That said, we\u2019ve still witnessed some strong results for \u2018traditional\u2019 classics, especially high-end exotica for which we\u2019re sure there will always be a perennial following. Anything motorsport-adjacent, especially homologation specials, has performed very well. Clearly, buyers value vehicles with a tangible link to racing history, also favouring driving enjoyment and usability rather than buying vehicles simply to park up in a garage and look at.<\/p>\n
Without further ado, let\u2019s get into the Car & Classic Auction<\/a> highlights of 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was a time when the 348 was regarded as a somewhat poor relation of the Maranello stable. Upon launch, it failed to rise to the challenge of the Honda NSX<\/a>, Japan\u2019s practical supercar, as early 348s were criticised for being twitchy and unforgiving at high speeds. That said, Ferrari was quick to address these problems, and today enthusiasts are starting to cotton on to the fact that later cars, like this 1991 348 TS, were much improved. More than that, they offer excellent value for money, paying homage to the Testarossa\u2019s side strakes, and powered by the sonorous 3.4-litre Dino V8 from the 288 GTO. Our example was in very good order, resplendent in the iconic Ferrari Rosso Corsa over Crema colour scheme, low mileage, and accompanied by a comprehensive history file. It deserved to do well, and do well it did, achieving \u00a360,000 on the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The world seems obsessed with \u201880s WRC right now, especially the terrifying Group B era during which four-wheel drive turbocharged monsters tore up stages at speeds hitherto thought impossible. The Ur Quattro<\/a> was the car that started it all, and we were privileged to offer this gorgeous 1986 example back in October, complete with Stig Blomqvist\u2019s signature on the driver\u2019s sun visor. Our Quattro featured in Series 6 of \u2018Wheeler Dealers\u2019 as an exemplary example of the marque. Another car that we knew would make its money, this very special Audi romped on to a very respectable \u00a347,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n E-Types<\/a> are a good barometer of the classic car market. We\u2019ve seen them fly and indeed dive during recent years, but strong finishers such as this storied and well-sorted Series 2 Open Two Seater demonstrate that a great car will still achieve a great figure. After undergoing a concours-quality restoration by Jaguar specialists Butlin Classic Cars during which over \u00a350,000 was spent on a meticulous multi-year rebuild, this Jag had covered just ~1,000 miles. Some of these miles were completed by famed car enthusiast and musician Jay Kay of Jamiroquai for a 2026 music video release. You probably thought the days of a \u00a3100k+ E-Type had been and gone, but our Series II OTS made a whopping \u00a3106,000 on 1st September 2025. Undoubtedly one of the Car & Classic’s auction highlights of 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And now for something completely different. For fans of the noughties luxo-barge, they don\u2019t come much more luxurious, or indeed barge-y, than this W220 generation Mercedes-Benz S600L LWB Limousine. Offered in superb condition, with a mere 16,075 miles under its belt, this 2004 example was mostly chauffeur-driven from new. There really is no better way to travel than to be cocooned within this car\u2019s Java leather interior with its burr walnut veneers and Alcantara headlining. Better still, you\u2019ve got a 5.5-litre twin-turbo 500 bhp V12 whisking you along. This car would have cost the equivalent of \u00a3154,000 when new, so it was a veritable bargain at Car & Classic Auctions when the hammer fell at \u00a334,988.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking \u20ac175,000 sounds like a lot of money for a Mitsubishi Evo, you\u2019d be right. In fact, we\u2019re proud to report it\u2019s not just one of the best Car & Classic auction results, it’s an all-time auction record. It\u2019s worth noting that this isn\u2019t any old Evo<\/a>, it\u2019s the Tommi M\u00e4kinen Edition RS2 equipped with Mitsubishi\u2019s \u2018Special Colour Pack\u2019. Our example had just 10,180 km on the clock and was used by Mitsubishi for the model presentation in 2000. It\u2019s even signed by Tommi M\u00e4kinen on the roof\u2026 We\u2019re seeing a real surge in interest for cars with rally pedigree, like the Ur Quattro, which also makes it into our 2025 auction highlights. With a hammer price of \u20ac175,000, this very special Evo is a car we certainly won\u2019t forget in a hurry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not only does this rather dashing DB5<\/a> boast the same specification as that driven by a certain fictional secret agent, but it was also owned by Duran Duran\u2019s bassist, John Taylor. The band was, of course, behind the theme song for the 1985 film \u2018A View to a Kill\u2019. Surely the ultimate accessory for any committed Bond fan, this Silver Birch Aston came to us in stunning condition, joining an array of fine motor cars in managed storage as part of our November 2025 Collector\u2019s Edition sale. Unsurprisingly, it garnered a great deal of attention with Car & Classic Auctions, attracting 47 bids on the evening to sell for a cool \u00a3460,000. *Ejector seat not included.