Exciting ‘everyman’ collection to be offered through UK specialist after 30 years in the making

An exciting private collection of more than 50 rare classic and retro cars is to be offered for sale over the coming months by a Worcestershire specialist. Hidden away on the West Coast of Ireland in a selection of bespoke buildings, akin to the man-cave of many dreams, the collection comprises a host of alluring Fords, Opels, BMWs and more, which has been amassed over the last 30 years by an exacting and dedicated enthusiast owner.

Keen to create a varied collection, the owner procured the best examples he could find, and if not, restored the cars to the highest standards, maintaining factory specifications. Following purchase, the cars were subject to major services, with work schedules for each carried out in-house by an expert mechanic. They were then sent for paint correction if necessary and then highly detailed, fitted with protective tailored car covers and kept in bespoke, temperature-controlled buildings.

That said, each of the cars (bar those awaiting restoration/completion) are turn-key examples, on the button. That’s partly what makes this collection so enticing – they have not simply just been stored and left unused to gather dust. They have all been enjoyed, albeit lightly, by the owner, and exercised by the small team that looks after them to ensure they can be immediately enjoyed.

The collection began in 1996 with a MkI Capri 1.3 automatic, which was joined by another Capri, and so the collection began to grow. Having worked at a local garage on both the pumps and the spanners, the collection’s owner was bitten by the car bug at a young age.

With the automotive picture in Southern Ireland through the ’60s, ‘70s and ’80s largely dominated by dealerships offering products from Opel, Ford and Toyota, the love for these brands became significant, and that’s echoed throughout the collection. The rather clichéd term everyman classics is rather accurate here, given that the collection includes a superb two-door Mk1 Escort 1300E in Copper Brown, A Mk2 Cortina 1600E, a 32,000-mile Capri and a Fiesta Mk1 1.0 L in powder blue showing 35,000 miles. Among the hotter blue ovals, there’s a Mk2 Escort RS2000 Custom, a pair of Fiesta XR2s and, moving forward a generation, a 50,000-mile Focus ST225 in totally standard spec.

Along the Opel theme, we find some real rarities including a pair of Manta B2 GTE Exclusives – one showing just 14,278 miles and complete with its original wheels and tyres. A Manta B Silver II is again super rare, and joins a selection of Manta As, a Kadett Coupe 1.2 S and 1.6 SR, a Monza 3.0 E, a hugely rare Olympia Coupe and many others.

Another building houses BMWs and includes a brace of E21 3-Series, both manual, and a now extremely rare E12 5-Series. There’s also a 2002 Tii with original, restored fuel injection system, an E46 M3, an Alpina B3 3.3 Coupe, a 31,000-mile E36 316 Coupe, a low-mileage E93 Convertible, a Z4 Coupe, a Z4 Roadster, an E28 5 Series and several E30s – all in two-door manual Coupe guise.

On the more diverse side, there’s a 12,000-mile Mini City, a Mini Clubman, an Alfa Romeo Spider S2, a Honda S2000 GT with hardtop, various oft-maligned Rover and MGs including a Heritage-shelled MGB roadster, a 50,000 mile Nissan 350Z Coupe in manual GT spec, an excellent Mercedes W123 230E and a 21,000-mile Toyota Celica 1.8 ST Coupe which must be one of the lowest mileage examples on the road.

Two stand-out picks of the collection, however, are a Ford Cortina Mk3 Olympic Edition and a 1986 BMW E30 325i Hartge. The former was one of 500 cars produced in June/July 1976 to celebrate the Olympics. This one shows just 64,800 miles and retains all the correct Olympic features. The BMW, meanwhile, was ordered from new with a plethora of Hartge upgrades and is resplendent in Malachite Green with matching green interior. Showing just 50,987 miles, it has been with our collector for more than 20 years and starts on the button and is reportedly superb throughout.

The cars will be offered for sale by Will and Alex of Worcestershire/Herefordshire based Vantage Classic & Sports, longtime friends of the collector. Will has some 20 years’ experience in the classic and sports car sector, with 10 of those spent at a classic car auction house.

On offer from August, with a select few likely to be heading to the NEC for auction in November, the collection surely offers an exciting opportunity for those looking to find immaculate examples of former street furniture. Watch the space for more details when the cars go on sale.