Silverstone Auctions To Iconic Auctioneers
August 8, 2023
Silverstone Auctions is going through a very exciting change. From the 9th of August, Silverstone Auctions will be known as Iconic Auctioneers. The name Silverstone
silverstone auctions
Another World Record Set At Auction
June 6, 2023
On May 20th, Silverstone Auctions hosted their Supercar Fest Sale at Sywell Aerodrome, Northampton. Among all of the lots available was a very special car
The Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I Is Going To Auction
December 22, 2022
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price
Heading to Auction – The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 at Silverstone Auctions
April 14, 2022
The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 that is in with Bridge Classic Cars will be going under the hammer at this year’s Supercar Fest by Silverstone
Silverstone Auctions To Iconic Auctioneers
August 8, 2023
Silverstone Auctions is going through a very exciting change.
From the 9th of August, Silverstone Auctions will be known as Iconic Auctioneers. The name Silverstone Auctions was the ideal choice when the company first began, as all of its auctions were held at Silverstone Circuit. However, things have changed and now the auctions take place in various locations and events.
Iconic Auctioneers seems a fitting name and one that is better suited to describe the current evolution of the business. This change of branding is meant to highlight the unique and diverse range of auctions the business hosts, as well as the team’s innovative ideas and practices.
There are some other exciting changes coming alongside the new name such as no seller’s commissioner being charged on cars and motorcycles offered with no reserve, and private sales are also being added to the portfolio of services offered.
As you begin to see the branding change over the coming days, it’s safe to say that Silverstone Auctions has done a great job and is now moving into the future as Iconic Auctioneers.
Another World Record Set At Auction
June 6, 2023
On May 20th, Silverstone Auctions hosted their Supercar Fest Sale at Sywell Aerodrome, Northampton. Among all of the lots available was a very special car – a unique 2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12. As the winning bid was announced, a new world record for both any TVR model and also the highest price paid for a TVR by any UK bidder was set.
The Car
The 2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12 is a unique vehicle in that it is the only TVR-built road car of its kind. When it was announced that it would be going to auction, it generated a huge amount of interest from potential bidders all over the world.
As one of the rarest and most admired supercars of the last 25 years, the TVR Cebera Speed 12 was used as a model for ‘Gran Turismo’ – one of the most popular and best-selling computer game franchises.
During the auction, there were plenty of interested parties bidding for the chance to own this one-of-a-kind car. Bidders from Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, and America all tried to become the new owner but, in the end, it was a UK bidder who won with the astonishing bid of £601,500
Known as the TVR Project 7/12, the Cerbera Speed 12 was introduced at the 1996 Birmingham Motor Show. The number “7” referred to the 7.7 litre (actually 7.73 L) engine, and “12” for the number of cylinders in the engine. TVR claimed that the engine would have a power output of more than 800bhp and that it would be faster than the McLaren F1.
The record-breaking supercar was prepared by TVR engineers over two years and has been heavily featured in many motoring publications.
The History
The design for Project 7/12 was based on two Cerbera Speed 6 straight-sixes spliced together, utilising a steel block. This was further developed by TVR’s John Ravenscroft creating a 7.7-litre V12. It has been said that the powerful engine snapped the input shaft of the 1,000bhp-rated dynamometer so the engineers had to measure each bank of cylinders separately. When this happened, an output of 480bhp was measured on each side, suggesting a total output of 960bhp! However, TVR said that, when set up for road use, the total figure was 800bhp.
After a short-lived racing chapter, the Speed 12 was seemingly finished. That all changed in 1999 though when TVR decided that they would develop a new car to race in the GT2 class, but there was a lot of interest in a road version and, in 2000, the Cerbera Speed 12 was ready.
