Indholdsfortegnelse for 12/17/2025 i Classic Car Buyer

With plans to slim down its vast collection of heritage vehicles in preparation for the opening of its new heritage centre in Flins-sur-Seine, the company entrusted Artcurial Motorcars with the task of finding new homes for around 100 vehicles. These were put under the hammer along with a host of automobilia on December 7, and the results were truly exceptional. Just about every vehicle entered smashed though its guide price and far beyond, whether a humble R4 or R5, a prototype or one of the many competition cars. A 1975 Renault-Alpine A442 with Le Mans heritage was expected to reach €250,000-€500,000, but sold for a whopping €1,278,080. Likewise, the RE40-03 that took Alain Prost to the top step of the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1983 beat its…

Half a century after the Lotus Esprit stunned crowds at the 1975 Paris Motor Show, Chelmsford firm Encor has revealed the Series 1, a carbon-fibre remastering of the original S1 aimed at preserving and elevating one of the most recognisable silhouettes in automotive history. Limited to 50 cars, the Series 1 is described as a work of “respectful enhancement,” blending modern engineering with the purity of Giugiaro’s original wedge design. The project brings together designers and engineers with experience at Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Skyships Automotive. Daniel Durrant, Encor’s Head of Design and formerly lead designer for the Lotus Emira, said re-imagining such an iconic form required delicacy. “Every line we’ve refined is about honouring the original’s intent while letting the car perform and function the way its silhouette…

WB & Sons brought a busy year to a close with its final sale of 2025 on December 6, putting together another eclectic mix of established and modern classics under the hammer at its Newcastle upon Tyne base. The star of the sale was a 2006 Bentley Azure Convertible, which showed only 39,000 miles and beat its £60,000-£70,000 estimate to sell for £73,050. Just a year newer but ultimately of a different generation was a Continental GTC, which also sold above guide at £20,710. Cheaper but equally as modern, meanwhile, was a 2003 Lexus SC430 that beat its modest £2000-£3000 guide to sell for £4088, and a 2004 Mercedes SL500 that made an impressive £8892 against a £4000-£5000 estimate. Another modern collectible was a 2005 Audi TT Quattro Sport, one…

How many amphibious cars can you think of? If your only answer was the German Amphicar then hang your head in shame, as you’ve overlooked the efforts of British kit car legend and amphibious vehicle record holder Tim Dutton, who crossed the Channel not once but twice in his own creations. Spotted on a recent visit to the Great British Car Journey, this is the Dutton Surf, based on the Suzuki Jimny and produced from 2005, replacing the previous Ford-based Mariner and the Suzuki based Commander. Drive in the water was via a water jet driven from the transfer box and the Surf came as standard with twin bilge pumps as well as neat design features like doors that open above the water line. Find out more at timdutton.com.…

Next year sees the MG ZR, ZS and ZT model range achieve a major milestone as the Zed Cars turn 25 – and to mark the occasion a major event will be held in South Wales, home to the original press launch back in 2001, and featuring a number of people who were there at the time. Using the same venues and road routes as those driven 25 years ago on the international media launch, ZED25 will take participants through some of the best roads in South Wales, with a series of mini-events at historically significant venues, where you’ll get to hear from those involved in the design, build and launch of the cars Zed 25 will begin on July 3, 2026, at St David’s Hotel in Cardiff – where…

Manor Park Classics North’s December 6auction in Runcorn played host to its usual varied selection of full-sized classics, but also saw the sale of no fewer than 47 ‘pedal’ cars. The large private collection, found in Chester, included a large quantity of race cars along with tractors, a fire engine, a taxi, a Jaguar E-Type, Rolls-Royces and even a tank! Most notable were race cars in ‘JPS’, 1960s Team Lotus and 1970s Marlboro McLaren livery. Many of the offerings were from Tri-ang, and although some were in need of restoration, there were numerous of nice examples that will surely make ideal Christmas gifts for the young and young-at-heart. Two of the entries, a Tri-ang Jaguar E-Type and Tri-ang John Player Special Lotus Grand Prix style car sold for £1003 and…

