The record for the most expensive British car ever bought at auction was smashed last night by RM Sotheby’s which sold the legendary Aston Martin DBR1 for a final hammer price of $22,550,000. Billed as the ultimate Aston Martin, the sale price reflects the fact that this car is considered one of the greatest Aston Martins to ever leave the factory.
It is the twin to the DBR1/2 which won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans for Aston Martin; its only outright win at legendary the 24 Hour race. The Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori pairing took victory in DBR1/2 in 1959, DBR1/1 (the car which is sold last night) was actually campaigned in the 1956, 1957 and 1958 seasons but retired each time.
Part of the draw behind this chassis is the history. DBR1/1 was raced by Salvadori and Shelby alongside other heavyweights of the era; Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Reg Parnell. Moss even scored an outright win at the Nürburgring 1000 KM 1959. It also helps that the car is the most technically correct of the five Aston Martin DBR1.
It wasn’t the only success RM Sotheby’s acheived with Aston Martin’s though. An Aston Martin DB4 GT Prototype sold for $6,765,000, a DBR9 for $616,000 and an AMR1 Group C car for $560,000! The previous British car record was held by a $21,780,000 Jaguar D-Type.
