Now's Your Chance To Buy Two Legendary And Rapid Retro Specials

The late 1980s and early 1990s were a golden age of terrifyingly fast family cars – at least for the time – and some of them are today afforded genuine legend status. At one auction in a couple of weeks’ time, two all-time greats are up for grabs.

Silverstone Auctions is selling a 1991 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton and a 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 at its Silverstone Classic festival over 29-30 July. The sale, which, as you’d probably expect, is at Silverstone, will see the two highly rare cars go before bidders eager to add them to their collections. We’d rather someone actually drove them…

The Sierra is gloriously retro. Built to homologate various parts designed for circuit racing use, it’s number 387 of 500. It’s in as close to original condition as can be, the auctioneers say, presenting it in unrestored and excellent order, with all the mechanicals as they should be. It has 10,733 miles on the clock and apparently hasn’t moved much other than for maintenance for the last 26 years. If you want it, which of course you do, you’ll have to pay as much as £100,000 if the bidding goes as predicted.

The 377bhp Lotus Carlton has covered even less ground in its lifetime, with just 4500 miles on the odometer readout. This one is number 28 out of a scant 284 that were built for the UK. In immaculate condition, the 176mph twin-turbo super-saloon is finished in the correct Imperial Green and comes with a surprisingly low estimate of £60,000-£65,000. We wouldn’t be surprised to see that go higher.

You can find out more about either car or the other lots on sale at the same time by visiting the auction page.