Iconic Auctioneers Race Retro 2026 sale proved to be broadly successful, despite inclement weather over the weekend of February 20-22. Split between competition cars and road cars, plus automobilia and motorcycles, over several days, the lot lists were certainly varied.
The collector car sale saw 150 models up for grabs, with a 93 per cent sell-through rate. The vehicles that sold were largely within estimate or 10-15 percent either way – there were no dramatic below-estimate results to report; the cars were sensibly and realistically guided for the most part. Top result was the above 1984 DeTomaso Pantera GT5. One of 12 right-hand-drive GT5 models built, and extensively restored, it sold for £180k (est £150k-£180k).
The separate competition car sale saw 63 lots up for grabs and 38 sold, with one withdrawal, leading to a 60 percent sell-through rate. The top result was the above 1987 Renault 5 Turbo Superproduction, which blasted through its £200k-£250k estimate to land on £331,875.
It was a sale that saw most of the action in the sub-£100k bracket, with only an ex-Jo Siffert/Arthur Blank 1970 Chevron Cosworth B16 and a 1987 DAM 4100 Metro 6R4 selling for £100k-plus: the Chevron for £129,375 (£140k-£180k est) and the 6R4 for £103,500 (£100k-£120k est). The remaining eight £100k-plus cars failed to sell, including an ex-Rob Walker 1954 Connaught Type B, an ex-John Price Renault 5 Maxi Turbo and a Le Mans Classic-winning Ford Capri RS2600.
However, there were several interesting subplots – here are a few highlights. What did you have your eye on at Iconic Auctioneers Race Retro 2026 sale?
The Race Retro 2026 sale got off to an encouraging start with the above 2001 Ferrari 360 Spyder. This manual example had been barn stored for five years, with the most recent MoT running out in 2021. It had covered 28,086 miles and presented well, but needed reviving carefully. Estimated at £30k to £40k, it smashed through that to land on £58,500.
The other barn find in the sale performed as expected – and it was in a significantly worse state of repair: a 1969 Jensen FF sold for £30,375 (£30k-£35k est).
It seems like only a few years ago that a Lancia Delta Evolution II Final Edition like the above could hit £200k-plus at auction. BringATrailer scooped $257k (£206k) in 2023, and it’s been reported that private sales have seen figures of around £250k. That seems a long time ago now – since then prices have dropped back significantly; at Monterey last year Broad Arrow sold one for $204k (£155k).
Despite interest growing in Integrales again – we’ve previously reported estimate-busting results in Japan and Paris this year – this 24,859km, dry-stored but running Finale Edition only just clambered into its £135k-£155k estimate, selling for £138,133. Is rational thinking entering the Integrale realm? Looking at other special-edition versions of the model for sale across Europe and the UK, such as the Martini 5 and 6, plus others, several have steadfastly refused to move on over the past 12 months – although one £200k-plus Martini 6 did sell via a dealer in the UK, but that had Gianni Agnelli providence. It will be interesting to see how the year plays out for the special-edition Integrales compared to the ‘normal’ ones.
Iconic Auctioneers has long tapped into the British fervour for the Blue Oval, and Race Retro 2026 offered some big-money moves after a chilling feeling at last year’s NEC Classic Motor Show sale. The highlight had to be the above 1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth – where Gooding Christie’s faltered in Paris, this car had all the right elements to burst its estimate. It was formerly owned by the late Richard Parry-Jones, the head of Ford of Europe R&D and the godfather of the Focus. Because he was away working for much of its ownership, it saw little use, and when sold in 2006 it was kept in long-term storage. As a result, it had covered 3091 miles. Estimated at £100k-£120k at Race Retro 2026, it hit £132,750 – but we’d caution against a whaletail goldrush for ‘small turbo’ Escort Cosworths – this had a mixture of provenance and history that will be difficult to match.
Proof of that was with another Escort Cosworth – a lightweight, non-luxury version, and also a small-turbo car, it stayed resolutely within its £50k-£60k estimate at £50,625. Other Cosworths performed similarly: a 1989 Sapphire Cosworth sold for £33,750 (£32k-£42k), a RouseSport 304-R sold for £32,062 (£30k-£35k) and a LHD 1986 Sierra RS Cosworth sold for £49,416 (£50k-£60k). The Cosworth cult is still strong – all of them sold – but aside from the Parry-Jones Escort there wasn’t quite the bidding frenzy of previous years.
