Classic Aston Martin DBR1 sets auction record at Monterey event
Sale eclipses that of a 1955 Jaguar D-Type sold last year
A 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 has become the most valuable British car ever sold at auction after it fetched $22.6m (circa £17.5m) at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale.
The classic British sports car – chassis number one – smashed the previous record set last year by a 1955 Jaguar D-Type which sold for $21.8m (£16.9m) at the same event.
Two bidders remained in competition during the auction, in a session that lasted close to seven minutes.
The car is accompanied by a vast amount of history, having won at the 1959 Nurburgring 1000 km as well as being piloted by the likes of Carroll Shelby and Sir Stirling Moss.
Just five examples of the DBR1 were created between 1956 and 1958 – and this vehicle was the only one offered for public sale.
It was part of a wide variety of Aston Martin vehicles going under the hammer. Others included a 1959 DB4GT Prototype, which fetched $6.8m (circa £5.3m), and a 2006 DBR9 that reached $325,000 (circa £252,000).
The Aston Martins led the way in an evening of bidding that generated sales of more than $60m (around £46m).
