Aston Martin DBR1 sold for $22.55 million at the Monterey Car Week and broke the earlier record set by Jaguar D-Type
The Aston Martin DBR1 is a British icon and at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale the very first unit of the model built has been sold for $22.55 million (Rs. 144.41 crore). In doing so, it has now become the most expensive British car ever sold at an auction. There are many different reasons to buy this DBR1 as it was driven by several greats.
Some of the special ones include Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham, the legendaryCarroll Shelby, Reg Parnell and Roy Salvadori. With Stirling Moss behind the wheel, this DBR1 took victory at the grueling Nurburgring 1000 km race and is the most authentic among the five DBR1s currently in existence.
The DBR1 went past the previous British record holder, the Jaguar D-Type at $21.78 million, when the final price was put up. This model participated in the 1956, 1957 and 1958 editions of the Le Mans 24 hours race and is the sister car to the 1959 title winning DBR1 at the notorious endurance event.
The Aston Martin DBR1 is the brand’s equivalent to the Ferrari 250 GTO and Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. This chassis number one is a purpose-built model created by Ted Cutting, Aston Martin’s design chief. After winning the 1000 Km race in Germany, it was sold and converted for street use in 1962.
The DBR1 uses an inline six-cylinder engine evolved from 1956. Even though its last race in 1959 saw the 2,992cc motor making 268 hp, it currently has a modern engine with output raised to 301 hp and has no sense of history. The “most important” Aston Martin ever produced joins the likes of other classic Astons like a 1959 DB4GT, which sold for $6.765 million, and a 2006 DBR9, which garnered $616,000.
At the end of the annual auction at Monterey Car Week on Friday, RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale accumulated sales of over $60 million.
