Indholdsfortegnelse for 11/12/2025 i Classic Car Buyer

Eagle, the world-renowned Jaguar E-Type specialist, has unveiled its latest creation: the Eagle Lightweight GTR. It’s a one-of-one, road-legal grand tourer that blends the spirit of classic racing heritage with modern engineering advances. Building on more than 40 years of E-Type expertise, Eagle’s Lightweight GTR reimagines Jaguar’s legendary 1960s Lightweight E-Type for the modern era. Commissioned by a private client, the GTR weighs just 930kg, more than 30 per cent lighter than a standard E-Type roadster, thanks to extensive use of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, carbon-fibre and Inconel. Power comes from a 4.7-litre all-aluminium straight-six with titanium con-rods and triple Weber carburettors, delivering over 430bhp per tonne. A magnesium transmission, Inconel exhaust, and carbon-ceramic brakes with AP Racing calipers complete the package. The GTR’s stance is lower and more purposeful, featuring…

Anglia Car Auctions brought its 2025 classic sales to a conclusion with another busy two-day sale in King’s Lynn on November 1-2. It was 1980s cars that consistently impressed, but there were several intriguing headliners from the previous generation, too. One of these was a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, originally supplied to the USA but stripped of parts and re-imported to the UK in the 1990s. Fitted with a Jaguar straight-six, it was alluringly guided at a fraction of a factory-spec car at £45,000-£55,000, but went on to sell for £76,140. Another intriguing entry was a 1956 Jensen 451, which beat its £40,000-£45,000 estimate to sell for £47,520. Other more traditional classics to perform well included a pair of Morris Minor Travellers, both modified and both sporting 1275cc engines.…

Since the very first of Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Sports Leicht’ models appeared in the 1950s, the model name has represented one of the finest sports cars in the world, as well as one that has got increasingly collectable with age. Early SLs, later Pagodas and the third-generation ‘R107’ models are now firmly rooted in genuine classic territory these days, with the fourth-gen R129 model rapidly catching up in terms of collector values. Which leaves the 2002-2011 R230 model sure to follow suit. It was engineered like all the best Mercedes-Benz models and was not only sleek and stylish, but also technologically advanced, with a modern cabin and driver aids such as parking assist and adaptable cruise control – features that were in their infancy in 2001 when the SL first appeared, but…

Lotus returned to past glories with the launch of the M100 Elan in 1989. Under the ownership of General Motors, the Norfolk-based sports car manufacturer set about developing a new, small and affordable sports car to sit below the Esprit and Excel, but with an entirely new powertrain and, for the first time in the company’s history, front-wheel-drive. Power would come from a 1.6-litre turbocharged Isuzu engine, but some traditional Lotus traits would remain – notably a steel backbone chassis and fibreglass bodywork, which was penned by Esprit stylist Peter Stevens. Given the Type number 100 and the project name during development of M100, the Elan went on sale in 1989. Feedback from the media was initially positive and pent-up demand meant more than 1200 had been sold by the…

A selection of unusual and extroverted classics is set to spice up the auction landscape when Historics Auctioneers’ live sale takes place at Mercedes-Benz World later this month. Within the rich 175-strong entry is a sensational trio of show cars that exhibit the super-expressive ‘why not?’ hot rod and street rod culture that prevailed in the USA 50 years ago. California Show Cars was a custom car company founded by Bob Reisner, known for combining craftsmanship with creative and often outlandish designs in the 1960s and 1970s. ‘Sand Draggin’ is thought to have been built in around 1970, and is effectively a beach car with a 670bhp, 7.4-litre V8. There’s also the 1971 ‘Sidewinder’ Trike created by George Barris, the man behind the Munster Koach and Drag-U-La for The Munsters,…

Goodwood has unveiled its 2026 motorsport calendar, with its regular trio of established events once again set to thrill fans from April through to September. The season begins with the 83rd Members’ Meeting, taking place on April 18-19. This year’s event will celebrate ‘The James Hunt Years’, showcasing up to 20 iconic Formula One cars from the 1970s in a tribute to one of the sport’s most charismatic eras. Tickets are now on sale to GRRC members. Next on the calendar is the Festival of Speed from July 9-12. The Festival’s legendary hillclimb will see everything from Formula One machinerytocutting-edge concept cars. The event also features highlights such as the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance. Rounding off the season, the Goodwood Revival returns on September 18-20. A nostalgic celebration…

