Silverstone

In front of a crowd of hundreds of classic car fans, international bidders online and on the phones, Silverstone Auctions broke several world records and achieved its best ever result at the event, in its two-day sale at the Classic Motor Show this weekend. Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham, 80 percent of the vehicles on offer were successfully sold, for a total sales value of £5.8million.

After a brief summer break and a trip to Angelsey for the Morgan Challenge, it was back to Silverstone for the third time in the 2016 season. This visit would see the 35 car grid compete on the National Circuit as part of the Bentley Drivers Meeting. A highlight of the calendar, the Bentley Drivers Club meet is always well attended from both the Bentley and Morgan communities, and demonstrates some of the most prestigious Bentleys throughout the history of their company. For many years the Morgan Challenge has featured as part of the BDC meeting, and for 2016 the weather had been ordered, with beautiful sunshine engulfing the home of British motorsport. As the cars assembled for qualifying it was a welcomed return to the challenge series for accomplished drivers Olly Bryant and Will Plant in their Plus 8s. […]

Highlights of this year’s record-breaking, all-action Silverstone Classic will be screened to terrestrial television audiences in the UK later this week. A special one-hour programme will be aired on ITV4 at the peak viewing time of nine o’clock (21.00hrs) on the evening of Thursday 11 August, with repeats broadcast at 10am on the morning of Sunday 14 August and, again at five o’clock (17.00hrs) on the afternoon of the following Tuesday 16 August. With so much to see and do over the full three days at the world’s busiest motor sport meeting, there is far too much action, excitement and entertainment to squeeze into one hour-long show. Even so, it is a show that no lovers of classic cars or fans of historic motor sport will want to miss regardless of whether they were among the 100,000 visitors attending this […]

For the first time in more than 30 years, three giant-killing MG Metro Turbos will take to the track at the Silverstone Classic later this month (29-31 July). Adding to the sense of history, the evocative, three-pronged attack is being masterminded by touring car hero Patrick Watts, who himself will race one of the trio of pocket rockets in the Historic Touring Car Challenge at the Classic on Tin Top Sunday. The ever-effervescent Watts, now 59, has a special relationship with these cars having been an integral part of the ARG (Austin Rover Group) factory team back in the early eighties. Such is his indefatigable passion that he has spent the past few years tracking down and restoring three of the five esteemed racers originally built in period.

The #58 650S GT3 of customer team Garage 59 finished P6 in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone to maintain Factory Driver Rob Bell’s Blancpain GT Series title hopes with six rounds remaining. There was further success for the 650S GT3 in Italy as customer team FFF Racing Team by ACM finished P2 in the inaugural round of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup at Imola. Bell and fellow Factory Drivers Côme Ledogar and Shane Van Gisbergen started the three-hour race at Silverstone P12 after an extremely tight Qualifying session earlier in the day, before fighting through the field during the race to set up a close battle to the finish. Bell started in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 650S GT3 and in a similar fashion to his performance at Monza made up a lot of […]

An early Aston Martin DBS, which has been sleeping in a barn since 1986, is set to be offered for sale at Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale, at the Silverstone race circuit, on Friday 20th May. This right-hand drive DBS is the definition of a true barn find. Despite three decades collecting dust, it still exudes Aston Martin’s iconic presence and style. Delivered new to its first owner in Surrey on 5th November 1968, it was finished in mink bronze with a red Connolly leather interior, and the specification included a Motorola Radio, Borg Warner automatic gearbox, power assisted steering, fog and spot lamps, and air conditioning.

British Motor Heritage (BMH) has been a strong supporter of MGLIVE! and this year’s meeting at Silverstone on June 4/5 will mark its most comprehensive presence at ‘the world’s largest MG event’ to date. The company’s stand will feature a range of vehicles built from BMH replacement body shells and a large sample of other parts for classic MGs. Complementing this quality hardware will be a major selection of motoring products available via the company’s ever-growing online brand, Motoring Classics. They will include: MG-branded leather cases, travel bags, driving gloves and key rings MG-branded leisurewear by Auto Club Racing Moto-Lita steering wheels EBC brakes Tex original equipment wash/wipe and mirror products Other items by such respected brands as: Samco Revotec Zircotec Visitors to the stand are assured of a warm welcome, where BMH’s comprehensive and illustrated 2016 parts catalogue, the […]

The organisers of the  Silverstone Classic (29-31 July) are delighted to announce eBay, the global online marketplace, will be joining the event, for the first time, as the official parts and accessories partner. Demonstrating that eBay is the premier destination for car parts, show-goers will be able to follow the live restoration of a 1982 classic Range Rover over the three-day event. Hosted by eBay, RESTORATION LIVE with Fergus Walkinshaw is sure to be a hugely popular attraction for the tens of thousands of show-goers, many of whom will be travelling to Silverstone in their own lovingly restored classics.

