Race Retro Classic Car Sale Auction Hits England This Weekend
The auction will feature an Aston Martin from Elton John and a Dodge Charger from Bruce Willis.
Barrett-Jackson garnered millions of dollars last month selling vintage Porsches, Ferraris, and Corvettes. The next classic car auction, which will sell vehicles ranging from $20,000-$250,000, is England’s Race Retro Classic Car Sale.
Silverstone Auctions, the company that specializes in auctioning luxury sports cars, supercars, and motorcycles, will run the event, which is also a motorsport show.
The show, which takes place in Warwickshire’s Stoneleigh Park from Feb. 23-25, will include a kart race, an automotive shop, a hall of fame, and a driving experience.
The Historic Kart Club will host a race of 40 colorful vintage karts Saturday-Sunday. The shop named the “Trader Village and Autojumble” will offer spare mechanic tools, racecar memorabilia and collector parts like vintage dashboards and side-view mirrors. The Motorsport Hall of Fame, which was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will induct Brian Redman, champion of Le Mans, Daytona, and Stuttgart and former member of the Cooke-Woods Racing Team. At the “Arrive and Drive” experience, you can pay to drive a classic car for 8-12 minutes. Available cars include a Triumph TR4, a BMW 1602 and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce.
The cars being auctioned are some of the most luxurious and unique vintage models in the world. The selection includes rare Mustangs, Datsuns and Aston Martins, several of which were gifted by celebrities.
A 1997 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550-Manual leads the pack. Elton John gifted the car, which features a six-speed manual gearbox and is one of 240 existing models.
Then there’s the 1969 Dodge Charger 'Bullitt' Spec, a replica of the classic Steve McQueen car formerly owned by Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
A 1966 Ford Mustang "Fastback" V8 Manual follows suit. The car was signed by racecar drivers Dan Gurney and Phil Hill, who raced on the Terlingua Racing Team. The midnight blue model features a four-speed manual gearbox, adjustable breaks, and a Hurst Rifle Bolt Quick Shifter mechanism, which was formerly used in Chevy's and Corvettes.
The auction will take place at the event as well as online and by phone, thanks to Silverstone’s partnership with auction company Proxibid. Proxibid, which also participated in Scottsdale’s Barrett-Jackson last month, requires no apps or downloads. It allows bidders to log on to the website, and view the auction live and remotely.
“We offer a nice convenience, especially for collectors,” said Dana Kaufman, a Proxibid representative.
Kaufman explained that remote bidders tend to have money, but not time. “They’ve got their eye on a specific vehicle, but they don’t exactly have the time to travel to London.”
Proxibid will have agents on site at the auction and will work with Silverstone’s marketing team and use social media to promote the event.
Race Retro has been attracting the most unique luxury cars since its inception in 2011. In 2017, the auction made $7 million. This year’s celebrity-owned cars are sure to rake in the big bucks.
Kaufman has high expectations for the event. “We’re expecting big crowds, both online and onsite, and active bidding, and a great environment and lots of entertainment,” she said.
Silverstone's Retro Race Classic is one of the U.K.’s most prestigious car auctions, but auction season has just begun. Three more classic car auctions will hit the U.K. next month, along with Mecum’s collector car auction in Kansas City, Missouri. They will be followed by Mecum’s Houston auction and Barrett-Jackson in Palm Beach, Florida in April.
