Past and present Rolls-Royce classics sold at Manheim

A modern day wonder of automotive engineering stood shoulder to shoulder with its timeless and elegant counterpart from 28 years ago at Manheim Auctions’ latest Prestige Sale. The two generations of Rolls-Royce were offered at the first Prestige Sale of 2009 held at Manheim Auctions, Colchester. At nearly 20 feet long, the extraordinary 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom dwarfed its modest older relation, a 1980 Silver Shadow which, at nearly three feet shorter, still oozed its original opulence. The difference in price though was even more massive, with the 22,000 mile Phantom cruising to a cool £180,000 under the hammer, against the Silver Shadow which, having covered only 44,000 miles, offered amazing value at only £6,200.

Buyers and those who attended just to watch the spectacle were treated to a fabulous array of cars on offer including a McLaren SLR, two Lamborghini Gallardos, three Bentleys, four Porsches, six Aston Martins and seven Ferraris. In all, 34 prestige cars were sold on the day worth nearly £1.5 million. A particularly notable entry was the first MG XPower SV offered by Manheim, a 2007 model with 11,200 miles, which sold for £20,000.

Chris Cush, General Manager of Manheim Auctions, Colchester said: “The atmosphere at these Prestige Sales is always incredibly exciting. In the current economic climate it would be reasonable to expect a downturn in the luxury and prestige end of the market. However with over 300 buyers in attendance and a further 147 buyers logged on through our live online bidding channel Simulcast, demand clearly remains very strong.”

Further Prestige Sales this year at Colchester will be on 14th April, 9th June, 11th August, 13th October and 8th December.