Shannons Late Summer Auction Preview

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 17.01.2018

Awesome cars, up for grabs

The off season of classic car auctions is finally drawing to a close and Shannons is planning on starting 2018 with a bang thanks to their Melbourne Late Summer Auction, which takes place on Monday, February 19.

There are some highly desirable cars at this auction, whether it be Aussie chrome bumper muscle or European exotica, there’s something for every petrol head at this shindig.

We’ll focus on the Aussie muscle a little bit later in the month, but for now, here are our favourite exotics from the rest of the world:

1987 BMW M3

Arguably the most iconic M Car ever to come out of BMWs skunkworks in Garching, the E30 M3 is a true legend of the automotive world. For a start, it is by far and away one of the most successful racecars of all time, winning pretty much everything it was entered in , whether it be DTM, WTCC, BTCC or even locally in the ATCC. It is also powered by engine royalty – the prolific S14 inline four-cylinder, which is essentially the exact same motor used in BMWs only supercar, the M1, but with two-cylinders lopped off. E30 M3s have been desirable for a few years now, but we reckon they’re still a solid investment, and in addition to helping out the old super, they drive brilliantly.

1977 Porsche 930 Turbo

Ask any car enthusiast what the definitive sportscar is and the answer is usually always the same – the Porsche 911. And what’s the most 911 of all 911s? Well, we reckon it’s got to be the 930 Turbo. Originally built to comply with homologation regulations of the era, the 930 Turbo quickly garnered a cult following thanks to its monstrous speed and distinctive appearance, most notably the massive whale tale and wide rear end. The 930 was fettled and changed thoroughly throughout its 14 year lifespan, but we reckon the early, fire breathing models built between 1975 and 1977 that came equipped with the 3.0lt flat-six and four-speed manual were the real sweet-spot.

1968 Jaguar E-Type

Enzo Ferrari once described the Jaguar E-Type as "the most beautiful car ever made", and we’d have to agree, because it just is, isn’t it? Whether it’s a Series 1, 2 or 3, inline-six or V12, it doesn’t really matter, all are just utterly gorgeous. It was also a very successful racecar back in the day, even locally, with Bob Jane taking out the 1963 Australian GT Championship behind the wheel of a lightweight E-Type.

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