Iconic 'Crystal Palace' Chevrolet Camaro set for auction

The actual car from that famous round of the British Saloon Car Championship is coming up for auction with a pre-sale estimate of £65-75,000.

You can see that race in the video above, it’s stirring stuff, but what a shame about the last lap!

The car is the 1968 ex-Bill Shaw Racing Camaro, as driven in its debut season of 1970 by former saloon car champion Roy Pierpoint and then subsequently by Martin Thomas, who was the fearless pilot in the big Chev at Crystal Palace in ’71.

The drivers he was up against? Mike Crabtree in the Ford Escort and of course Gerry Marshall in the Vauxhall Viva. We suspect Gerry would heartily approve if this particular Camaro one day made it to the grid of the race named in his honour at Members’ Meeting! 

Martin Thomas kept the car until 2004 when it was bought by the current owner and embarked on its historic racing career, taking to the grid in a range of events such as Heritage Grand Touring Cars. Being so well known by so many, it has also been one of the go-to historic touring cars for demos such as the BTCC’s 50th anniversary bash and for programmes such as Top Gear (it was driven on screen by The Stig).

Silverstone Auctions says the car comes with a bulging history file. “Rarely do competition cars with this history and provenance come to market,” says the auction house. “It would be welcomed by organisers anywhere and fondly remembered by the millions who have watched the black and white footage from Crystal Palace.”

Hear hear to that.

Silverstone Auctions is selling the car at its Race Retro International Sale at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, on Friday 24 February at 15.00hrs.

Two other race cars have so far been confirmed for the auction: a ready-to-race 1968 Ginetta G16 with current Historic Technical Passport (HTP) with a pre-sale estimate of £90-110,000; and one of five Aston Martin AMR1s from 1989 – with a guide of around half a million.