The auction full of genuinely cheap classic cars

Hold the front page: we’ve found a classic car auction without a Peugeot 205 GTi listed as one of the lots. But don’t despair, because there’s plenty on offer at the forthcoming Anglia Car Auctions (ACA) sale, including some cars being auctioned without reserve. Here are some of the more reasonably priced lots.

Porsche Boxster: £4,250 – £6,000

We’ve seen this Ocean Jade Metallic Porsche Boxster 986 for sale on Car & Classic for the not-unreasonable price of £6,995, so the pre-auction estimate looks about right. You should probably put aside an additional £2,000 on top of the sale price for future maintenance. And yes, we know a 2.7 or 3.2 would be superior, but a £7k Boxster remains a tantalising prospect.

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Toyota Starlet GL: £1,700 – £2,000

The 70-series Starlet represented a significant change of direction, with the supermini going front-wheel drive for the first time. The old rear-wheel-drive Starlet sold well enough, but in the mid-80s it felt outmoded in a segment featuring the likes of the Metro, Fiesta and Micra. This 1985 Starlet looks like real peach, with an impeccable MOT history and just 46,000 miles on the clock.

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Volkswagen Golf GTI: £6,000 – £8,000

We’re not going to pretend that a Golf GTI with a pre-auction estimate of £6,000 to £8,000 is ‘cheap’, but given some of the crazy prices we saw in 2017, it seems reasonable if it’s as good as it looks. According to ACA, this 1981 example has been stored for many years, having been owned by the same keeper since 1992. It has also been subject to a full body restoration, refurbished alloys, and new tyres, carpets and parcel shelf.

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Audi TT: £1,500 – £1,800

Fans of Hugh Grant should form an orderly queue, as this Audi TT was driven by the star in the 2002 film About a Boy. Head to IMCDb if you want to see stills of the TT in action. If you’re more interested in reading about an Audi, it’s powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, and there are 131,475 miles on the clock. A modern classic with a sensible price tag.

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Austin Allegro: £1,500 – £1,800

“Allegro 2 can hold its own anywhere in Europe. The difference is, it’s British. Here’s to the difference.” Based on the ad copy from 1976, Theresa May should be tackling Brexit negotiations in an Austin Allegro. This 1978 example is finished in a very 70s colour and was subject to a complete mechanical overhaul by Edd China in 2014.

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Bentley Eight: £4,500 – £5,500

In his series of books, The Magic of a Name: The Rolls-Royce story, Peter Pugh said: “The Bentley Eight, launched in July 1984, was close to being a loss-leader. With precisely the same engineering as a Rolls-Royce, its price was £49,500, about £6,000 cheaper than any other car sold by the company.” It helped to attract new customers to the brand, and it’s now it’s your opportunity to bag a Bentley for less than the price of a Dacia Sandero Access.

Find a used Bentley Eight on Auto Trader

Lotus Elan SE Turbo: £5,000 – £6,000

Nearly three decades on from its launch, the M100 Lotus Elan continues to split opinion, with some declaring it one of the best front-wheel-drive sports cars of all-time, while others argue that ‘front-wheel drive’ and ‘sports car’ should never appear in the same sentence. Whatever, this strikes us as a cost-effective means of entry to the Lotus experience.

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Lada Niva: £3,500 – £4,500

In a month in which Mercedes-Benz has launched an all-new G-Class and Land Rover has unveiled a born-again Defender, allow ACA to deliver something a little more down to earth. The Niva was Lada’s first non-Fiat based model, but some Fiat-derived components were carried over. This is a Cossack version, positioned as a more upmarket take on the standard Niva. But don’t be fooled: this remains a basic, go-anywhere mud-plugger. And we want it.

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Skoda 136 Rapid Coupe: £3,750 – £4,500

We remember one magazine referring to the Skoda 136 Rapid as a kind of entry-level Porsche 911, and you can understand why. These things are a hoot to drive, with the rear-engine layout making for lively and entertaining handling. Standard performance is hardly what you’d call… rapid, but this one has been treated to a tuned engine.

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Volkswagen Golf GTI: £3,000 – £4,000

Another Golf GTI, but this time it’s a Mk2, with a pre-auction estimate that’s precisely half that of the Mk1. According to ACA, this 1991 example has been stored for the last four years and benefits from some new parts. Rather worryingly, the MOT history suggests that the car had covered 209,315 miles in 2012, but the odometer now reads 99,395. Something to check out.

