Basking in some long-awaited sunshine, Historics’ sale at Windsorview Lakes proved a roaring success. Here are the highlights

Sports cars would turn out to enjoy the most success, kicked off by the 1972 MG Midget that, despite being a recent barn find, included a fresh MoT, refurbished wire wheels and its Heritage certificate, all of which made the £2402 sale price look a bargain. Those after more performance were bidding on the 2002 BMW Z3, which looked fantastic in the rare hue of Dakar Yellow and with just 42,000 miles on the clock, presented very well – it ultimately sold mid-estimate for £7436.

A truly unique proposition was the 1986 Lotus Elan M100 factory prototype – featured in CAR magazine, it included all original trim and accompaniments, as well as some relevant press releases and articles. Despite not being a driveable car, it sold for £3432. Group Editor Paul watched the 1990 Alfa Romeo Spider Series 4 with interest, as the 40,000-mile Rosso Red specimen fetched £10,868. If that red roadster wasn’t prestigious enough, the 1961 Austin Healey 3000 MkII looked stunning following recent restoration and earned every penny of its £48,048 sale price.

It’s often said that summer is the best time to buy a 4×4 for winter, and plenty were on offer – a 1977 Land Rover 88-inch looked smart in Atlantic Green atop a galvanised chassis and fetched £12,584, while a fully-restored 1942 Willys Jeep offered bare-bones ruggedness in abundance for the winning bid of £23,000. A 1991 Mercedes 300GE looked in excellent health following £16,500 of expenditure in 2021, making the £28,028 sale price look like great value, while its rapid 2002 G55 AMG sibling amusingly touted its ULEZ compliance despite its 5.5-litre V8, earning it a £21,736 sale price.

There were some charming ‘traditional’ classics in the sale too, including the gorgeous 1967 Fiat 600 that held up well following an older restoration and sold for £5720. Offered without reserve, an extremely smart-looking 1982 Citroën 2CV Charleston exceeded expectations to sell for an impressive £9724, while the 1966 Vanden Plas 1100 Princess offered upmarket ADO16 motoring for a very reasonable £2288. The 1971 Ford Escort Mk1 Estate carried high expectations – said to have cost £120,000 to build in 2015, the humble estate now boasts a competition-spec 1800cc AX-block engine, five-speed transmission, FIA-approved roll cage, bucket seats trimmed in Conolly leather and custom 75-litre alloy fuel tank, amongst countless other upgrades. Described as “flawless”, it changed hands for £32,032.

For the full results, head to historics.co.uk

  • This 1963 Bentley S3 looked magnificent with its rare Park Ward body, and sports the rare full-length sunroof. With just 25,000 miles on the clock and extensive history that included the original build sheets, its £52,624 sale price was well deserved
  • The first-generation E23 BMW 7 Series is a very rare car these days, and this 42,000-mile 1978 733i caught our eye. With a hefty history file and rare manual gearbox, the £6292 sale price looked like great value
  • This stylish 1974 Ford Cortina Mk3 2000GT looked extremely smart following a five-year restoration, and boasted the popular five-speed gearbox conversion to improve driveability. Also sporting a four-branch exhaust manifold, it fetched £8580
  • One of just 39 produced, this 2005 Land Rover Discovery3 G4 Challenge was one of the original press cars and boasted all of the G4 Challenge upgrades to suspension and bodywork. Spotless following recent recommissioning, its low 12,400 miles earned it a £22,880 sale price
  • Smart in Pageant Blue and with just 50,000 miles to its name, this 1980 Triumph Dolomite Sprint garnered lots of attention from bidders. With just two owners from new and in excellent original condition, it sold for an impressive £16,588
  • This 1989 VW Golf GTI Mk2 16V looked extremely tidy despite its 150,000 miles, thanks in part to recently refurbished BBS wheels. Arguably the perfect Mk2 GTI spec, it found a new home for £8008
  • Offered with no reserve and boasting the preferred manual gearbox, this 1998 Porsche 996 Carrera coupe was surely the cheapest 911 to sell in recent times – the winning bidder paid just £8580
  • Offered without reserve, this charming and very original 1966 Vanden Plas 1100 Princess had just 67,000 miles on the clock and sold for a very reasonable £2288