A classic car raced by Sir Stirling Moss and described
as the "most important Aston Martin ever produced" became the most valuable British-made car ever when it sold for $22.5m (£17.5m) at the annual auction at Monterey Car Week on Friday.
The 1956
Aston Martin DBR1, is the firm's equivalent to the Ferrari 250 GTO and Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and just five were built between 1956 and 1958. This one sold is chassis number one - a purpose-built model developed by racing design chief, Ted Cutting.
DBR1/1 was designed to win at Le Mans, but while it failed to take the chequered flag in the 24-hour race, a later model did.
It is the first of a series of five racing cars, one of which won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race. This particular car won the Nurburgring 1000 kilometre race that same year. It was subsequently sold, converted and made legal for street use in 1962.
The DBR1's inline six-cylinder engine evolved from its debut in 1956 though its last race in 1959, ending up at 2,992cc and 268hp.
The original engine is included in the price of the car - but it currently has a modern engine with no historical value, so it can be raced without concern. This new engine raised the car's output to 301hp.
RM Sotheby's had valued the Aston Martin - which is believed to be the first DBR1 to go under the hammer- at more than £15 million.
The DBR1 joins a handful of other classic Aston vehicles, including a 1959 DB4GT, which sold for an impressive $6.765 million, and a 2006 DBR9, which went for a cool $616,000.
By the end of the night, RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale generated over $60 million in sales.
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