SWVA’s summer classic auction proved to be another successful day for the Dorset auction house

With an impressive sale rate of 87 per cent and several impressive results, SWVA’s latest sale saw loads of interesting lots go under the hammer. It was modern classics that really stood out on the South Coast, not least a humble 1989 Vauxhall Nova SR, which made light work of its £5000-£7000 estimate to sell for £9750 plus fees. This was joined by an Austin Metro City X from the same year, which looked very tidy throughout and beat its modest £1000-£2000 guide to be hammered away for £3100. And for those looking for a little more prestige from their 1980s classic, an ’86 Jaguar XJ-SC in 3.6-litre manual flavour was another to perform well, beating a £5000-£6000 prediction to sell for £8200 plus fees.

BMWs also enjoyed a strong sale, with an E30-generation 318iS dating from 1991 selling for a hammer figure of £9800 against a £5000-£6000 estimate. Even more impressive was a 2001 Alpina B10 Touring (E39), with the 4.6-litre V8 powered example surging past a £12,000-£14,000 estimate to sell for an impressive £23,500 plus fees. That wasn’t all though, for another Alpina, this time a B3 S 3.4 Convertible (E46), topped its upper estimate by almost £3000 to be hammered away for £18,800. And Mercedes wasn’t left out either, with an R129 SL320 Designo Edition making a robust £17,000 plus fees.

Elsewhere, a very smart 1994 Rover 214 SEi model beat its £1500-£2500 guide to achieve a hammer figure of £2800, and contemporary Minis did well too. A 1991 City was sold for £4900 plus fees against a £2000-£3000 estimate, and a 1275cc Cooper for the same year that had been modified into a very smart Mk2 replica sold above-guide for a hammer price of £8600.

It wasn’t all modern classics, however.  A 1937 Austin 10 Clifton Tourer sold for a hammer price of £5300, thus beating its £4000-£5000 estimate, with a Rover P2 16HP SS from the same year attracting a top bid of £8500 and a post-war P2 12HP Tourer from 1948 not too far behind at £7500.

With curiosities such as a 1962 Steyr Puch Haflinger that was hammered away above estimate for £7700 and several sub-£1000 bargains, this was another all-encompassing sale.

For the full list of results, head to swva.co.uk

  • One of only 150 Designo Edition models produced, this 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL320 had covered just 19,000 miles in the hands of the same family since new. It came with plenty of history and was hammered away for a robust £17,000
  • Showing just 33,328 miles, this 1994 Rover 214 SEi presented beautifully in Metallic Nightfire Red, complemented by a black half leather interior, and had been meticulously maintained by its long-term owner. It was estimated at a mere £1500-£2500 but sold for £2800 plus fees
  • Joining several BMWs in the sale was this E30-generation BMW 318iS, dating from 1991. Said to be a clean, well-preserved example, it had been owned by the vendor for the last 26 years and came with lots of history. It was estimated at a tempting £5000-£6000 but sold for £9800 plus fees
  • A tidy and unrestored example, this 1989 Vauxhall Nova SR proudly retained all of its original factory features, down its original head unit and rubber floor mats. It showed a mere 30,697 miles, and easily bettered its £5000-£7000 guide price to sell for a hammer figure of £9750
  • Presented in totally original specification, this rare 1996 Ford Escort RS 2000 Mk6 4x4 was loaded with factory goodies including Recaro seats and air conditioning. It was hammered away for £7350 against an estimate of £5000-£6000
  • Resplendent Steel Sapphire Blue with a grey leather interior and black hood, this1986 Jaguar XJ-SC had covered a genuine 65,000 miles from new. The 3.6-litre manual example also came with a massive history file and deservedly beat its £5000-£6000 guide to sell for £8200 plus fees
  • This 1989 Austin Metro City X had covered just 15,597 miles from new. Recently recommissioned and very tidy throughout, it sat on a new set of Minilite-style wheels but also came with its original Metric steels. It was hammered away for £3100 against a £1000-£2000 guide
  • One of several Mini in the sale, this smart example began life as a 1991 Rover Mini Cooper but had been given to the retro treatment to make it resemble an Island Blue Mk2 Cooper from the late ’60s. It looked smart throughout and boasted a rebuilt engine, justifying the £8600 hammer price