Preview: Barons classic car auction, Esher, 30 July

A barn find Jaguar E-type, which Barons says is the final Series 2 roadster to leave Brown's Lane tops the lot list at Barons’ British Heritage Sale at Sandown Park on Tuesday 30 July. The seller bought the car new from Jaguar in 1971, after seeing it displayed on a perspex plinth in the British Leyland showroom in Piccadilly.

After he bought the car, he covered 55,000 miles, and it was always serviced at the Jaguar factory in Coventry. The seller then placed the car in storage in 1976, where is has since remained. It's being sold as a barn-find in need of a full restoration, having not turned a wheel in 37 years. The E-type is complete, and comes with its original toolkit, and the estimate reflects its 'last-of-line' status coming in at £35,000-45,000.

The other British cars to bolster the sale include a 1978 Aston Martin V8, with the rare five-speed ZF manual gearbox option. It's one of 16 built and comes with a very reasonable £45,000-50,000. Consider what people were paying for DB5s and DB6s 15 years ago... Also on the lot list, there's an FIA-spec 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII historic racing, which has seen little use in the past 10 years. With a good competition record, it comes in at £47,000-51,000.

Finally, in this British Heritage sale, it's interesting to see that you can pick up two examples of the finest German engineering - and 'metal for money' bargains. A 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SL (£10,000-12,000) and 1993 Mercedes-Benz 600SEC pillarless coupé (£8500-£10,000), combine big engines, great build quality and effortless performance for the price of a well-sorted MGB. Food for thought...

For further information, visit www.barons-auctions.com, or call +44 (0)845 430 6060.