Classified of the week: classic racing special

Let’s face it: racing cars are just cooler than road cars. 

It could be because every other consideration – comfort, connectivity and civility – is summarily discarded in the pursuit of speed. It could also be because stripes, roundels and race numbers are awesome. 

And at Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Competition Car Sale, held on February 24, there are too many classic racers up for grabs for us to pick just one for our classified of the week slot. So we picked 11. Which one’s your favourite?

Photos: Silverstone Auctions

We kick off with a perfect blend of power and pedigree. This particular Camaro was prepped with a stonking 5.7-litre V8 and run by Bill Shaw Racing for the 1970 British Saloon Car Championship (a forerunner to BTCC), continuing to run until 1973.

In that time, it enjoyed one of the best battles in saloon car racing: a race-long, three-way battle at Crystal Palace in 1971. And, while it may not have won there, it did take victories at tracks like Thruxton and Silverstone. There's history, then.

Continuing in the the famous racer vein, here’s a real Formula 1 car that sat on the actual F1 grid alongside Bruce McLaren, Phil Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees and Graham Hill, with Mike Spence at its wheel.

Okay, so the underfunded Emeryson cars never really enjoyed the success of Lotus, Ferrari and BRM, but the basic chassis was good and the 1,500cc Coventry Climax flat four has always been a sweet little engine. Also, the lack of racing success helps to keep the price down for any prospective buyers. 

Oh, and did we mention it’s the last of its kind, and that buying it basically guarantees an invitation from Lord March to drive at Goodwood? Seems like a bargain now, doesn’t it?

If an ex-Formula 1 car is a little too rich for your blood, why not grab an open-wheeled racer for a tenth of the price?

Of course, you’ll have to do without pedigree and misty-eyed nostalgia for the glory days of racing. You’ll also have to say that your race car is powered by a Vauxhall engine. 

But it’s an open-wheeled racer, built by Reynard – who also built the car that carried Jacques Villeneuve to victory in the Indy 500 – and up for grabs for less than a new Focus. Take it to your next track day and pull up next to the Clios and MX-5s. The Vauxhall engine won’t matter much then...

Yes, we realise that this one is probably out of most people’s price range. This is likely because it’s a legitimate Group C car, complete with a Callaway-prepped Aston Martin V8 and a carbon-kevlar Lola chassis. 

Weighing about 900kg, the AMR1/05 is the lightest and fastest of Aston’s AMR1 Group C cars, and raced with a 740bhp, 6.3-litre V8.

It competed at Donington, Spa and Mexico, helping Aston to edge out Toyota in the Group C championship. It’s currently fitted with a 600bhp, 6.0-litre V8, which is likely still pretty brisk.

What you’re looking at here is not a classic racer of the period, but modern race car build, based on the 1978, three-litre Capri – the one with the Essex V6, in all its carburetted glory. 

It also won its debut season in the 2008 Masters Championship, most likely thanks to a full race prep by Alan Mann Racing, who were responsible for some of the greatest production racing Fords of the 20th Century, as driven by Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Frank Gardner. 

Yes, it’s quite a slab more than you’d pay for a regular Capri, but this turn-key racer is probably the fastest one you could lay your hands on. 

This car’s a bit unique, even among the thoroughly rarified 3.0 CSL family. 

It was adapted from the road-going car back into race spec. So yes, it’s the racing version of the road-going version of a race car. It’s also fitted with the larger 3.5-litre engine, apparently, which is the same engine that was run in the International Motor Sports Association (which is, confusingly, an American-only race series) in the mid-1970s. 

That means it’s good for 379bhp and 306lb ft. Not bad for the lightened CS body, and likely part of the reason it’s won its class at Monza, Silverstone and Spa. Also, it looks mega.

The Pajero Evo is probably one of the most underrated classic race cars of all time. Perhaps it’s because of the Mitsubishi badge, or because it’s an SUV. Or maybe it’s because Mitsu had to hastily rename it the ‘Shogun’ in Europe, due to how terribly ‘Pajero’ translates into Spanish. 

But the Pajero Evo is the real deal. It was built to win Dakar. And it definitely did.

Starting with a short-wheelbase Shogun, Mitsubishi replaced the live rear axle with fully independent multilinks, matching them with double wishbones in the front. Suspension travel was increased to a desert-bashing 240mm at the front and 270mm at the rear. Limited-slip diffs were installed at both axles, and the locking centre diff was combined with a high/low-range transfer case. The track was 125mm wider at the front and 110mm at the rear, filling out the always-attractive box flares. 

It used a complicated version of Mitsubishi’s V6, with variable valve timing and dual intake plenums, which was allegedly good for more than the 276bhp ‘gentleman’s agreement’ limit that was going on in Japan at the time. 

This particular one’s been to Dakar, and is still in race trim should you feel like returning…

Being a Group B rally car, it’s little wonder the story of this particular 6R4 begins with a crash. In 1998, the 6R4 was able to compete – albeit with a smaller, 2.5-litre version of its exceptionally powerful 3.0-litre V6 – in rally and rallycross events. 

A crash obliterated the shell of this 6R4, but the mechanicals were left surprisingly intact. So, by buying a replacement rolling chassis, the 6R4 was able to live, breathe and jump again. 

As unlikely a race star as the MG Metro may have been, perhaps a racing Honda Accord has the Leyland-built city car licked. 

This one was built for touring car legend David Leslie, who took it to fourth in the driver’s championship. It’s also had none other then Gabriele Tarquini take it to victory last year in the 2016 Super Touring round at Knockhill, so it’s definitely still on the pace – if you are.

Okay, yes, the ’Sud could very well be the rustiest of all the Alfas, but this particular example looks extraordinarily clean and ready to race. 

And let’s not forget that the Alfasud was one of the original hot hatches, with a low-mounted flat-four engine, inboard disc brakes and front-wheel drive – revolutionary stuff for 1971.

This 1980 version has the biggest engine available, a 1.7, but it’s been thoroughly race-prepped to produce 150bhp, channeled through a five-speed gearbox to a limited-slip differential. Not exactly earth-shattering, but more than enough to motivate the “significantly lightened” body. And, considering the standard ’Sud tipped the scales at about 850kg, that means a pretty healthy power-to-weight ratio. 

It’s a turn-key racing Alfa for 10 grand. What more do you need?

All right, this one’s not the most cerebral car in the entire world. 

But, if that’s your idea of fun, prepare to have it destroyed by a 5.4-litre, 500bhp V8 from TVR. Considering the Mark I Escort’s live rear axle setup, we’d assume it’s a fairly lively handler, but anyone who turns down a 500bhp, 800kg, rear-drive weapon probably needs to reassess their life goals.