Keeping to the four-pot four-wheel-drive theme, the Race Retro 2026 sale saw another Subaru Impreza 22B offered. This one had spent 14 years in professional storage, covering 16 miles in that time. It had been subject to comprehensive refreshment and was on the button; estimated at £120k-£150k, it sold for £187,875, which we believe is a record for a non-McRae-owned 22B, certainly in the UK.
The Race Retro 2026 sale saw ten cars from The Bunbury Collection, and the majority outdid their pre-sale estimates. The above Bristol 401 sold for £31,500 against a £20k-£25k estimate, while a 2020 BMW M2 CS went for £88,875 (£60k-£70k est). Elsewhere, a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda sold for £72k (£50k-£60k est), a 1985 Audi Sport Quattro SWB Replica reached £112,500 (£70k-£90k est), a Porsche 996 Carrera 2 40th Anniversary sold for £31,500 (£25k-£30k) and 1975 Lamborghini Espada S3 failed to sell.
While, in the UK at least, later Range Rovers have been taking the headlines recently (a barn-find 756-mile 1994 LSE sold for £119,880 against a £30k-£50k estimate at Anglia Car Auctions earlier this year), the formerly favoured early examples had seen a softening in interest. Well, that was until Race Retro 2026… This 1972 example was estimated at £35k-£40k and had come from 24 years of ownership, and it had been extensively restored in 2021. It ended up breaching top estimate and selling for £52,875.
Although the majority of cars that sold below estimate were largely within 10-15 per cent, one or two dipped below that (based on published results – a few are marked as sold at undisclosed sum). One of the largest shortfalls -–and still hardly horrific – was the above 1989 BMW 635 CSi. One of 181 UK RHD ‘Motorsport’ special editions, it benefitted from the full Highline leather package and had been well looked after over its 56,670 miles. It even came with recently acquired Michelin TRX tyres, and was estimated at £45k-£50k. It came up short at £39,938. With another E24 being one of the aforementioned ‘undisclosed sum’ cars, there appears to be a softening of interest in the model’s 50th year. It will be interesting to see if prices rally as the E24 is marked at events across the year.
Notable no-sales at Race Retro 2026 included a 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Editiom (£40k-£50k est), a 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 M-Spec (£120k-£150k est), an ex-Brunei Royal Family 1990 Porsche 928 S4 on 6549 miles (£40k-£45k est) and a 1966 Shelby Mustang Hertz (£140k-£160k est).
One of the bigger head-scratchers came with the above Mercedes-Benz R107 – a 280 SL that looked every inch worth its £25k-£30k estimate; strong money for the baby engine of the range, but then, it had covered less than 30k miles. It also had quite a story behind it – bought as a surprise 40th birthday present for the vendor’s wife, it had remained in the same family ownership since 1985, passing from husband to wife’s name in 1990. It ended up selling for £41,063.
Further love for the Blue Oval persisted at Race Retro 2026. Older European fast Fords had also suffered at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November, but the picture here was more nuanced – an ex-Jack Sears Capri 3000E failed to sell, while a 1975 Escort RS2000 Mk1 sold for a mid-estimate £50,625 and a 1979 Capri 3.0 S MkIII popped its upper estimate to land on £28,687 (£20k-£25k est). However, the star performer was the above 1980 Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 X-Pack. Fully restored and featuring a host of new old stock parts, it was estimated at £60k-£70k and sold for £86,062.
While the majority of the auction was aimed towards modern classics, there were a few highlights from older eras. The above 1957 Bentley S1, one of three with such bodywork from James Young, had been restored at a cost of £47k. Estimated at £35k to £40k, it eventually sold for £57,375. It was a good result for a 1960 Jaguar XK150 SE – estimated at £42k-£50k, that sold for £67,500.
Further details
For more information on Iconic Auctioneers Race Retro 2026 collector car sale, head here. For more information on the competition car sale, head here.
