An incredible timewarp 1981 De Lorean DMC-12 with just a handful of miles on the clock has sold for £51,000 at Historics at Brooklands’ 6 June sale, smashing its pre-sale lower estimate of £34,000.

The car was exported to New Jersey when it was new, and remained in storage in the United States until 2000. It was then brought back to the UK and once again hidden away, this time for 15 years.

Also far exceeding the auctioneers’ expectations was a 1970 Lamborghini Espada, which flew past its £45-55,000 estimate to a hammer price of £82,000.

A 1955 Jaguar XK140 dhc followed suit, selling for £93,000 despite being expected to achieve £58-64,000.

A 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 was another top performer, with keen bidding pushing the final sale price well beyond £10-14,000 to £20,750.

Strong interest in later Ferraris showed no sign of slowing, as a 1991 Testarossa sold for £10,000 above its upper estimate at £80,000, and a 1988 Mondial T Cabriolet that fetched £38,500.

Even more modern was a 1997 Bentley Azure, which fetched £54,000.

A brace of American classics also sold well: a ’67 Camaro SS fetched £35,000, while a ’59 Corvette achieved £42,000.