Japanese modern classics shine at auction

A host of Japanese performance cars attracted some strong bidding when they went under hammer. The haul, which included Mitsubishi Evos and Subaru Imprezas, were sold at Classic Car Auctions' sale on 3 August.

There were two Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Makkinen Editions with one selling for £27,750 and the other at £24,975. Next it was the turn of Subaru with an Impreza P1 achieving £22,755 and a WRX STi £15,762.

Other stand out Japanese cars included a Honda Integra, which sold for £12,432, while a high-performance NSX made £53,280.A Mazda RX-7 came in at £41,625, but the big gun was the 2000 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec which after some fabulous and at the start furious bidding brought the hammer down at £62,715.

From the same collector of the Japanese cars also came some sporty Europeans. A Renault Clio Sport V6 sold for £34,410 while a 2005 BMW M5 Saloon hit £26,085 before the hammer fell on a Peugeot 205 Rallye at £16,650.

With demand for modern classics growing, buyers weren’t disappointed. A 1988 Peugeot 1.9 GTi sold for £8889, while a 1.6 GTi sold for £9102 and our favourite – the 309 1.9 GTi - sold for £12,432.

Mercedes also proved a popular marque. A 2004 SL600 sold for £36,075 and a 1984 230 CE made £12,432. Lot 682, a 1970 450 SLC proved a popular choice, hammered away for £16,650.

A reproduction of the Range Rover from the James Bond film Octopussy had lots of interest, selling for £57,720.

Gary Dunne, Classic Car Auctions auction manager said, 'I think this auction only proved that modern classics are a popular choice and like the Japanese collection will be a great investment in the future.’

In total, the sale at CCA achieved more than £1.9 million with 60% of cars sold.