BMW E30 325iS 'Gusheshe' auctions for nearly eight times its original value

Three classic cars sold for more than R1m at the Creative Rides auction in  Johannesburg this past weekend.

A whopping R4.4m was paid by a UK bidder for a 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Vantage, a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster sold for R1.9m, and a 1971 BMW 3.0L CSI E9 fetched R1.275m.

One of the stars of the show and a hotly contested lot was the South Africa-built BMW E30 325iS (nicknamed the "Gusheshe") which sold for R900,000, nearly eight times its original list price of R120,000 when new in 1991.

“There were bidders by the dozen for the Gusheshe but I’m delighted that this truly local classic will be remaining in the country. We hope the new owner in KZN will enjoy many years of motoring pleasure in his stellar BMW,” said Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick.  

The Aston is one of only 71 right-hand-drive examples of this model ever produced by the British car maker. Now it returns home.

Derrick said in the run-up to this weekend’s auction, the classic cars on offer were viewed online by more than 3.3-million people in 93 countries.

“The Creative Rides team fielded inquiries from collectors in 40 countries, which resulted in more than 100 registered bidders taking part in the sale on Saturday,” he said.

The first Creative Rides classic car auction of 2023 will be hosted at the company’s new showroom in Cape Town in March. 

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