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yeah, yeah, we know they rot for fun, but it\u2019s with good reason you\u2019ll often find us extolling the virtues of the Alfasud<\/a>. There\u2019s no getting around the fact that this diminutive little car boasted one of the greatest front-wheel drive chassis the automotive industry has ever seen. This 1983 Alfasud began life as a 1.5 SC but was carefully converted to Ti Green Cloverleaf specification by a leading light in the Alfa Romeo Owner\u2019s Club. Those who know their Alfasuds will be aware that of all the hot Suds, the Green Cloverleaf is the one to have. It was the ultimate performance evolution of the Alfasud, boasting a tuned 105 bhp version of the 1.5-litre flat-four boxer engine, making it the most powerful factory-spec Ti produced. Our car was in fabulous shape, and the conversion to Ti Green Cloverleaf spec was carried out with minute attention to detail. Small wonder then that it flew at auction, hitting a mightily impressive \u00a317,450.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The trouble with complex high-end cars is that the cost of running them often exceeds their second-hand value. This drives prices down. The Rolls-Royce Camargue<\/a> was a textbook example: just 531 were ever made, so parts are scarce. You need shares in Shell to feed its 6.75-litre V8 engine, and its fully automatic split-level air conditioning system is so complex that it took Rolls eight years to develop. The flip side is that Camargues became a bit of a bargain. But we\u2019re seeing a shift in the market, and we think we know why. Modern cars are rubbish. To buy something nearly so luxurious and well-equipped as a Camargue would set you back well into the hundreds of thousands, so people are starting to look back at cars that have already done all their depreciating. Our Camargue was undoubtedly one of the best of the survivors, previously owned by Nasser Muhammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the former President of Kuwait. On the evening of the auction in December 2025, it achieved \u20ac65,500 on the 61st bid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Experimental prototypes are often squirrelled away in collections or museums, or, at worst, destroyed. Not so for this 1973 XJ2C (Project ZX 18\/29\/1), believed to be one of the earliest XJ12 Coup\u00e9s ever built. Its chassis number, \u20182G50001\u2019, suggests it could well be the earliest one ever built. Originally manufactured in left-hand drive, it was later converted to right-hand drive at the factory and became a company car for a Jaguar employee. This sort of thing would never happen today. We knew this storied, matching numbers XJ12C would attract some serious interest. It made \u20ac42,339 at auction on 21st December 2025. We were honoured to offer such a significant car through Car & Classic Auctions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We love variety here at Car & Classic. Besides cars and motorcycles, our auctions have found new homes for boats, automobilia, artwork and tractors like this rather fine 1958 Porsche 308N \u2018Super\u2019. Agri enthusiasts will note that this was the \u2018high-performance\u2019 version of the 308 with a range of upgrades. It\u2019s the so-called \u2018dual clutch\u2019 model with a hydraulic coupling between engine and gearbox, allowing for clutchless shifts. The seller understood that just fifty of these long-wheelbase examples were ever made. Having undergone comprehensive restoration to a very high standard, it should have come as no surprise that this ultra-rare tractor reached \u20ac28,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As we mentioned earlier, usability plays a significant role in shaping today\u2019s classic car market, which we think goes some way to explain why the BMW E9<\/a> is still so sought after. Here\u2019s a \u201870s car you can still charge across Europe in. They\u2019re exquisitely engineered, beautifully built, still genuinely quick, and drop-dead gorgeous to look at. What more could you want from a classic? We were honoured to present this right-hand drive 1975 3.0 CSi back in July 2025. Extensively restored to a high standard, this car stood head and shoulders above its peers. The then-owner was keen not to over-restore any aspect of the car that didn’t need it so as to preserve its originality. It also came with the distinctive private registration \u20184444 B\u2019. Collectors still covet these superlative grand tourers, which shows in this E9\u2019s healthy hammer price of \u00a373,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Time flies. We still refer to them as the \u2018new\u2019 MINI, but the fact is that the BMW era MINI