£16m line-up brings more than 600 vehicles to Iconic Auctioneers’ largest ever sale  

• Over 600 cars and motorcycles, worth more than £16m, will feature across three sales at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show
• Highlights range from a Marcello Gandini-signed Lamborghini Countach and Mike Hailwood’s championship-winning Honda race bike to two Lotus Esprit garage finds
• Exceptionally strong vendor interest has prompted Iconic Auctioneers to close entries early
• Download images here: https://we.tl/t-2eeBkxHNfpqavcvN

More than £16m worth of collectable classic cars and motorcycles will be offered by Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show on 14 and 15 November. With more than 600 vehicles across its Iconic Sale, Classic Sale and Iconic Motorcycle Sale, the weekend brings together rare collector cars and significant competition motorcycles and alongside accessible enthusiasts’ cars and restoration projects. An exceptionally high level of interest from vendors has led the auction house to close entries early.

Highlights from the 160-car Iconic Sale include a 1980 BMW M1, finished in its original Inka Orange and emerging from around 25 years of ownership during which it has been regularly driven and enjoyed (estimate: £400,000 - £500,000). Alongside it is a 1983 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 S, signed by its designer Marcello Gandini during filming for a Citroën advert in 1989. Showing fewer than 16,000 miles, the red Countach has remained with its current owner for around four decades (estimate: £700,000 - £900,000). Also on offer is a 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Volante, offered directly from Chairman and founder Nick Whale’s personal collection. One of only 38 built, it served as Aston Martin’s reversible electric heritage demonstrator before being reunited with its original running gear, including its matching-numbers engine (estimate: £450,000 - £550,000).

The Iconic Sale also features three cars offered directly from Jeremy Clarkson’s collection: the 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider he drove in the final episode of The Grand Tour, a 1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 and a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V, both familiar from earlier episodes. Noel Gallagher’s former ‘chocolate brown’ 1978 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, which carried him to the 1997 Downing Street reception, is estimated at £25,000 - £30,000. A 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG owned from new by Jenson Button for almost 15 years carries an estimate of £400,000 - £500,000, while Nick Mason’s Ten Tenths Collection contributes a 1928 Morgan Supersport 8-valve Anzani (estimate: £35,000 - £40,000) and a 1973 Jaguar E-type Series 3 V12 Roadster (estimate: £60,000 - £70,000).

Among the Classic Sale’s 212 cars are two Lotus Esprit garage finds: a Signal Red 1976 Series 1 showing 25,894 miles (estimate: £25,000 - £30,000) and a 1982 S3, believed to be one of just four finished in Altair Green, which has been stored since the early 1990s (estimate: £12,000 - £15,000). Both offer scope for an enthusiast to return a long-stored Lotus to the road. Also featuring is ‘Big Red’, the 2010 Jaguar XKR familiar from Chris Harris’s Evo long-term reports (estimate: £16,000 - £20,000), while a rare manual 1999 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution brings Dakar-homologation engineering and more than £6,500 of recent recommissioning work (estimate: £20,000 - £25,000).

The 250-lot Iconic Motorcycle Sale includes the 1966 Honda RC173 raced by Mike Hailwood during his victorious 350cc World Championship campaign (estimate: £750,000 - £950,000). More recent competition history comes from Aleix Espargaró’s 2020 Aprilia RS-GP 20 MotoGP machine, offered directly by the rider with racewear from that season (estimate: £200,000 - £300,000). Meanwhile, a one-of-63 2024 Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini Speciale Clienti, which has covered zero recorded miles, is estimated at £60,000 - £80,000.

Rob Hubbard, Managing Director and Principal Auctioneer at Iconic Auctioneers, said: “The response from owners has been exceptional, to the point that we have closed entries early. That has given us a tremendous selection for buyers at the NEC.

“There is real pleasure in finding the right car or motorcycle at any level of the market. Someone taking on one of the Esprits will have plenty to look forward to, just as a collector acquiring the Hailwood Honda will. We’re looking forward to helping those vehicles find their next owners.”

Looking ahead to 2027, upcoming auctions include the Iconic Sale at Race Retro on 19 -20 February, the Classic Sale at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show on 19 -21 March, and the Iconic Motorcycle Sale at Race Retro on 21 February.

To view the all the vehicles and register to bid at the NEC Classic sales, visit iconicauctioneers.com.