Silverstone Auctions’ final sale of the year, The Walter Hayes Sale, has been hailed a great success having generated premium inclusive sales of more than £1,400,000.

The auction included a diverse range of classic cars, modern sports cars and championship-winning competition cars, of which 62 percent of the lots were sold.

On the day, 36 lots sold under the hammer fetching a total of £1,180,000. A further four sales the following day netted an additional £215,000.

“We are very pleased with the levels of interest and attendance at the sale,” comments Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions. “With such an appealing and exquisite collection of cars, it comes as little surprise that bidding was very competitive on a number of lots.”

One of the highlights of the auction and the most expensive lot sold was a rare 1969 AC 428 Coupe manual (lot 136). Believed to be one of only six manual examples manufactured, the car fetched £136,000, significantly more than its guide book estimate of between £85,000 - £100,000.

Another star lot which fell under the hammer was a 1974 Monica (lot 123). This car was being sold directly from the estate of the late Chris Lawrence, the project’s chief engineer, and fetched an impressive £55,000.

A number of rare Jaguar’s were also among the most valuable and sought after cars in the auction. A right hand drive 1958 Jaguar XK 150 S 3.4 Roadster (lot 128), one of only nine home market examples manufactured that year, was sold for £96,000. Lot 137, a stunning 1952 Jaguar XK120 Fixhead Coupe fetched £81,400. And a 1961 Jaguar Mk IX (lot 144) sold for £35,700, more than £10,000 higher than its guide book estimate.

“The Walter Hayes Sale was a fantastic conclusion to our first year of auctions,” adds Nick Whale.

“We still have a number of deals pending but the numbers already prove to vendors that we can genuinely help them achieve the very best sale of their car. But equally, we were delighted with the sheer quality and diversity of the collection that we brought together. With two classic car sales now under our belt, we look forward to pressing on in 2012, broadening our horizons and continuing to deliver some of the finest cars in the market.”