Anthony Hamilton’s cars – including a special jaguar – just sold for £2.9m, here’s why
Anthony Hamilton’s classic car collection sold for almost £2.9 million at Silverstone, led by a record-breaking Jaguar XJ220. Here’s what the results tell us about today’s classic car market.
Lewis Hamilton’s father has waved goodbye to a sizeable slice of his private garage, and I have to say, I wasn’t expecting it to make quite this much. Twenty-seven classic cars sold for almost £2.9 million at Silverstone, with the headline act, a Jaguar XJ220, crossing the block for more than half a million pounds. Several other rare British machines comfortably cleared six figures too. If you had any doubt that collectors still have an appetite for exceptional classics, this sale should put it to bed.
Anthony Hamilton has long been known for his love of iconic British performance cars, and the collection reflected exactly that. Jaguars dominated the catalogue, joined by a handful of rare Mercedes-Benz models and some beautifully crafted David Brown Automotive creations. Celebrity ownership may have brought the crowds in, but for me the cars did most of the talking.
Jaguar XJ220 steals the show
There was never much doubt in my mind about which car would top the sale. Anthony Hamilton’s Jaguar XJ220 changed hands for £506,250, setting a new UK auction record for the model.
One of just 69 right-hand-drive UK-supplied examples, the supercar had covered only 3,277 miles from new and was finished in Silverstone Green Metallic over a light tan leather interior. It had spent almost 25 years with its previous owner before joining Hamilton’s collection, and a comprehensive service history, including maintenance by Jaguar Classic, only added to its appeal. It’s exactly the sort of provenance I’d want to see if I were bidding myself, and clearly the room agreed.
Six-figure classics across the board
The XJ220 may have grabbed the headlines, but it certainly wasn’t carrying the auction on its own, and that’s the more interesting story to me. Five more cars from the collection sailed past the £100,000 mark, which tells you buyers weren’t simply chasing celebrity ownership.
Leading the pack was a 2007 Jaguar XKSS recreation, one of Jaguar’s factory-built continuations of the legendary 1957 original, which sold for £400,000. Two Jaguar C-Type recreations followed close behind at £192,000 and £190,000 respectively, while a beautifully restored 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series I 4.2 Roadster achieved £119,250.
A restored 1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL rounded off the six-figure club at £104,625, while a 2016 David Brown Automotive Speedback GT with just 354 miles from new changed hands for £202,500. Not bad for a car most people still haven’t heard of.
Even the Mini made history
Perhaps the biggest surprise, to me at least, came from one of the smallest cars in the collection. Anthony Hamilton’s 1997 David Brown Mini Remastered sold for £92,250, setting a new world auction record for the model.
It isn’t often a reimagined classic Mini shares the spotlight with an XJ220, but it speaks to a growing appetite for high-end restomods. Buyers, it seems, are willing to pay serious money for cars that combine classic styling with modern engineering, provided the execution is good enough. I wouldn’t have put money on this one myself, but the result speaks for itself.
What does it say about the classic car market?
It’s tempting to assume Lewis Hamilton’s family name added a healthy premium, and it probably didn’t hurt. But looking through the results, I think the stronger pattern is that exceptional cars continue to command exceptional prices, whoever happens to have owned them.
Low mileage, detailed maintenance records and genuine rarity remain the biggest drivers of value, particularly for desirable British performance cars. A famous previous owner might get bidders through the door, but condition and provenance are what persuade them to keep their paddles raised.
That doesn’t mean every classic is destined to become an investment, mind. Storage, insurance and specialist servicing can quickly eat into any gains, and values aren’t guaranteed to keep climbing. If you’re thinking about buying a classic, do it because you love it. Treating one as a get-rich scheme is still the riskier bet.
Anthony Hamilton collection verdict
Anthony Hamilton’s collection turned out to be one of the highlights of the Silverstone sale, generating almost £2.9 million across 27 cars and delivering more than a few standout results along the way. The record-breaking Jaguar XJ220 stole the limelight, but for me the strength of the wider catalogue is the more interesting story.
Collectors still have a healthy appetite for rare, well-kept classics with impeccable histories, and this auction showed that demand hasn’t disappeared despite a more uncertain market. If anything, buyers seem more selective about where they’re willing to spend serious money. And on this evidence, the right car still has plenty of admirers waiting with a bidding paddle.