Aston Martin sells for record-breaking £17.5m

An Aston Martin raced by Sir Stirling Moss has become most valuable British car ever sold at auction.

The legendary 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 (chassis 1) went under the hammer for $22,550,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in California.

The previous record for a British car was set at the same auction in 2016 when a 1955 Le Mans-winning Jaguar D-Type sold for $21,780,000.

Labelled the “most important” Aston Martin ever produced, the DBR1 had a guide price “in excess of $20 million” (£15.5m) and it drew a huge crowd as two rival collectors battled it out to get their hands on the car.

After seven minutes of excitement, it was finally bought by a private collector bidding by telephone.

It is now the seventh most valuable car ever sold publicly – with only five Ferraris and one Mercedes fetching more.

The most correct example of what is arguably the most important Aston Martin ever produced, DBR1/1 carries a racing history that includes overall victory at the 1959 Nürburgring 1000km.

Some of the greatest names in motorsport raced the Aston, including Carroll Shelby, Jack Brabham, Roy Salvadori and Sir Stirling Moss.

The first of just five examples built by the factory between 1956 and 1958, DBR1/1 is the only example ever offered for public sale.