60 Porsches up for grabs in largest Porsche auction in history

26 August, 2015

An unbelievable 60 Porsches will go under the hammer at the world’s most exclusive Porsche auction on September 6, held by international auctioneers Coys during the famous Porsche Classics meeting at the grounds of the Hedingham Castle in Essex, United Kingdom.

With 2015 marking the 60th anniversary of the debut of Porsche’s 356 Carrera, auctioneers have lined up 60 of the finest and most rare examples of the Stuttgart manufacturer to go up for sale to form a suitable tribute. The vehicles range from well-loved tractors, through to the state-of-the-art Carrera GT supercar, with everything in-between — including a comprehensive list of pure pre-1974 cars.

Indeed, the 2006 Porsche Carrera GT present at the auction is predicted to be the most expensive car on sale. As a European Specification example, it stands as a truly exceptional variant of one of greatest supercars of all time. With only 6300 miles under its belt from new, it is estimated to sell for between £500,000–£550,000, or NZ$1.2–1.3 million.

The auction will feature a 1966 FIA Porsche 911 SWB, formerly campaigned by the late Roy Lane, which is estimated at £95,000–120,000, or NZ$230,000–290,000. Another highlight is set to be an original right-hand drive 1960 Porsche 356 B T5 1600 Super cabriolet, estimated to sell for between £140,000–160,000, or NZ$338,000–386,000. It’s not the only 356 convertible for sale either, with a 1959 Porsche 356 A Convertible D also available to the highest bidder, estimated to sell for between £130,000 to £160,000, or NZ$314,000–386,000.

Amongst the pre-1974 cars, Porsche connoisseurs will find a very special 1970 Porsche 911S factory car. It’s known as the The Vic Elford ‘Quick Vics’ 911S, having been owned and driven by Porsche-legend Vic Elford. Born in London, Vic was one of the fastest drivers of the sixties and seventies, eventually given the immortal nickname; Quick Vic. This car was assigned to him by Porsche KG Stuttgard as his daily company car. With remarkable documented history, it is one of the most exciting and interesting examples of its kind available on the market today.

Other important cars going under the hammer include a 1982 Porsche 911 3.0 SC ‘Rijkspolitie’ Dutch Police, a high-speed pursuit vehicle estimated at £80,000–100,000, or NZ$193,000–240,000. There’s also a 1994 Porsche 964 Speedster, one of only 14 right-hand drive cars produced, which is estimated to sell for between £160,000–180,000, or NZ$386,000–434,000. And there’s a curious 1956 Porsche 356 Carrera Coupe Grand Sport, which has spent 20 years of its life in the well-known Rene Mauries car collection.

The butterfly effect

18 June, 2026

The man on the mountain bike pedalled over, taking it all in. Gazing in wonderment at this small Japanese coupe with butterfly doors, he said, “Wow, I have never seen one of these before. What is it?” When I told him it was a Toyota, he nearly fell off his bike.
The Toyota Sera is unique amongst ’90s Japanese coupes. The Sera, which is Italian for ‘evening’, can trace its roots back to Toyota’s AXV-II concept car. Launched as part of a trio of Toyota concept cars at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show, it shared its underpinnings with the P70 Toyota Starlet. The similarities ended there, thanks to the AXV-II’s low-slung and rounded coupe styling with butterfly doors. These doors were held upright by gas struts when fully open. Glass covered the upper section of the doors and the rear hatchback.
These features, much to everyone’s surprise, were carried over to the production Sera in 1990. Toyota marketed the Sera, which means ‘will be’ in Spanish and ‘princess’ in Hebrew, as a funky alternative to the much-loved MR2.

12 June, 2026

Both Rod Millen and Ron Kendall were rotary racing kings, emanating from the North Shore of Auckland, where I grew up. And the ultimate rotary techno guru was Bill Shiells, who developed the engine into a rocket ship while working out of Gulf Mazda in Takapuna from 1969, and later in his own business, Rotorsport. He began to extract some phenomenal horsepower from the enigmatic rotary engine. Bill was one of the first to race the Mazda RX-2 Coupe in 1971 and achieved immediate success, causing others to sit up and take notice, particularly the North Shore’s racing elite. They included Robbie Francevic, Rod Millen, Ron Kendall, John Woolf, John Le Feuvre, and Rex Findlay.