has now been around for a quarter of a century. They\u2019re becoming modern classics, and that shows in the values they\u2019re achieving at auction. Take this 2002 R53 Cooper S as an example. Offered by us in August 2025, when it had just 2,544 miles on the clock, this \u2018time-warp\u2019 car was unrepeatable. The story goes that the MINI entered storage sometime in 2007 or 2008, where it would remain until 2025, when our seller acquired it via an estate sale. Recommissioned for the road and flying through MOT with no advisories, the car came to market in incredible original condition. It was likely the best surviving example of this coveted high-performance variant, and this was reflected in the sale after 72 bids brought down the gavel at \u00a332,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t be fooled by the word \u2018Recreation\u2019. There isn\u2019t a Toyota MR2 lurking underneath some fibreglass bodywork here. A Lynx XKSS is as close to one of the original sixteen Jaguars as you could possibly hope to get your hands on. And unlike the \u2018Continuation\u2019 cars built by JLR, you can drive this on the road and live out your Steve McQueen fantasies. Lynx was established in 1968, becoming the leading authority on the restoration and repair of C-Types and D-Types. Those guys knew what made an XKSS tick probably better than anyone else in the world, and this experience and knowledge were born out in their XKSS Recreations. These cars don\u2019t only look right; they feel right, sound right, smell right. That\u2019s why our example commanded a \u00a3240,000 premium in our November 2025 Collector\u2019s Edition Sale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To the uninitiated, this may look like a regular R230 SL. But look beneath the skin, and you\u2019ll discover it\u2019s a 490 bhp fire-breathing monster of a car with a 186 mph top speed. That\u2019s because this SL 55 AMG is equipped with the ultra-rare, ultra-desirable F1 Performance Pack (030 Code). Besides the supercharged 5.4-litre V8, F1 Edition SLs came with composite brakes, an uprated suspension system and a limited-slip differential. These \u2018Q cars\u2019 are very hard to find, so to discover this lovely example with just under 50,000 miles under its belt was a real treat. We think the sale price of \u00a349,000 was very reasonable. Where else are you going to find this kind of performance and usability for so little money?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Manual cars are a dying breed, so this three-pedal 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet really piqued our interest. 996 generation 911s are really coming to the fore right now, and this example looks like the absolute business is Basalt Black, especially with its hard top fitted. What really made this 911<\/a> stand out, besides its manual gearbox, was its service history. Judiciously maintained both by Porsche and a series of marque specialists, this 996 Turbo came to market having had a comprehensive service completed in August 2025 at 56,095 miles, costing \u00a35,185.07. Keen drivers knew this car represented an opportunity that was too good to miss, so this Porsche had no trouble in attaining \u00a331,000 on the evening of the auction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A motorcycle styled by the Japanese and engineered by the Italians would probably be a bit of a disaster, but switch that the other way around and you\u2019re onto a winning formula. This 1979 Bimota SB3 was offered at no reserve on 30th December 2025. No reserve auctions have proven to be highly effective in attracting bids, as potential buyers can often be dissuaded by chasing a reserve which may well be above their budget. There is some risk attached for sellers, of course, but Car & Classic\u2019s broad reach means we\u2019re best-placed to find genuine buyers, even for something so niche as this \u201870s boutique superbike. Our Bimota SB3 was one of fewer than fifty examples to be hand-assembled by Suzuki Germany with full factory warranty. It came to us in effectively \u2018new old stock\u2019 condition, with just 2.1 km registering on the odometer, and having been kept in a climate-controlled environment since new. Our no reserve auction attracted no fewer than 87 bids, and the gavel fell at \u20ac18,888.