Despite the excitement and the huge interest (including paid deposits), the road car never moved into production. When TVR boss Peter Wheeler took one of the prototypes home, he said it was too powerful and too wild to ever be used on the road. It was at this point that production plans were scrapped, all deposits were returned, and all the remaining prototypes were broken up for spares to be used for the race cars. There was one exception to this though – the now record-breaking TVR Cerbera Speed 12 that sold at auction a few weeks ago.
Going Up For Sale
In August 2003, TVR advertised a Cerbera Speed 12 for sale. At this point in time though, a complete car didn’t exist so TVR started the process of creating a road-going Cerbera Speed 12. Three race engineers worked on the project for two years, using the best components from the race development program and the 7.7-litre ‘bucket-head’ V12 to make a road-legal supercar for the ages.
After new components such as the gearbox, transmission and brakes, and carbon-fibre/kevlar bodywork were added, the engine was remapped and the finished product was a car that weighed 1000kg and produced 850bhp, and over 900lb/ft of torque.
A Record-Setting Auction
£7.5 million worth of bids were successful at Silverstone Auctions Supercar Fest Sale. In addition to the impressive TVR Cebera Speed 12, a 1996 Ford Escort Cosworth Lux 2.0 sold for £163,125. This set a new world record for a standard production car sold at auction.
Another exciting sale was the last regular production Jaguar E-Type to leave Browns Lane Production Line – a 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster which sold for £180,000.
Auctions like this tend to be full of very exciting cars and the new owners are no doubt extremely happy with the new additions to their garage.
The Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I Is Going To Auction
December 22, 2022
Late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I, originally delivered to Her Majesty at the Balmoral estate, is going to auction with a guide price of £100 000 – £150 000.
It has recently been restored to an extremely high standard, with King Charles III rumoured to have helped fund the restoration after recognising the vehicle a few years ago.
Queen Elizabeth II received the Land Rover at Balmoral in 1953. It was later purchased by its former owner in 1966 who ended up storing it for a number of years. During its time in storage, its condition deteriorated until a complete restoration was needed.
Now fully restored, the Land Rover is in exceptional condition. It still features its production chassis number despite being considered a ‘pre-production build’ that was made specifically for the Royal Family. The original features of this very special vehicle include some unique options that you won’t find on any other similar model, including twin rear doors.
Sales Director of Silverstone Auctions, (who will be auctioning the Land Rover), Rob Hubbard said that
“It’s not often that a vehicle with such impressive Royal provenance like this is offered publicly for sale. Its special features and Royal connections make it exceptionally interesting. This Land Rover would doubtless have been used extensively on the Balmoral estate where we know the Royals loved to picnic. It would have been a familiar and much-loved part of Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s private lives.”
If its Royal connections weren’t enough, the 1953 Land Rover Series I has also featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and led the Land Rover parade during the jubilee celebrations earlier this year. As the jubilee celebrations were watched by billions, Silverstone Auctions believes that this is “probably one of the most photographed Land Rovers in the world”
The Auction – Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I
The auction for the late Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Land Rover Series I will be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on the 24th – 26th of February.
Although the guide price is £100 000 to £150 000, this special vehicle will likely sell for much more than this. The last vehicle with royal connections sold by Silverstone Auctions was Princess Diana’s Ford Escort RS Turbo which sold for the world record price of £650 000 in August.
Heading to Auction – The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 at Silverstone Auctions
April 14, 2022
The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 that is in with Bridge Classic Cars will be going under the hammer at this year’s Supercar Fest by Silverstone Auctions on the 28th of May.
Our 1995 Dodge Viper will be heading to the world-renowned auctioneers Silverstone Auctions, who popped over to our secure storage facility, The Hangar, to shoot some photos and spend some time with the iconic 1990s Supercar while hanging out with our director, Craig.
To have a look or register your interest in this rare and unique opportunity to own one of the most legendary super/muscle cars of all time, check out the Silverstone Auctions page here.
And, we’ve also been sent over some amazing behind the scenes photos from the guys over at the Silverstone Auctions! Take a look:
And check out the video they shot while spending time with our V10 Viper!
