Coys achieved monster prices for a couple of unlikely lots at its Autosport International auction at the NEC – before getting the ‘Eleanor’ Shelby GT500 film car away for ￡95,000 with buyer’s premium. The Alan Mann reserve collection cars all sold too, interest boosted by the team’s 1968 Ford F3L sports-racer on display and for sale by private treaty.

Stand-out prices included ￡36,800 – around twice what the market would expect – for a 1954 Chevy 3100 stepside truck, and ￡16,100 for a Fiat Gamine estimated at ￡4000-5000. The ‘Eleanor’ 1967 Mustang was one of the three ‘hero cars’ of the 12 built for filming of the Nicolas Cage movie Gone in 60 Seconds, a remake of HB Halicki’s 1974 classic. Claimed to be the only one left with a manual gearbox and nitrous oxide buttons, it was in immaculate order and attracted new money at the ￡80,000 mark, tipping the hammer at ￡5k more.

The Alan Mann cars included the team’s well-known 1965 notchback Mustang racer that has appeared at the Goodwood Revival pedalled by Sir John Whitmore among others, which fetched ￡60,900. The 3-litre MkIII Capri raced by Mann’s son Henry raised ￡23,500, far less than the ￡65,000 recently invested in it, and a 1958 Jaguar 2.4 built by Don Law Racing but never used was let go for just ￡52,100 – all cracking buys as these immaculately-presented turn-key racers sold for far less than they would cost to build again.

Another Goodwood runner, the 1957 Hillman Minx S1 complete with Rae Davis A-frame rear axle location, sold for ￡10,925, and an Anglia 105E with several Revivals under its wheels looked keen value at ￡11,500. A BMW M1 Group 4 rally Procar left the room for ￡100,500 and a Prodrive-built GpA rally 1987 M3, though now tatty and with the wrong (six-cylinder) engine, offered by the same owner, was ￡27,600.

A rare pair of Ascaris appeared, the 1995 FGT-GT1 realising ￡80,700 and the as-new KZ1R-GT3 declared sold at just ￡89,500, or around half what was expected. But the 2001 ex-Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC car failed to find a new owner as bids topped out at ￡80,000, the same figure that failed to buy the 1985 Metro 6R4 rally car once sampled for Motor magazine by Ayrton Senna.

Other no-sales included a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000S for which ￡100,000 wasn’t enough, ￡5000 bid on a restored left-hand drive manual 1979 Porsche 928 for which nearer ￡9k was required and an Opel GT that attracted a top offer of ￡4000 when ￡6000 was needed to buy it.

Road car sales included a 1990 20v Audi quattro at ￡16,100, a 1931 MG M-type at ￡23,000 and a 1973 Ferrari Dino 246GTS at a market-correct ￡114,800. Alan Mann’s 2008 Superformance continuation GT40 looked good value too, hammered sold for its lower estimate of ￡85,000, translating into a total price of ￡95,000 and, at the other end of the scale, a 1980 electric Commutacar with just 133 miles recorded and offered at no reserve was let go for a way-under-estimate ￡1150.

Before any post-auction sales were added, 34 of the 57 cars in the room were declared sold, translating into a respectable 60% sale rate. Coys’ next sale is ‘Spring Classics’ at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on 6 March.