Aston Martin Racing has taken a double podium finish at this weekend’s 6 Hours of Silverstone, as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) gets underway. The #95 GTE Pro trio of Darren Turner (GB), Marco Sørensen (DN) and Nicki Thiim (DN) enjoyed a positive afternoon at the British round of the WEC. With each driver double stinting, the #95 entry enjoyed trouble free running to achieve a strong haul of points at this early stage in the championship. Turner commented, “That was a huge change from yesterday and after starting the race in the #95 I had a good two hours in the car. The car ran perfectly and I’m both happy and encouraged by the performance of our new Dunlop tyres. With the strategy working in our favour and Nicki, Marco and I all avoiding trouble on the track, […]

This summer’s Silverstone Classic will build on the record breaking success of the 2015 special Silver Jubilee extravaganza which attracted more than 100,000 visitors for the first time in the stand-out event’s 25-year history. The ever-growing appeal of the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, staged at Britain’s premier motorsport venue, powers a virtuous circle which will see even better visitor attractions and facilities in 2016.

Just one week after a number of new record prices were achieved, Silverstone Auctions secured more high prices in its sale at the Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show on Sunday. 75 per cent of the cars on offer were successfully hammered away at the NEC, Birmingham in front of hundreds of classic car fans at the show for a total sales figure of £1.5million. In the home city of Land Rover, record prices were secured for two very special Series One examples. One of the earliest Land Rovers produced, a 1948 Series One Chassis #149, sold for £47,250, more than £20,000 over its lower estimate, and the highest price for a Series One in recent years. Not only that but one of the last Defenders produced, a 2016 Land Rover 110 Heritage Edition, one of only 400 made […]

With more than 1,000 of the world’s finest historic competition cars racing on the famous Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, no fewer than 10,000 iconic cars from yesteryear on display in the infield paddocks and in excess of 100,000 visitors lapping up the magical nostalgic atmosphere, the annual Silverstone Classic is firmly established as the ultimate celebration of classic cars. In 2016, for the first time, the hugely popular three-day festival is offering an exciting new opportunity for an organisation to share in the success as the glittering event’s official charity partner.

Land Rover Ambassador and polar explorer, Ben Saunders, swapped his snowshoes for winter tyres to put the Range Rover Sport SVR through its paces at a unique yet familiar test track near the Arctic Circle. A new film released by Land Rover charts the world famous adventurer’s journey from ice driving novice to experienced veteran in Arjeplog, Sweden, on a full-scale replica of the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit carved in the snow on Lake Udjaur.

Legendary racing driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace relived his 1988 victory by taking to the Silverstone circuit to drive the Jaguar XJR9-LM during day and night back-to-back with the new 550PS, 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR. Wallace discusses his experiences in the XJR9-LM and the new XJR in an exciting new film. Driving at night on the Silverstone circuit gave Wallace the opportunity to test the new LED headlights on the new XJ, which are a first for Jaguar.  “Driving at Le Mans back in 1988, it was so hard to see at night,” said Wallace. “We were travelling at around 240mph and it was too fast to see the road ahead. We used the lights more to catch glimpses of landmarks as they whizzed past, so we knew where we were.

94 amazing classic cars spanning 83 years, as well as a host of automobilia and luxury lifestyle items, will be offered this weekend at Silverstone Auctions’ sale at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. One of the biggest classic car auctions in the calendar, the two-day sale takes place on the 14th and 15th of November at the NEC, Birmingham. The highlight of the sale has to be a fabulous ‘on the button’ low mileage 1991 Jaguar XJ220, estimated at between £300,000 and £350,000. Chassis no. 220693 was hand built by TWR Jaguar in Oxford in 1991 before being exported to Brunei by special order of the Royal Family. The car remained as part of the world renowned, royal car collection until September 2002 when it returned to the UK.

Following a highly successful year in 2015, which saw brand new sales and record-breaking prices achieved for cars, Silverstone Auctions has released details of its upcoming sales for 2016. Kicking off the auction calendar will be the Race Retro sale, the fifth sale of its kind that the auction house has held there. The two-day sale will take place on 27-28 February and will feature a collection of classic road cars, historic racing cars, motorcycles as well as automobilia and lifestyle items. The specialist auction house will return to the Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show on 6 March. The sale will offer buyers the chance to acquire some of the most exceptional restoration projects as well as intriguing barn-finds. Returning to its spiritual home at The Wing, Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone Auctions will hold its popular stand-alone May Sale […]

A rare early Range Rover convertible conversion is due to be sold at Silverstone Auctions’ last auction of the year, The NEC Classic Motor Show Sale, on 14-15 November 2015. Starting life as a 1973 Range Rover ‘Suffix B’, the car was converted in the late Eighties by Special Vehicle Conversions, who specialise in bespoke convertible conversions for Range Rovers of the period. The rare right-hand drive convertible has covered just 62,500 miles from new and having recently been restored to its original Special Vehicle Conversions specification, it will be sold at The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show auction with an estimate of £35,000 – £40,000. The car was apparently won by the previous owner in a card game in the Nineties, who then stored it in a lock-up as he didn’t have space in his garages. The vendor heard […]

The 2015 season of Caterham’s five official race series reached their conclusion in a gripping finale at Silverstone on 17-18 October, with four championships going down to the wire and six champions being crowned in total. The GQ Caterham Academy, Caterham’s introductory race series designed exclusively for rookie racing divers, saw two full grids compete for the title. The season saw the competitors gaining their race licence at the start of the season and then progress from sprint events to circuit racing. In the Green group, Rui Ferreira had already sealed the title prior to the final weekend with three wins throughout the season. Andy Perry secured the championship in the White group with a second place finish at Silverstone proving enough to secure the title. The next step up the Caterham Motorsport ladder, the Roadsport class, saw 2014 Caterham […]