Anthony Hamilton , father of seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, recently auctioned 27 classic cars from his private collection. The sale took place at the Iconic Auctioneers British Racing Drivers' Club Classic Sale at Silverstone, generating nearly £2.9 million in total.
The £506,250 Jaguar XJ220 and a UK Auction Record
The crown jewel of the sale was a 1993 Jaguar XJ220, which fetched a record-breaking £506,250 at the UK auction. According to the report, this specific vehicle is one of only 69 right-hand-drive examples supplied to the UK and boasts a remarkably low odometer reading of just 3,277 miles. The car, finished in Silverstone Green Metallic, had remained with its previous owner for nearly a quarter-century before entering Anthony Hamilton's collection.
The high price reflects a growing appetite for low-mileage, investment-grade supercars from the 1990s. By securing a UK record, the Jaguar XJ220 demonstrates that the market for analog performance icons remains robust, especially when the provenance is linked to a high-profile racing family.
British Icons and the £400,000 Jaguar XKSS Recreation
Beyond the XJ220, the collection was heavily weighted toward British automotive heritage.. A 2007 Jaguar XKSS recreation, a hand-built tool-room copy of the 1957 D-Type, sold for £400,000, exceeding its upper estimate by £25,000. Other high-value sales included a 2016 David Brown Automotive Speedback GT, which achieved £202,500 with only 354 miles on the clock, and two 2016 Jaguar C-Type recreations that fetched £192,000 and £190,000 respectively.
The diversity of the garage extended to a 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series I 4.2-Litre Roadster, which sold for £119,250 after being converted to right-hand drive. As reported, Anthony Hamilton also parted with a 1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL in white and navy blue, which reached a price of £104,625.
From Ferrari's £50 Million Contract to the Silverstone Garage
This liquidity event comes at a time of immense financial movement within the Hamilton family. While Anthony Hamilton is cashing in on his classic car passion, rumors suggest that Lewis Hamilton is earning £50 million annually under his new contract with Ferrari. This parallel suggests a broader trend of wealth diversification and the strategic liquidation of physical assets among elite sporting families.
The sale of 27 vehicles in a single weekend highlights a shift toward professionalized collection management.. Rather than selling cars individually over years, the use of a dedicated event like the British Racing Drivers' Club Classic Sale allows a seller to capitalize on a concentrated pool of international collectors and the prestige of the Silverstone venue.
A £92,250 World Record for the David Brown Mini Remastered
The auction also produced a global benchmark for the David Brown Mini Remastered. Anthony Hamilton's 1997 model, number 29 in the production run,sold for £92,250, setting a new world record for the modernized Mini. This result underscores the value of "remastered" classics—vehicles that blend vintage aesthetics with modern mechanical reliability.
Rob Hubbard, the managing director of Iconic Auctioneers, noted that his team worked closely with Anthony Hamilton to ensure the cars reached the right audience. The success of the sale, according to Hubbard, was a result of careful preparation and the inherent quality of the vehicles in the collection.
Who Bought the 27-Car Collection?
Despite the record-breaking figures,several details remain obscured. The report mentions that the cars attracted "international collectors" and "enthusiasts in the room," but the specific identities of the buyers remain unknown. It is unclear whether the collection was bought out by a single entity or dispersed among various private collectors.
Furthermore, the source does not clarify if Anthony Hamilton is completely exiting the classic car market or simply rotating his inventory. Given the scale of the sale—27 cars in a few hours—it remains to be seen if this represents a total liquidation of his automotive interests or a strategic move to upgrade to even rarer specimens.
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