Lotus Elan Sprint project sells for £25k

A 1972 Lotus Elan Sprint smashed its estimate to sell for £25k at auction. The car, which went under the hammer at H&H’s classic sale at Donington Park on 28 July, was expected to fetch £12,000-£14,000.

The price came as a shock as the car had been in storage for the past 14 years and was a non-runner. It had also been converted from a fixed-head coupe to a drop-head, but that didn’t deter keen buyers.

Another strong seller was a 1987 Ford Capri 2.8i. The car, which had covered 63k from new with three former keepers, had been extensively restored in 2006 after 14 years storage. It sold for £12,992 – against a top estimate of £10k.

A 1967 Lancia Flavia 1.8 Coupe that had been featured on television show Car SOS also sold well. With just under 60k on the clock from new and one former keeper, it made £21k - £5k better than expected.

Low-mileage Austin Metro sold for just £875.

Some modern classics had a tougher time at the sale, with a low-mileage Austin Metro failing to break the four figure mark. The 1985-registered car, which was finished in gold with brown interior, made just £875 – despite only having four owners and 30k on the clock. Perhaps it was held back by the fact it was recorded as an insurance theft.

And a 1987 Ford Escort 1.4 GL with 35k on the clock failed to sell. It was a similar story for a 1988 Ford Sierra 1.6L. Three former keepers, 46k on the clock, and an MoT certificate until March 2017 – but no buyer.

Traditional classics fared better. A Daimler V8 250 that had spent the first 40 years of its life in Australia made £15,444 against a guide price of up to £12k. A Jaguar E-type V12 fixed-head coupe with a manual gearbox attracted fierce bidding. With an unwarranted 48,000 miles on the clock, it made £41,756 against an arguably low £24,000-£28,000 estimate.

Perhaps the most interesting car to go across the block was a Sunbeam 25hp Sports Coupe. One of just two known survivors, the pillarless four-door was an older restoration and made £34,320.

For full results, visit H&H auctions website.