A 1980s car described as having the highest running costs ever was one of the stars of BCA’s recent Classic & Historic sale, staged at BCA Blackbushe on Tuesday 2nd October 2007.

The 1985 Buckingham cost around £250,000 to build and had covered just 348 Miles in the past 22 years.  Commissioned by a wealthy enthusiast, it took eight skilled Aston Martin Lagonda craftsmen some two years to design and three years to construct.  The car used modern technology but with classically inspired coachwork design finished in two-tone Burgundy and Champagne.  The ‘gullwing’ rear doors led to an air-conditioned passenger cabin, finished in Champagne leather with rosewood trim and black leather.  The radiator badge, produced by Garrards, the royal jeweller, was in gold and black enamel.  A true one-off, the Buckingham sold for £28,000  – meaning it had cost over £630 per mile in depreciation alone!

The 1986 Porsche 930 ‘Flatnose’ was a UK supplied right-hand drive model featuring a particularly impressive specification.  Finished in Guards red, it was an original factory ‘flatnose’ 930 Turbo and has the G50 5-speed gearbox, full red leather seats, cup-type alloy wheels, stainless steel exhaust system, Sony radio/cassette head unit with Kenwood amplifier and 10-stack CD multi-changer.  Fitted with a new mohair hood and tonneau, this impressive sports car with phenomenal performance sold for £25,000.

The 1959 Jaguar XK150 Coupe was originally modified to the personal specification of John Appleton, a renowned pre-War driver at Brooklands and was used for continental trips in connection with his business.   Featuring an uprated 3.8-litre engine with an E-Type sump and a Weslake gas-flowed big-valve cylinder head this Jaguar could happily cruise at 130mph on the Autobahns.  This high performance XK was supplied with a wealth of information on Appleton, the car and the modifications carried out and it sold for £18,200.

Other delights sold on the day included the rare racing ‘Dunsmore Special’ from 1985 that sold for £13,475 and a well-preserved and largely original 1924 Morris T-Type 1-Ton Van that realised £8,250.   The bright yellow 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT was offered as a non-runner and made a remarkable £30,000, underlining the enduring appeal of the Dino as one of Ferrari’s prettiest designs.

BCA's next Classic & Historic sale is at the Blackbushe auction centre on Tuesday 27th November at 12.00 Noon.    Catalogue details and illustrations are displayed on the BCA site at www.classic-car-auction.co.uk.