Of course, the catalogue for Silverstone Auctions’ Silverstone Classic Live Online Auction taking place on 31 July–1 August stretches far beyond that golden period at the turn of the new millennium, offering icons of British motoring from the 1950s, big-block American V8 racers from the 1960s and a fine selection of landmark Ferraris, Jaguars and Porsches from the 1970s and ’80s. But it the cars from the 1990s and 2000s that left us most excited while browsing – 1991, especially, was a very good year for petrolheads. Consider that the Nautic Blue Mercedes-Benz 500E with matching interior, the Suffolk Red Aston Martin Virage and the 964-gen Porsche 911 Carrera RS all left their respective factories during that year.
On the subject of Porsches, Silverstone’s next sale covers all of Zuffenhausen’s 1990s hits with various zeitgeisty specification 993 Turbos, Carreras and RSs, in addition to the odd affordable 928 and 968 Clubsport for the transaxle enthusiasts. And let’s be honest – who hasn’t dreamed about a Porsche Exclusive triple-yellow leather interior with walnut veneer?
If there’s one car we’re dreaming about this summer, however, it’s the Ferrari F355. The minimalist, beautifully designed and perfectly proportioned V8 berlinetta can still be found for the price of a new BMW 5 Series. All you need to do is decide whether you’d prefer your F355 in flamboyant Azzurro California over Blu Scuro leather or in a more subtle shade of Nero.
Luckily the Y2K bug didn’t grind the world to a halt because we would have missed the great British sports car and Grand Tourers built in the first decade of the millennium. At the modern end of Silverstone’s line-up there’s a beautiful 2002 Bentley Continental R ‘Widebody’ finished in Silver Storm, one of only 13 examples produced in this final year of production.
And while an era was coming to an end at Bentley, a new one had just started at Aston Martin with a new flagship V12 model: the Vanquish. Again, bidders must choose between a 2002 model in Aston Martin Racing Green with Parchment leather or a stunning Jet Black Metallic over Ivory example from 2004, which only shows 16 miles on the clock. Our favourite modern classics from the upcoming Silverstone Auctions’ sale listed below or, alternatively, browse the entire catalogue in the Classic Driver Market.