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Land Rover is a master of retro-inspired special editions. This shouldn\u2019t come as any surprise, since the Warwickshire-based firm has more iconic models in its back catalogue to celebrate than most. The Heritage Edition was offered in 1999 to celebrate 50 years of Land Rover production. All were finished either in retro-inspired Bronze Green or Light Pastel Green, and all had Lincoln Green leather seats. External details acknowledged Series I models, like the vintage-style cast badges that were fitted. Heritage Edition Defenders<\/a> continue to command strong prices, and of the 270 produced, our 90 was surely among the best survivors. Offered with just 74,559 miles, this commendably original example attracted huge interest at auction, selling for \u00a333,000 in September 2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another highlight from our inaugural Collector\u2019s Edition sale, this Porsche 930 Turbo was not your usual 911 Restomod. This striking creation was built using period-correct upgraded parts, including an authentic Andial body kit. The result is a 934-inspired racecar for the road with uprated 934 camshafts, Schwitzer turbo, and 917 brakes – to name but a few of its copious modifications. It pays homage to those special FIA Group 4 cars built from the 1976 competition season. Cars of this calibre seldom come to market. The standard of the work was breathtaking, and the finished article is simply awesome. We weren\u2019t remotely surprised that this unique build made \u20ac225,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While its shape was first seen over seven decades ago, the \u2018D\u00e9esse<\/a>\u2019 remains as futuristic as ever. Small wonder then that well-preserved examples such as our top-spec 1973 DS23 Pallas still command some serious attention. If you\u2019re into hydropneumatic \u2018Big Citro\u00ebns\u2019, you\u2019ll know that the late-model cars with their electronic fuel injection, larger 2.3-litre engines, and five-speed manual gearboxes are the ones to have. Our Brun Scarabee 1973 DS with its range-topping Pallas trim ticks all the boxes. Its condition was simply superb, and that\u2019s why it made top dollar at auction. After 46 bids, the hammer fell at \u00a341,188 on 26 September 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ultimate \u201870s GT? This might just be it. What we have here certainly isn\u2019t a car for shrinking violets. Nothing shouts \u201clook at me\u201d quite like a Tourmaline Blue, V8-engined, convertible British muscle car, but that\u2019s exactly the point. When it comes to the business of dispatching whole continents with impunity, this car is more than qualified. It\u2019s purpose-built for long-distance grand touring and offers levels of luxury and performance that were unattainable in its day. Based on the \u2018Oscar India\u2019 Series 4 Aston Martin V8, just 656 of these 1st series Volantes were ever made. It featured the venerable Tadek Marek-designed, hand-built quad-cam V8 in 5.3-litre form. Mated to a TorqueFlite three-speed auto box, you can appreciate how these cars were just the job for effortless cruising. They cost the equivalent of \u00a3200,000 when new. Good survivors still command strong money, with ours making exactly \u00a3100,000 back in August 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that 2026 is well and truly upon us, we find ourselves looking back at the 2025 Car & Classic Auction highlights. We can safely say that 2025 was a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":35344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2105],"tags":[963,13,3003],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/44599f0a-4738-4f00-ae69-4427bc8c3249-800x533.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1991 Ferrari 348 TS<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1986 Audi Ur-Quattro<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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1969 Jaguar E-Type Series 2 4.2 OTS<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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2004 Mercedes-Benz S600L <\/span>W220<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi M\u00e4kinen Edition RS2<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1965 Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1983 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti Green Cloverleaf<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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1985 Rolls-Royce Camargue<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1973 Jaguar XJ12C (Pre-Production Prototype)<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1958 Porsche 308N ‘Super’ LWB<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1975 BMW 3.0 CSi (E9)<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
2002 Mini R53 Cooper S<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1966 Jaguar XKSS Recreation by Lynx<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
2003 Mercedes-Benx SL55 AMG F1 Edition<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
2003 Porsche 911 (996) Turbo Cabriolet Manual<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1979 Bimota SB3<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1999 Land Rover Defender 90 County Td5 Heritage Edition<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1976 Porsche 911 Coup\u00e9 930 to 934 RSR Specification<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1973 Citro\u00ebn DS23 Pallas<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/h3>\n
1979 Aston Martin V8 Series 4 ‘Oscar India’ Volante<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
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