The month that was July | Gavelled!

Two very different widow makers and an unusually low-mile super saloon headline a red-hot month of auction activity

By Cam Tait / Wednesday, 12 August 2026 / Loading comments

Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Evocation, 1972, 41.2k miles - sold for £69,000*

Guess how much a new Carrera 2.7 RS would set you back these days. Yep, that’s right: somewhere around the quarter of a million pound mark. And that’s for a well-used example. Anything approaching collector grade will cost at least double that, and you can double that again for one of the ultra sought-after Lightweights. Accordingly, you can understand why so many people turn their hand to building their own, then. Some are little more than a ducktail and a set of decals, while others are meticulously pieced together to capture the original’s magic. Think it’s pretty clear which camp this one falls into.

As if you couldn’t tell, huge expense has gone into turning this 911 2.4 E into the ‘RS Evocation’ you see here, including a bespoke suspension setup and a stripped interior. It’s got real competition provenance, too, having raced at the Le Mans Classic in 2018. Recent suspension and engine work mean it’s ready and raring for a return to the road or track, and it comes with the necessary paperwork to get you into all sorts of historic series. Well, by 'you' we mean the new owner, because it’s now found a new home for £69,000 including the buyer’s premium. For the seller, that means recouping much of the cost of the conversion work, while the buyer lands 2.7 RS looks for 2.4 E money.

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Renault Sport Clio V6, 2002, 81.1k miles - sold for £40,468*

From one widow maker to another, though for very different reasons. Of course, the 911 gained its unpredictable reputation because the placement of its engine behind the rear axle kept flinging unsuspecting drivers into hedgerows. The Phase 1 Clio V6, however, was a little more fickle. Its mid-engined, short-wheelbase layout was prone to snap oversteer in the dry and spontaneous pirouettes in the wet. No surprise, then, that of the 256 examples sold in the UK, fewer than 40 remain on the road today, making this Phase 1 a rare find indeed.

Naturally, its unforgiving nature has made it hugely popular with collectors, and the fact that Renault dared to shove a V6 in the middle of its humble Clio only adds to its desirability. Much of the work was done by TWR here in the UK, as the outfit had been in charge of the firm’s V6 Trophy racers, which makes the Phase 1 a proper skunkworks project. This one benefits from a set of new Michelin rubber, which should significantly calm down the V6’s more wayward attributes, as well as upgraded brakes, a new slave cylinder and a Momo steering wheel. It’s otherwise completely stock, which, obviously, is a recipe for a bidding frenzy. It amassed an impressive 146 bids before selling for £40,468 including the buyer’s fee. Not far off double what it was worth new in 2002, and its value is surely only going one way from here. Provided it steers clear of any ditches, that is.

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BMW M5 (E39), 2000, 46k miles, sold for £34,304*

Who doesn’t love an E39 M5? We certainly do, and past auction results suggest bidders can’t get enough of them either. We’ve had four pass through PH Auctions over the last 12 months, each delivering a healthy dose of S62 goodness to their new owners. This Silverstone Metallic example, however, is that little bit more special.

Scroll through our previously sold M5s and you’ll notice that most of them have been taken past 100,000, while one was well on its way to recording double that at the time of the sale. And for good reason: they quite literally mixed supercar performance with everyday usability. If you were a high-ranking exec in the '90s, chances are you were commuting to and from the office in an M5. This one, however, has covered just shy of 46,000 miles and is in immaculate condition. It hasn’t been subjected to a money-no-object restoration, either, just good old-fashioned servicing and careful ownership. All factors that go towards placing a bid, with the final price coming in at £34,304 with the buyer’s fee included. A fair old premium over other E39s, but, as ever, cherished examples like these don’t come around all that often. When they do, there’s always an orderly queue clutching fistfuls of cash.

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Top 10 PistonHeads auction results in July*