Stuck at home? Check out this online auction of celebrity cars

Tuesday, 24 March 2020

Rowan Atkinson likes the Mercedes-Benz 500E so much he has owned four of them.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic everyone is doing things differently, which means even classic car auctions are changing and this Saturday, Classic Car Auctions (CCA) in the UK will be holding their first 'virtual sale' and they have a few special celebrity cars to kick things off with.

The first of which is yet another Mercedes-Benz 500 E owned by Rowan Atkinson.

'To have another of Rowan Atkinson CBE's cars is fabulous, he loves his 500 Es and again he has personally submitted this very fine example,' said Classic Car Auctions manager Gary Dunne.

Offered at no reserve, the 500 E is Atkinson's personal car and will be the fourth one he has sold, two of which were through CCA's sister company Silverstone Auctions and two through CCA.

Fully restored and looking magnificent, this 1976 Silver Shadow has even starred in a music video.

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Jay Kay learned to drive in this BMW, he even intended to restore it. Instead he is selling it. Sound familiar?

The 500 E is very much a wolf in sheep's clothing, with its 240kW 5.0L V8 capable of propelling it from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds. A pretty startling time for something that wasn't a supercar in 1993.

This particular car is left hand drive and was sold car was sold new in Japan, before arriving in the UK in late 2015 complete with a full book pack, Japanese history and up to date UK history. It has also benefited from the woodwork and seats being refurbished.

Mike Brewer's Camaro actually featured on 'Wheeler Dealers' as you can see in the video below.

The 500 E is finished in a rare Nautic Blue colour, with a leather interior, with Atkinson saying 'I've never seen another in blue. I have owned four different 500 Es over the years and this colour scheme is, to me, by far the most attractive.'

Also at the auction are two cars from noted car collector and Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay - a beautifully restored 1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and a slightly tatty 1972 BMW 1602.

The Rolls - featured in Jamiroquai's music video for the song 'Nights Out In The Jungle' above - was refurbished and stripped back to bare metal and repainted in Rolls-Royce Black Emerald Metallic in 2015.

Jay Kay bought the car from Salon Prive in 2017 and spent a further £5,000 (NZ$10,000) on detailing. With 42,000 miles on the clock, the Rolls is estimated to go for between £27,000 to £32,000 (NZ$54,200 to NZ$64,500).

The slightly tatty BMW is probably more interesting, however.

Bought by Jay Kay with 22,000 miles on the clock, it was his first car and he actually learned to drive in it. He then put 30,000 miles in it while touring and writing, and it is believed that a lot of his first album was 'created in this car.'

He then sold the car to a band member and ten years ago he bought it back, intending to restore it and garaged it at his home in anticipation of doing so. However, proving that famous musicians are just like normal people, it sat there as a 'one day' project that never happened, so is selling it to someone who can.

The final celebrity car at the auction is direct from TV personality and Wheeler Dealers presenter, Mike Brewer - an original 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS completely rebuilt and refurbished with some 'suitable upgrades.'

Brewer spent in excess of £40,000 (NZ$80,800) getting this car to the condition it is presented in and looks stunning in Le Mans Blue. The Camaro SS produces just over 410bhp (305kW) and is 'sensibly guided' at between £50,000 to £60,000 (NZ$101,000 to NZ$121,000) for what CCA say is 'probably one of the best examples available in the UK.'

'These are very tough times for everyone and we are delighted that these cars are being offered in our virtual sale,' said Classic Car Auctions manager Gary Dunne.

'The trust our vendors have placed in us as we have developed our sale over the last seven days is amazing.'

To be honest, a 'virtual sale' is really just a normal auction with the crowd removed and everyone viewing and bidding remotely, but it does reflect a level of trust in the auction house's descriptions and evaluation of the car.

To that end, Dunne said that CCA was 'producing video content on each Lot where possible of the interior, exterior and with the engine running' and that for this sale, the additional 1 per cent fee that is usually in place for online bidding will be waived.

If you are confined to your home this Saturday and want to check it out, then head to Classic Car Auctions website and click on the 'Bid Online' tab. Just don't let cabin fever make you do anything too impulsive - you will still have to get the cars you buy to New Zealand…