Silverstone Auctions’ ‘Pride & Joy’ classic car sale, at Chris Evans’ CarFest South, has raised £55,000 for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.

The auction resulted in the sale of 43 out of 70 cars which were offered for sale on 25th and 26th August. The highlight was the sale of a 1964 Volkswagen Split Screen Dormobile Campervan.

Chris Evans himself took to the auction block, assuming the role of auctioneer. With all proceeds from the sale of this vehicle being generously donated to the charity by its owner Malcolm Railson, Evans finally brought the hammer down on a remarkable £33,550 telephone bid.

“We’re delighted that our efforts have helped to raise such an enormous amount of money for Children in Need,” comments Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions. “I’d really like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for getting into the spirit of the event. In true British fashion, even the odd Bank Holiday weekend downpour couldn’t dampen everyone’s enthusiasm or generosity, and the result has been truly amazing.”

CarFest appears to have been a big success. Certainly, we enjoyed our visit – see our drive in The Sweeney car chase here. As well as the classic car auction, the sell-out crowd of 15,000 visitors enjoyed a hillclimb sprint, car galleries, a live action arena, air displays, a food festival and live music from bands including Texas and Razorlight.