PH Auction blockbusters | Six of the Best
£8 million worth of cars were sold via auction on PistonHeads in 2025. Our consigners pick their favourites
AC Cobra, 2024, 319 miles - sold for £150,080*
Trying to keep on top of which AC Cobras are genuine and which are replicas is getting more and more difficult, because independents are getting so good at recreating them that you really need to study the details to spot the differences. This example, however, is a mix of the two. It may look like it was hand-beaten into shape by blacksmiths in the '60s, but it was registered just last year. That’s because it’s an official recreation by AC Cars, the same company that’s building the new (up to 660hp) Cobra GT Roadster. In fact, this very car was supplied to us straight from the factory, albeit via a few appearances at various shows and concours events over the summer. Fitted with the 5.7-litre V8, this Cobra was as close to box-fresh as auction cars come, and wound up landing in its new owner’s possession for £150,080 with the buyer’s fee. That just shows you how highly regarded these recreations are, and how much more attainable they are versus one of the originals.
Dave Marsden, Consigner: "The opportunity to sell one of the motoring greats was always going to be an easy decision to make here at PH towers. We sent a photographer to shoot it at the London Concours shortly before it was whisked off to Geneva, where it’d proudly sit on display at the Supercar show. On return to the UK, PistonHeads proved to be the perfect place to widen the net even further and find the right custodian to purchase this wonderful car.”
Jaguar Project 7, 2016, 1.2k miles - sold for £107,200*
It doesn’t matter which side of the Jaguar rebrand fence you sit on, we can all agree that it built some utter belters in recent years. Case in point: the Project 7. Based on the F-Type, which was in itself a masterful return to form, the Project 7 was a proper skunkworks effort, cobbled together by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations team as a modern-day homage to the legendary D-Type. Somehow, it worked, probably because everything looks better in speedster form with a headrest fairing for the driver - but it was also 45kg lighter, more focused in the corners and put out 575hp from its supercharged 5.0-litre V8. Of the 250 made, 80 were sold on home soil, with this 1,186-mile car remaining in its original owner’s possession right up till the auction. Not that it would make it to the actual bidding phase, with the buyer and seller agreeing on a price during the pre-auction preview window. Yes, there’s another 79 out there in Britain, but few will be as box-fresh as this one.
Dave Marsden: “When the seller approached us with this incredible Project 7, I knew it’d have no trouble finding a new home. Super rare, super low miles and a great provenance to boot. It was presented in such a way that this amazing car was snapped up before it went to auction, with the buying putting an offer forward the seller couldn’t refuse.”
Porsche 911 (997.1) GT3 RS, 2008, 19.5k miles - sold for £128,640*
Ever since Porsche fantastics began adding a ‘.1’ and ‘.2’ suffix to each 911 generation, the first iteration typically gets overlooked in favour of the second as many believe that’s the version where all the niggles were ironed out. That’s especially true for the 997, not because there was anything inherently wrong with it, but fans tended to gravitate to the update as it was the last 911 with hydraulic steering and the final appearance Metzger engine. That being said, the gen-one GT3 RS is still a hugely desirable car, with its 3.6-litre flat-six, six-speed manual gearbox and an aero package that fits the car perfectly. Factor in the Manthey suspension, wheels and a lightweight exhaust fitted to this 2008 car, and you’d be pretty close to peak 911 track car. Such was the interest that it didn’t actually make it to auction either, with the buyer putting forward an offer of £128,640 with fees included, which the seller swiftly snapped up. The former now has a sublime silver GT3 RS parked on the drive, the latter now has a 911-shaped space to fill.
Dave White, Consigner: “Having worked at Porsche for almost two decades, the 997 GT3 RS for me was the absolute sweet spot of all 911s. This particular car has a number of tasteful upgrades added by its professional racing driver owner, improving what I already thought was driving perfection. It is no wonder this car sold within a matter of minutes through a make an offer submission pre-auction. They’re one very lucky buyer indeed.”
