Saab 9-3 Aero, 2011, 73k, £7,000-£8,000
A lot of hard work goes into curating the cars you see on our auction platform. As you might expect, not everything makes the cut. This process has several official stages, of course - but the underlying formula is simple: if a car tickles our collective fancy, it is by definition one worthy of PH. And because we like to think of PH as a very broad church, that means we get to champion everything from a barn-find Beetle to a nearly-new Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato. Cool eh? Case in point: this Saab 9-3 Aero V6 from 2011. A modern classic? Probably not. But would we like to be able to say we owned one once? Hell, yeah. Because fast Saabs tick every enthusiast curio box going. And that goes double for rag tops.
Tommy Kaira ZZ, 1999, 34k, £22,000-£30,000
There are left-field track day cars, seldom-seen Japanese specials, rare roadsters - and then there’s the Tommy Kaira. Made famous by Gran Turismo, where it could humble much more exotic and powerful machinery, it boasted everything you’d want from a mid-engined sports car: lightweight construction, a durable yet fizzy powertrain (Nissan’s SR20) and a look like no other. For a certain generation of millennial, seeing a Tommy Kaira in real life is like bumping into actual Lara Croft. Or Crash Bandicoot. And probably even more fun, especially when prepped for track. Just as in the game, there won’t be much able to keep up.
Nissan Skyline GTS4 (R32), 1993, 87k, £23,000-£25,000
While we’re on Gran Turismo legends, they come no more legendary than the R32 Nissan Skyline. Though its hero status had been assured by the time of GT, thanks to its comprehensive drubbing of all touring car competition across the globe, the Skyline ascended to another level of awesomeness once the game arrived. Gran Turismo meant kids who couldn’t even drive and had never seen a Skyline got to experience what the fuss was all about. Now those kids are adults and they really, really want one. The keen will have spotted this is a GTS4 rather than a GT-R; less power than Godzilla then, but still an RB straight six, a manual gearbox and that iconic look. For a whole lot less cash. It’s only been in the UK a couple of years, it’s been underesealed and - amazingly - it doesn’t have many mods at all. Just like the game, then, it’s a blank canvas for whatever upgrades take your fancy.
BMW 635 CSI Motorsport Edition, 1989, 109k, £35,000-£37,000
If your idea of a great BMW has a straight-six at the front, rear-wheel drive and an iconic look, look no further. The E24 6 Series arrived as long ago as 1979, yet little has incorporated the BMW design hallmarks quite as well since; this is what a kidney grille, a Hofmeister kink and BBS alloy wheels should look like. Even three and a half decades after this 635CSI Motorsport Edition was registered, little else will draw admiring glances like it. Owned by the current keeper since 2019, it was subjected to a two-year restoration soon after purchase - and looks pretty wonderful for it. The straight-six was refreshed at the same time, too, meaning this now ought to be as good as they come. And when we’re talking about classic, cool BMWs, there really isn’t anything to match the E24. Bidding kicks off on Thursday - don’t be surprised if it attracts quite a few.
Porsche 944 S2, 1989, 135k, £10,000-£12,000
Building your own track car, however exciting, is a costly undertaking - proper hardware isn’t cheap, and that’s before thinking about fitting. Much better, then, to enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labour - a turnkey track car that you can drive and enjoy, rather than invest countless hours and a small fortune in. This 944 will be just the thing, with a host of useful upgrades - AST adjustable suspension, half cage, carbon door cards - to really make the most of what’s always been regarded as a fantastic chassis. Though optimised for sprints, hillclimbs and track days, the Porsche hasn’t been neglected in the pursuit of performance, with lots of recent expenditure to keep it in fine fettle. And look at it: no battle-scarred track hack, this 35-year-old Porsche presents beautifully. Who knew that brown wheels could look so good? And don’t forget the pop-up lamps - almost worth a £10k-£12k guide price all on their own…
Mercedes CL63 AMG, 2011, 68k, £18,500-£20,000
There’s really nothing in this world that does caddish charm like a big, bad, AMG Mercedes. And they come little badder or better in that regard than the CL63 AMG. This 2011 car is an example of the final iteration, the C216 era revised in 2010 before production wound up in 2014 ahead of the return of the S-Class Coupe. It went out in some style: where once the 6.2 had resided under the big bonnet, the final cars saw that replaced with the monstrous 5.5-litre twin-turbo. More power, more torque, more muscle, more everything. It produced almost 550hp and 600lb ft, making it fast anywhere and everywhere - 190mph is possible with the limiter removed. This one has yet to reach 70,000 miles, comes with a tonne of receipts, and really is as good as it looks: there hasn’t been a single advisory in the past seven MOTs. Some achievement for a car of such weight, performance and complexity. Just don’t forget about the tyre budget.
1 / 6