Morris Leslie’s final classic auction of 2025 takes place at its Errol Airfield headquarters in Scotland on November 15, with over 75 lots set to go under the hammer. And if you happen to be looking for a piece of former street furniture, perhaps with events such as How Many Left? or Festival of the Unexceptional in mind, this could be happy hunting ground. Several of the cars included were used in the small screen mini-series, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth. These include a slightly scruffy 1985 VW Polo C Mk2 saloon repainted in grey, a 1989 Vauxhall Astra Mk2 1.6 Automatic used by the journalist in the series and a 1989 Maestro 1.6L that needs some attention to the paint. Perhaps of more interest, however, is a 1988 Vauxhall…

Introduced in 2001, the Maserati GT was an evolution of the 1998 3200 GT, offered in both Coupé and Spyder body layouts and developed to mark Maserati’s return to the US market. It shared the same sleek monocoque body as the 3200, but with more conventional rear lights and a larger engine – this time a 4.2-litre V8 Ferrari-developed unit, with 385bhp. The Ferrari connection makes them more desirable than the earlier 3200 GTs and Spyders are more valuable than Coupes, so you’ll be looking at around £10,000-£12,000 for a respectable example and the best part of £20,000 for the best. The engines are pretty reliable but do require specialist maintenance, and they’re prone to oil leaks from the cam covers – look for a misting of oil smoke when…

The latest intelligence roundup from the IAAF trade association reveals the huge growth in UK registration for Chinese manufacturers. In 2020, 1 in 100 newly registered cars in the UK were from Chinese OEMs, but in 2025 (January-September) it is almost 1 in 10. With a growing dealer and aftersales network, Chinese manufacturers are quickly establishing their brands in the UK market. This inevitably presents challenges for legacy brands; indeed, there has been speculation that Ford might follow its compatriot General Motors out of Europe. GM sold its Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary to PSA Peugeot Citroen in 2017, which merged with Fiat Chrysler to become Stellantis in 2021. Schmidt Automotive Research founder Matt Schmidt said Ford Europe is struggling, and its Western Europe market share has halved over 10 years from 7.3…

A L322-generation Range Rover once owned by the iconic singer and composer George Michael is set to headline Hampson’s final sale for 2025 – branded the ‘Big End of Year Auction’. The V8-powered vogue model will play a starring role at the sale, which takes place at Bolesworth Castle on November 23. Presented in original Oslo Blue with Charcoal leather interior, this third-generation Range Rover Vogue remains in largely unmodified condition and comes complete with a history file which includes a V5 registration document in George Michael’s birth name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. The car retains its original registration SB52 XZP and is offered alongside a folder of images capturing the vehicle in the context of the artist’s everyday use. Under the bonnet resides the BMW-derived 4.4-litre V8 engine, mated to…

South Western Vehicle Auctions’ final classic sale of 2025 took place at its headquarters near Poole on October 30, with a wide-ranging catalogue spanning everything from pre-war vehicles through to modern classics, and with plenty of intrigue in-between. A whole host of the early lots were offered without reserve, and one of those was a time-warp 1990 Ford Sierra GLS that had covered just 2487 miles from new. We expected it to do well, but to see it hammered away for £20,000 was an astonishing result. More affordable was another Sierra – this time a rare XR4x4 from 1985 – which still managed to beat its upper estimate by selling for a hammer price of £6700. Also offered with no reserve was a rare E28 BMW M5, which needed restoring…

RENAULT 5 GT TURBO (1983-1991) The original Michel Boué-penned 5 had been a great success, but as the 1980s progressed, increasing pressure from modern rivals meant a successor was needed. Marcello Gandini was employed to pen the 1984 ‘Supercinq’ (‘Super 5’) and managed to retain recognisable styling traits while thoroughly modernising them. Now powered by a transverse-mounted engine rather than a longitudinal one, the car’s interior packaging was greatly improved despite no increase in length. We had to wait until February 1985 for a follow-up to the outgoing Gordini Turbo, though – that being the front-engined one made from 1982-on rather than one of the mad, mid-engined homologation versions. The new GT Turbo maintained the ageing, carb-fed 1397cc pushrod motor, but now with a smaller Garrett T2 turbocharger rather than…

This week’s visit to the archives takes us to Empire Way in Wembley and the former Wembley Conference Centre pictured just after its opening in 1977. The UK’s first purpose-built conference centre, it was destined to last less than 30 years, being demolished in 2006 as part of the development of the stadium and surrounding area. Our shot shows the centre in its prime though, with the Silver Shadow and Mercedes W108 signifying some bigwigs attending that day’s proceedings. They’re flanked by a Rover P6 and the range-topping British Ford at the time, the Zodiac. A pairing of Volvos in the next row and the Peugeot 604 in the corner suggest an unusually international gathering, although the roofline of a Daimler DS420 is joined by a Jaguar XJ and a…