A restored 1965 Aston Martin DB5, almost identical to the silver-coloured car made famous by the James Bond movies, has sold at auction in the UK for around $NZ710,000, more than $NZ160,000 over its pre-sale estimate.
Not to be outdone was a 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk II, which went for more than $NZ440,000. New in 1958, it cost around $NZ6500.
Other British classics on the Silverstone Auction catalogue also proved popular. A Lister Jaguar XJS 7.0-litre Le Mans Coupe was knocked down for $NZ113,600, more than twice its pre-sale estimate; a 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster fetched $NZ171,600; a 1962 Jaguar Mk.II 3.8 achieved $NZ109,000; and a 1960 Jaguar XK150 Fixed Head Coupe also sold above estimate, for $NZ84,600.
Two fast Fords proved that iconic 1980’s cars could well be among the next crop of classics to significantly rise in value. A 1985 Ford RS200 sold for $NZ209,000; and a 1986 Sierra RS Cosworth, once owned by Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin, fetched $NZ54,500.
Two Ferraris, a 1982 512 BBi and a 1988 328 GTS sold for $NZ218,000 and $NZ81,000 respectively.
One of the ‘star cars’, a 1970 IKA Tornio 380S, once owned by motor racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio, lived up to its pre-sale hype, fetching $NZ55,700. IKA was an Argentine carmaker and the Torino was loosely based on the American Rambler. Renault took over IKA in 1977. A race suit once owned by the late Ayrton Senna went for $NZ31,000.
Another ‘star car’ up for grabs at auction this week is a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT once owned by Peter Noone, lead singer of 1960’s pop group Herman’s Hermits.
The 246 Dino was painted silver when Noone bought it in 1972. He wanted a blue Dino to match the Dino owned by guitarist Eric Clapton, so Noone had it repainted. He owned it until 1983. It has 41,800km on the clock and the auction house expects it to sell for around $NZ300,000.