Lotus Exige LF1, 2015, 18.9k miles - sold for £45,024
Remember when Lotus had its on-again-off-again flirtation with Formula 1 about 15 years ago? The one where its name actually appeared on two opposing teams, one being Team Lotus, the owners of the original F1 outfit’s name, and Lotus Cars, which was essentially a rebrand for the Renault squad. The latter, decked in the old black and gold livery, was far more successful than the former, racking up a win apiece in 2012 and 2013 with Kimi Raikkonen. To mark its return to winning ways, Lotus Cars released a limited edition Exige S V6 called the LF1 Edition, featuring the same iconic colours as the F1 machine and a comparative plaque. Like the GT3 RS, this LF1 Edition found a new home during the pre-auction preview, selling for £45,024 with the buyer’s premium after the seller received an offer they couldn’t refuse. No wonder the buyer pounced on it, because with just 81 in existence, you might be waiting an awfully long time for one to become available again.
Dave White: “No one can resist a black and gold lotus ... I couldn't, and neither could its buyer. Again snapped up within a very short time frame using the pre-auction make me an offer option. This particular car was built to mark 81 victories for Lotus in F1, with as many examples finding their way onto the road. It had PistonHeads written all over it.”
BMW M3 (E30) Sport Evolution, 1991, 125k miles - sold for £72,400*
One of the great things about PH auctions is that you sometimes stumble across something that elicits an audible gasp. This BMW M3 Sport Evolution is one of those cars. A homologation special to begin with, the E30 M3 would spawn multiple specials to mark BMW’s successes in DTM during the late '80s and early '90s, each more focused than the one that came before. The Sport Evolution was the last of the line, with its four-pot S14 bored out to 2.5-litres, resulting in a power bump to 238hp, and a revised aero kit that closely matched the touring car. Limited to 600 units, the Sport Evolution is by far the most sought-after E30 M3 there is, so this naturally attracted a fair bit of bidder activity. That, and the fact that this is actually a Cat D write-off, though obviously repaired and fully roadworthy, making it that little bit more attainable than the rest. It would end up selling for £72,400 including fees, proving there are plenty of bidders out there willing to look past a blotted copy book for the right car.
Rob Slomczynski, Consigner: “With a bit of BMW bias, this was always going to make its way onto my list. This was special, tucked away up a farm lane in the depths of Cornwall, resulting in an 11-hour round trip and a characterful owner with a taste for homologation specials. The car caused quite a stir with the Cat D status but we were flooded with enquiries and value estimations. The perfect match for our auction product, ultimately resulting in a sale price that did the car justice and left the seller happy.”
Aston Martin V12 Vantage, 2010, 13.2k miles - sold for £76,112*
Some people think the previous Aston Martin Vantage could be unveiled as a new car tomorrow and still look contemporary. Those people are wrong, because a lot of new cars are hideous, whereas this is one of the prettiest shapes ever created. The Ian Callum/Henrik Fisker design was so timeless, in fact, that it went largely unchanged for the Vantage’s 12-year production run, the only tweaks being bigger and more aggressive bodywork for a handful of special editions. The Vantage was arguably at its prettiest when the V12 was introduced, still looking every bit as elegant as the V8, albeit with a touch more presence and, oh yes, a mighty 517hp. They don’t come much better than this 2010 example, which gets the six-speed manual, the rare lightweight seat option and just 13,203 miles on the clock. Safe to say it generated a bit of a bidding frenzy, before the gavel fell at £76,112 with fees. A strong result for one of the all-time great Astons.
Rob Slomczynski: “A cherished example this, and one that the seller was clearly reluctant to move on given the strong emotional bond they had with it. Being low mileage and manual meant it had prospective buyers leaping all over it. We exceeded all of the offers independent dealers had used to tease it from his grasp and it triggered a flurry of Vantage auction sales - an achievement we are extremely proud of and very keen to continue!”
*Prices shown are inclusive of the buyer’s fee which is 6% of the selling price + VAT, with a minimum of £695 + VAT
but in the new car market selling sports cars is near to impossible except for supercars and close to supercars
it seems that those that want sports cars are choosing to go 2nd hand rather than new , which means in 10 years or so it is going to be harder and harder to find reliable sports cars (unless the new car market does a U turn which seems unlikely although perhaps a little more likely than a few months ago with the EU & US changes on BEV regulations
gorgeous beast, seldom seen but way way beyond my budget. Would happily trade wife for one, low mileage, undisclosed number of previous owners, partial service history but reliable, and good for a few more miles. comes with a couple of bolt on accessories and recent full service including water pump.
Actually, I think it's best I keep hold of her.
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