Kork Ballington’s 250cc green giant

1979 Kawasaki KR250
Sold by Bonhams, £92,000

This was the machine on which South Africa’s Kork Ballington clocked up seven wins to help him secure the 1979 250cc world title. Bought by the star from Kawasaki in 1982, the two-stroke, in-line twin was sold complete with trophies and a factory spares kit. A new crankshaft, cylinders and pistons were among the bits meaning, according to Ballington, “one could run the bike for years… if careful”. Prior to the sale, the KR had not been ridden on track since 1980 – although Ballington did admit to having taken it for a blast up and down his street to keep everything working smoothly.

2011 McLaren MP4-12C 
Sold by Hampson auctions, £50,265

Being the first road car built from the ground-up entirely by McLaren Automotive, the MP4-12C must qualify for classic status and values can only go up. This had recorded only 29,000 miles from new.

1990s Morton M5 tethered racer
Sold by Bonhams, £5700

This methanol and castor oil-powered tethered racer featured a version of the five-cylinder radial engine created for model cars and planes in the 1940s, based on the Velie aircraft motor of 1928.

1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £230,000

Built by endurance racing legend Masahiro Hasemi with Nismo, this car finished second in the 1994 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship and also won the inaugural Tokachi 24 Hours that year.

1994 Range Rover limousine
Sold by Iconic Auctioneers, £31,500

This was commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei at a conversion cost of £135,000. In 2000 it was with a Glasgow car dealer and ferried boxer Mike Tyson around the city prior to his defeat of Lou Savarese.

1985 Arai race helmet
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £68,400

This was the helmet worn by Nigel Mansell on the occasion of his first Formula 1 victory. Mansell took the chequered flag at Brands Hatch in a Williams to win the 1985 European Grand Prix.

1927 Amilcar C6
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £161,000

This 1100cc supercharged voiturette was consigned by the family of the late Bob Graves – a former Cosworth director. Graves acquired it in 1982 and raced it for almost 30 years.

1933 Mercedes-Benz 370 S
Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £280,625

Sold new in Berlin, this spectacular barn find was brought to Britain in 1955 by an RAF officer. It was acquired three years later by the vendor’s father in a deal with a Hillman Minx that left him with the Benz – and £125. After 63 years in storage, the car needed full restoration.

Forthcoming sale highlights

• Mecum, Kissimmee, Florida, January 2-14
  Mecum is billing this as “the world’s largest collector car auction” – and, with an anticipated 4000 lots due to cross the block, we’re not going to argue. The vast range of vehicles will include every imaginable make and model, from American muscle cars to contemporary supercars and all manner of wild customs and hot rods. RV camping is available – but be quick, it’s a first-come, first-served basis.
• Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, arizona, January 20-28
  This week-long extravaganza will kick-off on the night of January 19 with a concert by legendary New York rock band Foreigner. The auction sessions that follow will include no fewer than 1100 lots of automobilia, and a superb Corvette restomod built by marque maestro Jeff Hayes. The 1967 car is powered by an LS3 V8 engine sitting in a bespoke Art Morrison chassis.
• RM Sotheby’s, Paris, January 31
  RM Sotheby’s will help start the Rétromobile ball rolling at the end of January with this sale that’s scheduled to take place on the opening day of the popular classic car gathering in the City of Light. Notable lots already consigned include a 2015 McLaren P1 hybrid estimated to fetch in the region of £1m, a 2004 Ferrari Enzo that could sell for £3m and a 1980 BMW M1 that’s expected to make upwards of £400,000.
• Bonhams, Amelia Island, florida, february 29
  As winter bites, the thought of catching some early-year sun that’s surely shining on Florida’s Fernandina Beach Golf Club is more than a little appealing – and will be even more so in late February when Bonhams returns for its annual Amelia Island auction. Among the more valuable entries will be a recreation of the Napier Samson L48 that set a one-mile world record of 104.65mph in Florida in 1904.