Auction World Record 2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12 - the only TVR-built road car of its kind - £601,500

This unique 2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12 is the only TVR-built road car of its kind and it shot to fame when it was used as a model for the ‘Gran Turismo Computer Game’. One of the rarest and most revered supercars of the last 25 years, news of its sale by Silverstone Auctions caused massive interest around the world with huge press interest.
At the sale on Saturday May 20th this buzz translated into some frenzied bidding from would-be buyers as far afield at Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, USA and the UK. In the end it was a British bidder who secured this one-off Supercar. The car made an auction world record for any TVR model and also the highest price paid for a TVR by any UK bidder. Bidding at the £7.5m sale was split between 54% in the room, 23% on the phone and 23% online.
Rob Hubbard, Head of Sales at Silverstone Auctions, commented: “When you put together a collection of the quality we offered in this sale you hope for some magic, but the outstanding results achieved plus two new world records is deeply pleasing.”
This Cerbera Speed 12, is a defining example of its kind, providing a rare opportunity to own an exceptional and unique motor car, fully sanctioned by the marque and coming from diligent enthusiast-ownership.
The vehicle, known as the TVR Project 7/12, first appeared at the 1996 Birmingham Motor Show and dominated the show once it was unveiled, attracting more crowds than any other car in the 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 800 hp (597 kW) and be faster than the McLaren F1.
Fully prepared by TVR engineers over two years, this road-going GT1 car is uniquely fitted with the correct race-bred 7.7-litre, 840bhp V12 engine and the final evolution of the race car carbon-fibre bodywork. Originally offered for sale directly by TVR’s Peter Wheeler, this car has been widely featured in the motoring press. Many pundits described it as a truly wild and dangerous drive, not for the faint of heart.

Perhaps the lowest mileage example of Ford's 'other Cosworths' to be offered this century, this exemplary car made a world record for a standard production car sold at auction. Silverstone Auctions are renowned worldwide for the very best Fast Fords to be offered at auction, holding the top 11 records for Ford Escort Cosworth’s based on Hammer Price. This particular Escort could only be described as an unrepeatable car in terms of its originality and 'as new' condition.
The Escort Cosworth was a 'Group A' rally car for the road - pure and simple. It was actually underpinned by a shortened version of the Sierra Cosworth RS Cosworth's platform and powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged, longitudinally-mounted, Cosworth-developed engine driving all four wheels.
The car was designed and engineered in Boreham, styled by noted designer Stephen Harper, and ended up being assembled by Karmann in Germany. At the car's launch in 1994, two models were available, the Club-spec standard car and the 'Lux' version, which included electric windows, heated screen, sunroof, and Recaro seats. Power was up slightly from the Sierra RS Cosworth, at 227bhp, and performance consequently improved. The first 2,500 cars up to May 1994 suffered from slight turbo-lag, but the next 4,500 were improved, thanks to their smaller Garrett T25 Turbo. In 1995, the RS Cosworth was treated to a mild facelift, receiving a new honeycomb grille, restyled bumpers, a more attractive fascia, and revised alloy wheels. Manufacture continued until early 1996 when emissions regulations forced it out of production. Like pretty much every RS Ford, it was a classic from the moment it arrived on the market.
The car was one of the very last Escort Cosworth Lux’s produced, and astonishingly had been enjoyed by just two keepers from new. The first owner kept the car of his dreams for 13 years and our collector vendor acquired it 14 years ago. When he set out to find the best example available, he found this one.
Amazingly, the car has never had the front number plates attached and consequently, the front bumper is exactly as it was some 27-years ago and doesn't even have the Ford lug-holes drilled. Naturally, it would be incorrect to describe anything that's nearly thirty years old as 'new' or 'almost new' but this remarkable little Cossie is about as close as you are likely to get.

A decade after the Jaguar E-Type arrived, in 1974, Jaguar decided to end E-Type production in style with a final run of 50 black Roadsters, known as the ‘E-Type Commemorative’, each featuring a plaque bearing a facsimile of Sir William Lyons’ signature and the very last of these, chassis #2872, went straight to Jaguar’s Museum, where it remains today. The car sold this weekend was a 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster chassis #2822 - the last regular-production E-Type to leave the Browns Lane production line (excluding the commemorative run). This matching-numbers car is one of the finest examples of its type available anywhere in the world.

This year’s Supercar Fest Auction also incorporated a sale of Ferraris in association with the Ferrari Owners’ Club GB. Fifteen stunning examples went under the hammer with the sale of this 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS being the highlight. With just two owners from new (the last for 47 years) and just over 49,000 miles its no wonder it was snapped up.
Other highlights include the 2010 Subaru Impreza Cosworth CS400 WRX STI £38,250, which set a new UK record. The 1995 Ford Escort RS Cosworth which was estimated at £40-50,000 but sold for £67,500 and the 2001 BMW M5 which saw some fast and furious bidding, ending up doubling its estimate at £47,250.