BMW E30 M3 makes £25k at auction

A BMW M3 sold for £25,310 at Barons classic car auction on 15 September. The bright red 1988-registered E30 was imported to the UK from Germany in 1999.

Coming with a bulging history folder jam packed with invoices, service booklets and receipts, the M3 had also been treated to a light restoration.

But despite the strong money fetched for the BMW, it was an unrestored 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal V8 Bertone Coupe that topped the sales charts at the Sandown Park sale.

The Montreal had covered 38,000 miles in more than four decades, and had been barn stored since 2011. Bodily, it needed restoring, with the shell showing plenty of rust. But according to the listing it was in good mechanical condition. It made £33,000.

Third place in the day’s sales went to an Austin A55 Half Ton van. This example had covered just 3700 miles from new is still on its original Dunlop cross-ply tyres. The only items that have been changed on the vehicle since 1962 are the exhaust, service items and the rear brake shoes. 

Other rarities sold at the auction include a1964 Auto Union 1000S De Luxe, and a very tidy 1973 Opel Manta 1.9 Berlinetta - they sold for £8250 and £12,833, respectively.

The next Barons sale is the Autumn Classic Sale at Sandown Park on 27 October. Early entries include a rare, low-mileage (9000) 1984 AC 3000 ME (estimate: £20,000-£40,000).

For more information visit www.barons-auctions.com.