WE CONTINUE TO BE AMAZED at the popularity of the aptly-named “vanity plates” and the amount of money some people are willing to spend on them.
Collecting Cars, the online auction platform for the sale of classic, performance and collectible cars, achieved record auction sales of more than $A10.3 million from 115 lots during February, representing a two percent year-on-year increase.
Collecting Cars’ latest Heritage Number Plate auction achieved sales of more than $A2 million from 40 sold auction lots.
“February might have been the shortest month of the year but it didn’t impede collector car sales,” said Lee Hallett, Head of APAC at Collecting Cars.
“Collecting Cars is currently seeing a surge in demand from both sellers and buyers, which means 2026 is already looking like another strong year for the collector car markets in Australia and New Zealand.”
Leading the charge in Collecting Cars’ most recent Heritage Number Plate auction, the eleventh in the company’s ongoing series, were several rare, low-digit combinations:
- ‘262’ (VIC) – $A485,000
- ‘263’ (VIC) – $A424,000
- ‘553’ (NSW) – $A290,000
Among the many car highlights were:
- 2024 Porsche 911 (992) GT3 RS with Weissach pack – $A680,000
- 2024 Ferrari 296 GTS – $A595,000
- 1993 Porsche 911 (964) Speedster – $A394,000
- 1978 Ford Falcon XC Cobra – $A215,000
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz (R129) SL 600 ex-Kerry Packer – $A110,000
More special listings are scheduled to go live for sale on the Collecting Cars auction platform, including:
- 1991 Porsche 911 (964) Turbo 3.3
- 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
- 1999 Nissan Skyline (R34) GT-R V-Spec
- 1985 Holden VK Commodore Group A Race Car (‘rolling chassis’)
- 1991 Ferrari Testarossa