Held in a garden party atmosphere, Historics’ recent sale at a sunny Windsorview Lakes saw an eclectic mix of classic achieve some very robust results. 

Things heated up in more ways than one for Historics’ major summer sale at Windsorview Lakes on July 16, with the hot weather providing a garden party atmosphere and robust auction results showing strong resilience against a challenging economic backdrop.

Closing on £2.64 million gross, 71 per cent of the 176 lots passed to new owners, the majority of them selling within or above estimate. The eclectic entry spanned nine decades, from a no-reserve 1925 Ford Model T Fire Truck that sold for £20,160 to a 2621-mile Ford Focus RS from 2010, which soared well above its top estimate to £52,000. Another Blue Oval to perform well was a 1974 Ford Capri Mk2 3.0-litre Ghia that settled just shy of £32,000.

Waving the flag for British sport cars was a concours Triumph TR4A IRS that passed to a new owner for £46,332, with a TR8 Convertible used a factory development car achieving £27,440. Elsewhere, a 1947 Jaguar MkIV saloon shone brightly at £22,400.

Adding Italian flavour was a pair of Alfa Romeos, with a 1969 Alfa Romeo GT Junior that sported significant mechanical upgrades selling for £46,000, and a 1973 Montreal speeding to £72,800. However, the latter couldn’t quite match the £77,500 figure achieved by a very original, right-hand drive 1974 Lamborghini Espada.

Other Europeans included a low-mileage 1990 Alpine GTA V6 Turbo Le Mans limited edition, which easily beat its £13,000-£16,000 estimate to sell for £22,640 despite needing recommissioning. Somewhat less exotic but still a hit was a 1986 Trabant P601 Kombi Estate at almost £4000, with the varied collection of more affordable classics also including a time-warp 1970 Austin 1100 that changed hands for £10,304.

Top honours on the day went to a matching-numbers 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabriolet presented in stunning condition, which wafted graciously to £156,800. In all, 19 of the 27 Mercedes entered passed to new owners, while six of the eight Bentleys also found new homes.

Perhaps the most notable sale was achieved by a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle-based beach buggy, with a two-way bidding battle seeing it sail way past its £18,000-£22,000 estimate to finish at an astonishing £47,000. Also championing the fun-in-the-sun category, a 1989 Mini Moke sold solidly at nearly £20,000.

The next Historics sale takes place at Bicester Heritage on September 24. In the meantime, the full results from its July sale can be viewed at historics.co.uk.

  • One of five Alfa Romeos in the sale was this stunning 1973 Montreal. Described as possibly the nicest that Historics had seen, it had recently been imported to the UK and showed a mere 57,391km. At £72,800, it was very close to its upper estimate.
  • One of just 26 right-hand drive examples, this 1990 Alpine GTA V6 Turbo Le Mans had been in the same family since new and covered just 33,343 miles. It was in need of recommissioning, but still managed to fly past its £13,000-£16,000 estimate to sell for £22,640.
  • A beautifully restored example of Britain’s one-time bestseller, this 1970 Austin 1100 had covered just 36,774 miles and was immaculate throughout. It was offered with no reserve but went on to sell for £10,304.
  • The Mk2 has long been our tip when it comes to getting hold of a cheap 3.0-Litre Ford Capri – but not when they’re as nice as this one. A 1974 Ghia with a rare manual gearbox and showing just 17,980 miles, it sold for £31,920.
  • An original right-hand drive example with a manual gearbox, this 1974 Lamborghini Espada Series 3 was imported from South Africa in 2014 and had been subject to much recent expenditure. It sold just above its lower estimate for £77,500.
  • The sale’s headliner was this 3.5-litre 280SE Cabriolet from 1971, which was one of only 1232 ever made and looked great in dark green with biscuit trim. It sold for an impressive £156,800.
  • One of several Minis in the sale, this 1982 HL Estate showed just 12,821 miles and had recently been recommissioned at a cost of over £3000. It was still very original and changed hands for £11,760.
  • Joining a whole host of no-reserve entries was this 1986 Trabant P601 Kombi. In very straight and original condition, it had covered only 55,598km and sold for £3920.
  • This 1980 Triumph TR8 convertible was originally taken aside for O-Series engine development work before going back on the line in 1981 to be fitted with a V8. It had since had a £45,000 restoration and sold close to its upper estimate for £27,440.
  • When two bidders have their hearts set on something, the results can be astonishing – as this 1970 Volkswagen Beetle-based beach buggy proved. It was estimated at £18,000-£22,000 but finished up at a remarkable £47,000.