Aston Martin DBR1 Number One Of Five Has Broken An Auction Record

When it comes to rare cars, being one of just five ever made gives a machine a place in the true elite of collectors’ items, and when that one of five has got racing pedigree in the hands of Stirling Moss, Roy Salvadori, Jack Brabham and Carroll Shelby, you’re talking about something a bit special.

This Aston Martin DBR1, the first of the five ever built, sold for $22.5 million at the weekend as part of RM Sotheby’s rarefied 2017 auction in Monterrey. There were a huge number of rare and exclusive cars for sale, but this little beauty was responsible for over a third of the auction’s total $60 million bottom line. The record price makes it the most expensive British-made car in history, and here’s a taster as to why: this exact car won the 1959 Nurburgring 1000km race with Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman at the wheel.

It came second in high-profile races at Oulton Park, Goodwood and Spa-Francorchamps, all with Roy Salvadori at the helm. From 1956 until 1959, DBR1 #1 was right at the pointy end of the endurance racing scene. Despite being way down on power compared to the Ferraris, Jaguars and Maseratis, its awesome chassis made up the deficit.

After changing hands several times but still racing where it could, the track-spec car was converted to a road-legal configuration in 1962. By that time its straight-six engine had been expanded to 3.0 litres and power had risen to 268bhp. The original engine is included with the sale, but a newer 301bhp unit with ‘no historical value’ is what you’ll find under the bonnet today. That means you can spank it in your local millionaires’ classic car races without worrying about destroying the heart of your hideously valuable Aston that’s almost old enough to get a free bus pass.

This isn’t the DBR1 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959, but is linked indelibly to that sister car by such a tiny production run. It’s still used today, which we love, but we’ll have to wait and see whether the new owner wants to risk it at classic car events like the Goodwood Revival.

As if the $22.5 million bill wasn’t enough, though, the car isn’t currently based in the US. If the winner is, then there’ll be an extra $562,000 bill for import duty, pushing the price beyond $23 million. Ouch.