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Silverstone Auctions

25 February 2023

Just when you thought Fast Fords can't go up any further and then you get an astonishing price record for a 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 which has just 5,192 miles on the clock. The car has been incredibly well preserved even to the extent of using new old stock service parts to ensure originality in every respect. The car came to auction this weekend with an estimate of £150,000 to £180,000, but went on to achieve a record £596,250, a number which surely will never be beaten for a RS500. Fast Ford fever was clearly in the room as a 1990 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4 with 10,730 warranted miles made another record £109,125. Other cars of note in this sale include a 1986 Ford RS200 S which made £315,000. A 2001 BMW Z3M Coupé (S54) with the S54 spec engine was also in record territory making £47,250. A 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi which is number 100 of a production run of 400 made £140,625. Any BMW with an extra M in the model name will command a premium and the 2003 BMW (E46) M3 CSL (Manual) in this sale was no exception. One of only 422 UK-supplied BMW CSLs, and one of only 12 converted to a manual gearbox, this one went for a huge £78,750 which is surely another record. The sale also included a number of Lotus Elan from the Piddington Collection of which several have had famous owners. The standout car was a 1966 Elan S3 Drophead Coupé 'Emma Peel - The Avengers'. The Television Company gave this car to Diana Rigg who played Emma Peel and that connection helped to propel it to a record £164,250. There was also a S3 - Ex-Peter Sellers car which according to Silverstone he used to ferry Britt Ekland around in. This one made £74,250. This was clearly a very successful sale for Silverstone and despite the difficult economic backdrop, the right cars with the right provenance are still making big money!