The steel-bodied XK120 ‘PPE 101’, which was in the winning Jaguar factory team on the 1953 RAC Rally and has been rallied extensively on retro events in recent years by husband and wife team Mike and Gina Barker, sold for £133,500 with premium, fully justifying its front of house display spot at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, in the H&H  December sale. Another famous competition car with more recent international rally history from the early Eighties, the Tony Pond and Russell Brookes driven works Vauxhall 1981 Chevette HSR ‘KFL 305W’ changed hands here for £63,270.

Five of the eight Aston Martins on offer also found buyers led by a 1965 DB5 Vantage with pre-sale estimate of £190,000-250,000, which, though unsold under the hammer, was reportedly sold afterwards by the auctioneers. A 1966 DB6 Vantage did sell for a published £121,000 though and £74,166 was accepted for a 1968 DB6 MkI auto. A post-DBS, pre-V8 1973 Vantage with DB6 six-cyinder engine and five-speed ZF box made £38,500, and a 50,304 miles from new in 1999 and also manual-shift DB7 Vantage Volante £26,400.

Although the rather awkwardly styled 1955 Arnolt-Climax 1100 sports-racer, crashed in practice and never ever actually raced at Le Mans, failed to attract the £50,000 or more sought, an again Coventry Climax powered but much better looking Kieft factory team 1954 1100 with Dunrod TT history did sell for a more than forecast £57,500. A classically styled 1936 Talbot B1 105 sports saloon was much admired, too, selling for £53,900, while a far more futuristic DeLorean DMC 12 with completely impractical Gullwing doors fetched £17,760. Apparently in reasonable cosmetic order outside and in, a Giugiaro-designed 1981 Lotus Esprit Turbo with distinctive wedge-shape and James Bond movie cred was surely good value for the £6160 paid.

£17,600 was available for a 2005/6 restored 1975 Ford Escort RS 2000, £15,400 for a 39,000 miles by one owner from new 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, £11,000 for a 1972 Lancia Fulvia Zagato Sport Series 2 1.3 coupé and £7700 bought a most interesting 1965 Ford Cortina four-door saloon with Lotus Cortina Twin Cam mechanicals, a model never actually produced by Ford.
After many of the ‘provisional’ bids had been accepted, a total of 44 of the 79 cars in the catalogue sold for £1.15m, or an average of £26,096 per car.