The Classic Sale at Silverstone 26th & 27th August 2022

187 + buyers premium of 12.5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300,000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter The 6R4 presented here (substantiated by a 6R4 expert and documented in a corresponding e-mail from 2002 to a previous owner - a copy of which is in the car’s history file) is one of the original batch of 200 cars assembled for Group B homologation between August and October 1985. It confirms that the car’s chassis number was SAXXRWNP7AD570052 and its 6R4 number was 061 (all as per they appear on the car’s chassis plate, number tag and V5C). The records state that the engine was fitted on the 14th September 1985 and the car was allocated to the Sales Department on 13th October 1985. Skip forward to 2018 and this car, 061, was bought by our rally- enthusiast vendor, and between him and his son (who also campaigns a WRC Fiesta), it has done numerous events (demos/hill climbs – which the previous owner also did with a sprint/hill climb MSA logbook) and is very well-known, being a highly regarded example in 6R4 circles. The history of this particular car is interesting, with information provided by our vendor, it has ownership continuity from new. In 1987, Ted Toleman (former principal and founder of the Toleman F1 team) acquired two 6R4s, cars 052 & 061 - 052 was selected to be modified. Having given up on F1 in 1986 when he sold his team to Benetton, Toleman decided to become involved in Endurance Rallying instead, with the aim of becoming the first British team to win the Paris-Dakar. After competing in the 1987 event with a Range Rover, the Toleman Group returned for 1988 with the modified Metro 6R4 to be driven by World Hot Rod Champion Barry Lee and Toleman himself. Known as the TG88 Metro Raider, the ugly brute was widened and lengthened by 8.5” to make it more stable and the highly-strung V64V engine was replaced with a JE Motors-tuned 3.9-litre Range Rover engine producing 230bhp. Unfortunately, it was disqualified at the end of the first day after exceeding the time limit (their support truck failed to reach them in time to start the next stage). To be able to use this TG88 Metro Raider (052) in the Paris-Dakar, he attached to it the registration ‘E577 CWC’, whether this was done officially or not, but it’s often the done-thing in motor racing. The car presented here, 061, the sister-car of this Metro Raider (052) today officially wears the registration E577 CWC (as per its V5C) and the car’s original ID tag (denoting) 6R4 061 and BL chassis plate all correspond and, as mentioned, are supported by the e-mail from the 6R4 expert. Importantly, car 061 retains its original Clubman-spec shell and is fitted with an International Spec engine (Goodman Racing unit) and a dog box’. Like most race/rally machinery this car has had a life, with parts replaced, updated and adapted for use over the years, often being sourced from specialists, including John Price Rallying. It has always been owned by 6R4 enthusiasts, with one restoring it back to standard pristine condition and subsequently using it as demonstration events. The car is today in fine mechanical fettle and has, pleasingly, retained many original features over the years - real testament to the previous owners’ dedicated custodianship. It has been little used in the last few years. The underside particularly appears unmarked and is in fine condition. Indeed, when Top Gear wanted to do a feature on the 6R4, the production team approached a previous owner of car 061, who was more than happy to oblige and lent the car to the programme in which it was driven by Richard Hammond. With Group B rally cars now hitting the £500,000 mark, British Leyland’s answer to the factory cars from those elite manufacturers now looks incredible value. Lot 480 1985 MG Metro 6R4 Registration: E577 CWC Chassis No.: SAXXRWNP7AD570052 Estimate: £180,000 - £220,000 Car #61 retains its original Clubman spec shell with an International spec engine (Goodman Racing unit), a dog box, plus its original unpainted bumpers. A real survivor of the Group B rally era. More Details Lot 480 Bid On Lot 480