seats and just 30k miles from new.

19. 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale

Estimate: £385,000-471,000 / €450,000-550,000

Group B rallying created some incredible racing cars – and a host of equally special road cars necessary to homologate them, including this Lancia Delta S4 Stradale.

Developed jointly by Lancia and Abarth, the four-wheel drive S4’s 1.8-litre ‘four’ featured both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Just 200 were built.

20. 1988 Porsche 928 Koenig

Estimate: £43,000-51,000 / €50,000-60,000

The Mansory of its day, Koenig Specials GmbH carved out a name for itself in the 1970s and ’80s making exotic cars even more ostentatious, including this Porsche 928.

Huge arch flares cover gigantic deep-dish BBS wheels, though there’s no mention of any changes to the 296bhp 5.0-litre V8 that was standard on the 928 S4.