RELIANT SCIMITAR GTE (1968-1986) The Scimitar began as a two-door coupe in 1964, using a modified version of the chassis from Reliant’s previous Sabre model. Known as the SE4 and badged Scimitar GT, it used a fibreglass body produced by Ogle Design, with power courtesy of a 2.6-litre Ford straight six. In 1966, the existing Ford motor was discontinued, so the Scimitar received the 3.0-litre Essex V6. By then Ogle Design had recruited rising design star Tom Karen, who was responsible for styling a concept vehicle devised to showcase Triplex’s ability to produce large, complex laminated glass panels, with Karen using an estate car style to achieve this. Liking what they saw, Reliant management commissioned Ogle and Karen to create a production version, with the first Scimitar GTE, known as…

We’re further west this week, to the town of Betws-y-Coed in north Wales with a photo dated May 1986, but since none of the cars in shot wear anything newer than the 1981/82 X-registration we wonder if it’s perhaps earlier. Nearest the camera we see two extremes of the British Leyland range in the Metro and the Rover SD1, with a Montego visible in the distance. In front of the Metro is a Nissan (or Datsun as it still was then) Bluebird estate, following a French rarity in the shape of a 505 estate. Although even the Peugeot is nothing like as unusual today as what looks like an early Daihatsu F20 parked outside the Wool Shop. Otherwise the rest of the machinery in sight is all Ford, including a…

Classic and collectable car auction platform, Bonhams Cars Online, is once again trading under its original name of The Market following a management buy-out. The Market was originally founded in 2016, having originally been conceived and launched by Oxfordshire tech entrepreneur Tim Joslyn. Patina Classics – which traded as The Market – was the UK’s first online auction business for classic and collectable cars. The successful online business was bought by Bonhams in 2021, a long-established auction house foundedinLondonin1793. A change of name to The Market by Bonhams followed, then, more recently, to Bonhams Cars Online. Since 2017, the firm has sold over 5000 classic and collectable cars worth over £100 million. Now, Bonhams 1793 has announced that the management of Patina Classics Ltd has completed a management buy out…

Modern classics have stood out as strong performers amid a generally subdued classic car market, according to new intel. Data from market expert Hagerty has revealed that while 80 per cent of classic car values have declined or remained static, hot hatches and ‘turbo era’ cars have been notable sales highlights. The UK Hagerty Price Guide is one of the most highly respected guides in the classic and collector car market, tracking 3000 models around the world, and it’s this data that’s been used to gauge how the market has fared in 2025. “It has, in general, been an extension of what we saw in late 2024,” says John Mayhead, Editor of the Hagerty UK Price Guide. “The boom times of the post-Covid era are now firmly over; buyers are…

A replacement for the much-loved Fiesta could soon be on the cards, thanks to Ford partnering with Renault in a deal that will set it up to launch at least two new “affordable” electric cars based on the French firm’s Ampr EV platform used for its popular new R5 model. The Fiesta was a market mainstay for 47 years and eight generations before the last car was built in 2023, and remains incredibly popular on the used market. Ford’s lineup of electric cars currently includes the Capri, the Explorer, the Mustang Mach-E and the Puma Gen-E, and the brand is said to be falling short when it comes to the EU’s electric vehicle targets. Sales of the Capri and Explorer have been so slow that Ford was recently forced to…

Sadly, it seems the art of the ‘Q-car’ – a fast car that doesn’t look it – has been lost in 2025. Manufacturers used to love sticking incongruously large engines into unassuming models but today, emissions regulations and changing consumer tastes have more or less killed off the phenomenon. Modern performance cars generally leave nothing to the imagination. Large grilles, extra vents, faux diffusers and massive wheels adorn hot hatches and premium sports cars alike; standing out both to buyers and other road users is the aim. The good news is that there are plenty of interesting Q-Cars – or ‘sleepers’ if you prefer–from previous decades. With that in mind, here are some of our favourite under the-radar performance classics. FORD ESCORT TWIN CAM The story of the Escort Twin…

One of the most fascinating aspects of the world of old cars is that the scene never stops evolving as more modern machinery earns the right to the classic tag and changing fashions bring previously forgotten models back into the limelight. Unsurprisingly, that means values are constantly changing to reflect the market and if you’ve had your eye off the ball for a while then you might be surprised: for example, you’ll now need £5000 for a nice Marina, while a rough Bentley Turbo R can be yours for little more than half that and a presentable MGF is no longer a £500 prospect, but at the other end of the scale the E-Type is no longer the £100,000 car car it was. One trend you’ll notice is that the…