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Volvo 144: £800 – £1,200

When Volvo launched the 144 in 1967, it was quick to point out that it featured “more safety features than any other car in the world”, including a pop-out safety windscreen, energy absorbing front and rear ends, a collapsing steering column, burst-proof door locks and a dual-circuit brake system. Not much is known about this 1971 example, but we know that it has been family-owned from new.

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Mini 1275GT: £3,500 – £4,500

Launched in 1969, the 1275GT was the hot version of the new Clubman range, featuring the same controversial restyled nose and a single-carburettor 1,275cc engine. This 1979 example has been owned by the same gentleman since 1980 and is in need of light restoration. Cool thing.

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BMW M3 Evolution: £7,000 – £9,000

We suspect this BMW M3 Evolution will be in high demand, not least because it has been owned by the same family since new and is offered with a warranted mileage of 89,600. The MOT history is encouraging, while the condition – based on the photos – looks okay, but those alloy wheels will require refurbishing.

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Ford Capri 2.8i: no reserve

This 1983 Ford Capri 2.8i is being offered with no reserve so it will be interesting to see the final price. Values of fast Fords have been on the up for a while, with six-cylinder Capris in particular demand. The two-tone paintwork is a classic 80s combo, but we’d lose those non-original alloys.

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Honda Prelude: no reserve

This could be one of the stars of the ACA sale. It’s a one owner Honda Prelude with just 22,210 miles on the clock, described as being entirely original with an interior in excellent condition. Bonus points for the pop-up headlights.

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Jaguar XJR-S: £9,000 – £12,000

This might miss the ‘genuinely cheap’ target by a country mile, but it’s dripping in provenance. The XJS was plucked from the Jaguar production line in 1988 and sent to the part-Tom Walkinshaw owned JaguarSport business, where it was transformed into the test-bed for the production XJR-S. This 6.0-litre V12 GT car offered supercar levels of performance, with a top speed of 160mph.

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL: no reserve

By the time this 300 SL rolled out of the factory, the R107 was nearing the end of a production run dating back to 1971. It comes with heated front seats and rear jump seats, with the latter being a rare factory option. The SL Shop offers an aftermarket alternative for £1,777.95, and the seat is said to be indistinguishable from the factory item.

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Rover 3500S: £3,750 – £4,750

In his book, Rover P6: 1963 to 1977, James Taylor described the 3500S as the “most charismatic of all the P6 range”, thanks largely to the manual gearbox. The Almond paint and Huntsman vinyl roof is a colour combo so evocative of the era, while the original owner splashed out on optional leather upholstery.

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BMW 535i SE: £3,750 – £4,500

Before the arrival of the M5, the 3.5-litre 535i was the range-topping E34 BMW 5 Series, and was, at the time at least, probably the best executive car in the world. Few cars could rival the 535i for all-round performance, ride and handling, while the level of engineering was first-rate. All of which makes this one-owner example look delightfully tempting.

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Ford Fiesta XR2: no reserve

It’s a fast Ford from the 1980s, so you can almost name your price. That said, a quick trawl through the completed listed on eBay reveals prices ranging from £3,000 to £6,000 for good quality Mk2 Fiesta XR2s. This 1989 example has covered 94,374 miles and has been subject to a full strip-down and respray.

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Mitsubishi GTO: £3,000 – £4,000

The Mitsubishi GTO was sold in the UK as the 3000GT, and, as the name suggests, power was provided by a 3.0-litre engine. This 1995 example was registered in the UK in 2005 and is said to be in a standard and unmodified condition.

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Rover Mini Cooper: £5,000 – £6,000

Arguably the best junior hot hatch without a hatchback, this Rover Mini Cooper has covered 51,900 miles since new in 1998. This is a late version of the classic Mini: three years later, BMW launched the new Mini.

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Fiat 850 Spider: £11,000 – £13,000

The majority of the oh-so-pretty Fiat 850 Spiders were sold in the US, where it was, at the time, the only 1.0-litre sports car on the market. We’re not going to pretend that the pre-auction estimate is cheap, but our justification for including it is that it’s around half the price of a new Fiat 124 Spider.

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Ford Cortina 1600: no reserve

We conclude with this 1969 Ford Cortina, which is fitted with a supercharged 1600E engine. There are around 200 entries on offer at the ACA sale, which takes place on Saturday 27 January 2018. You can view the lots a day earlier at the auction house in King’s Lynn.

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Read more:

• A Ferrari for every budget: prancing horses up for auction
• Ford Fiesta XR2 review: the hot hatch we’d choose over a 205 GTI
• Are these Britain’s best classic cars?