LONDON: English auction house Silverstone Auctions will be hosting their inaugural live online auction on May 23, in response to the current Covid-19 pandemic with a 1986 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 (T16) E1 "Group B" rally car starting the bids.
The T16 first started out a front-engine front wheel-driven little hatchback for the masses and after the engineers had had their way with it, the T16 emerged as an all-wheel-drive hatchback with an engine mid-mounted just behind the front-right passenger seat for the sake of weight distribution.
The transversely mid-mounted engine went from a 1.8-litre diesel burner to becoming a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 350bhp on tap and a five-speed manual transmission managing power delivery while taking up the rest of the void behind the driver.
The T16 with an E2 designation meant that the engine had been re-tuned to produce 550bhp instead while being mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
The chassis and suspension were then rebuilt and a roll-cage installed to stiffen up the package - all while being hidden by the 205's original shell.
The car was then slapped with enough aero bits to help keep it grounded and, to a certain degree, stable while catching some air.
The company will be offering additional content on each of the lots being offered, including video and other imagery to show the cars in more detail to help aid buyers with their decisions.
Additionally, just for the upcoming auction, the premiums paid for both buyers and sellers have been reduced to 10% plus vat and 4% plus vat respectively.
Buyers will be able to bid online via the company's bidding partners as well as on the phone or by submitting a commission bid.
Depending on Government guidance in the coming weeks, it may become possible to offer one to one viewing at a central location and the company will continue to monitor the situation before making a decision.
The catalogue is now open and the company is accepting consignments.
