92 MODERN CLASSICS
One to
buy!
TRADE NEWS
All the latest results from classic sales around the UK
H
ow about this for some
old-school 1980s cool – a
white BMW 325i Sport. Well,
it ’s a 1990 car, but still...
It’s up for grabs with Anglia Car
Auctions at its 24 August sale – but this is
more than just any auction car.
Firstly, 20% of the hammer price and
all fees will be donated to the Lennox
Children’s Cancer Fund.
Secondly, it’s a car that ACA
themselves have gone to town on. The
camshafts and cambelts were replaced
200 miles ago, and the bodykit carefully
re moved and any problems with the
body addressed (again only using
original BMW parts) before being put
back together again. ACA estimates that
£2 0,000 has been invested in the car.
Its paperwork includes the original
service book, receipts and MoTs. It was
stored between 2007 and 2012, and its
mileage stands at 110,825 miles.
The car is being sold with no reserve;
so a chance of a bargain, a great-
condition car and you’re doing some
good. Definition of a guilt-free purchase?
More details at angliacarauctions.co.uk
STOP THE PRESS
A BMW that’s more
than a bit of all white
The Merc C-Class coupé continues to
be under-rated and – to our minds –
one of the modern classic bargains of
the moment. These are quality motors
with swoopy styling and proper
Mercedes presence despite their
relatively compact dimensions. And
there’s never any shame in having a
Merc on the drive.
Yet they continue to be sold for little
more than loose change. Yes, you have
to be careful with Mercs from this era,
and don’t even go near one without
checking out its MoT history, but there
are plenty of good ones in the bunch.
Regular auction house fodder, two
sales in particular have stood out as
missed opportunities recently. The
first was a one-owner CLK200 with a
genuine 53,000 miles and a fairly fresh
MoT. Worth all of the £2500-£3000
estimate, but bought for £2144. Nice if
Those forgotten
Mercedes coupés
This
Mercedes-
Benz CLK230
Kompressor
sold for just
£2650.
you can live with the wheezy 136bhp.
But the real cat-kicker was a 230
Kompressor model – that’s 193bhp to
further pique your interest – which had
clocked a few more owners but only a
warranted 49,900 miles.
Paperwork was all good and that
all-important service history was
squeaky-clean too. This one had a
£2500-£3500 estimate, and was very
cheap at £2650.
There’s some serious
interest developing in
Saab’s old-school 900
Turbo – the trad one
from before GM spoiled
the party.
Their numbers have at last dwindled
to the point where you don’t see them
regularly (which takes a lot longer with
Saabs than most other cars), and their
other delights are being properly
recognised. This has, after all, long been
a car of choice for maverick British TV
detectives and anyone who wants to
look like an architect.
The other attraction is of course the
turbocharger, although this is less
exciting in the early (pre-’85) and LPT
(Light Pressure Turbo) models which
only got 143bhp. Full-fat was either
160bhp, or 175 for hotter ones like the
Aero, and 185bhp for the legendary
Carlsson. Just 600 of those were built,
solely for the UK market, and the best
are now into double figures.
But the rest aren’t that far behind.
LPTs might top out around £6000-
£6500, but full-on ones can now make
£8000. All these number are up around
20% on where they were two years ago,
and are still rising. Condition is all
important – these cars will do a lot of
miles – but it’s a game to join sooner
rather than later.
Trending: Saab 900 Turbo
Saab 900
Turbo prices
are rising
almost as
quickly as
their boost.
