Our favourite cars at the Shannons Winter Auction

Shannons is gearing up to sell a range of performance cars at its Spring Timed Online Auction. Here’s some of our favourite cars set to go under the hammer from August 31.

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The first is the subject of countless bedroom posters – the Lamborghini Countach.

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Between the 50th birthday of the original Countach and Lamborghini’s new effort, there's been a lot of talk around the iconic Italian wedge lately. This example is a 25th Anniversary Edition, placing it towards the end of the supercar’s run.

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The special variant got more aggressive spoilers front and rear, and enlarged side vents courtesy of Horacio Pagani. According to Shannons, 657 were built, while just a handful have made their way to Australia.

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This UK-delivered, right-hand-drive example shows 32,279kms on the clock and was assessed to be in exceptional condition, aside from a backfiring engine that’s part of suspected ignition woes. As a result, the car hasn’t been road-tested. It did, however, get a full service and tune in August 2020, meaning the problem shouldn’t be especially dire. The Shannons guiding range suggests a $490,000 - $550,000 price tag.

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Shannons’ Winter Auction saw an excellent Mazda FD RX-7 SP sell for a huge $166,000. This time around there’s a more common (but still highly sought-after) Spirit R Type A on the block, with a guiding range of $80,000 - $90,000. Sold only in Japan, all Type As were kitted out with BBS 17-inch wheels, Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip diff and bigger brakes among other tweaks. Type B and C cars were also sold, featuring a 2+2 seating layout and automatic transmission respectively.

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This Type A is build number 15 of 1500. It was apparently imported from Japan in 2018 and kept mostly in dry storage since. It’s got 36,523km on the clock, with the driver's Recaro Kevlar seat beginning to show some wear and tear. A few other electrical gremlins are mentioned alongside a transmission whine.

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Despite this, the engine bay and exterior both present well. For reference, another Type A finished in the same colour sold at Shannons in 2018 for $73,000.

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If you’re looking for a smaller Mazda on a tighter budget, it doesn’t get much better than this Autozam AZ-1. Built between 1992 and 1994 for Mazda’s domestic Autozam brand, the Kei cars were powered by a rear-mounted, turbocharged 657cc three-cylinder that made 47kW.

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These cars are thin on the ground here, with few having gone to auction. One failed to meet reserve at Grays last year after attracting a high bid of $27,409, but Shannons expects this AZ-1 in all-round good condition to fetch between $16,000 and $22,000.

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This Nissan R32 Skyline is one of 100 GT-Rs delivered new to Australia. Having travelled almost 170,000kms in its life, it bears a few battle scars, plus an aftermarket sunroof. However, everything is reported to work as it should.

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Another GT-R sold at Shannons during its Winter Auction, taking in a huge $142,500. Shannons expects this one to sell for $80,000 - $100,000, which is slightly lower than its $110,000 price tag when first launched locally.

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Interestingly, the GT-R’s vendor is said to have managed Holden’s motorsport division during the early ‘90s — a period when R32 GT-Rs dominated locally-built offerings in the ATCC.

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Here’s another Aussie-delivered Japanese hero. It’s a 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition, described as being in immaculate condition despite the 114,500kms travelled.

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Locally sold cars got ABS brakes, a Yaw Control diff and 10-speaker sound system. The car has apparently undergone a full inspection at Ralliart successor TMR Performance, with Shannons expecting it to sell for $75,000 - $90,000. That seems something of a bargain compared to an overseas example, which took almost AU$300,000 at a UK auction two weeks ago.

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It’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when somebody says ‘GT car’, but Citroen’s SM coupe ticks all the boxes.

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Earlier models like this 1973-built car packed a 2.7-litre V6 and five-speed manual gearbox underneath an unmistakable bodyshell, which gave it a 225km/h top speed.

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It was imported to Australia and fully rebuilt in 2000, undergoing a right-hand drive conversion at the same time. It’s showing just 68,000 miles on the odo, and the restoration job has seemingly held up very well aside from some scrapes to the lower front panel. Shannons expects it to take fetch between $70,000 and $80,000.

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Front-engine Porsches are still affordable machines, as proven by the $35,000 - $45,000 range on this 944.

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Import papers show it reached Australian shores in 2013. It’s a well-optioned car that’s seen plenty of replacement parts, though it’s described as suffering from an engine rattle when cold.

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Elfin Sports Cars built the Type 3 Clubman in both turn-key and kit car form from 1998 to 2007. The late Tom Walkinshaw bought the company in 2006, though it’s sat dormant since his death in 2010.

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The Clubman was powered by a supercharged Toyota 4AGZE four-pot, and tipped the scales at a scant 600kg, allowing for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.8 seconds.

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Save for non-functional wipers, this Clubman’s in good condition. Shannons’ guiding range is $30,000 - $35,000.

You’ll find the full list of cars at the Shannons Spring Auction here. Online bidding opens on August 31 at 10am, and ends on September 7 at 7pm.