The Most Expensive British Car Ever Put Up For Auction in Europe

Bonhams to sell the most expensive British car at auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

3y ago
4.2K

On 13th July this year, Bonhams will roll a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato across the auction block at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It will become the most expensive British car ever auctioned in Europe - and it’s on home soil. If a successful bid is placed, it is estimated to surpass any previous sale of a DB4 by some considerable margin.

‘2 VEV’, as it is commonly referred to, is ‘the most important DB4 GT Zagato in history’. In its prime it was piloted by the great Jimmy Clark and was one of only two ‘VEV’ editions ever built. These vehicles were the only DB4 GT Zagatos manufactured as quasi-works cars and this specific automobile was one of only 3 to be converted to the ultra-lightweight DP209 spec. Compared with the standard Zag the DP209s have flatter, longer front ends, lower rooflines, larger rear wings and a completely reshaped tail. If that isn’t quite rare enough for you, it was one of only 19 DB4 GT Zagatos to be built. Period.

“Oh, but what if I don’t care how rare it is? What if I want a car with racing history, not just a garage queen?!” I hear you exclaim. Well, this £15 million car has that covered as well. In 1962 it collided with a Ferrari 250 GTO driven by John Surtees, putting both vehicles in the wall. By modern money, that’s a £38 million crash - plus taxes. A few laps later, Robin Benson brought a plus one to the party in the form of a 250 SWB, so make that £48 million. It stands as possibly the most expensive single car crash in the history of the automobile, and/or racing for that matter.

Sadly, for us car folk, the crashing doesn’t end there. In 1993 ‘2 VEV’ was involved in a quite catastrophic road accident (see image below). What this did to its long-term value is hard to determine, but clearly not an awful lot looking at the auction estimate. It has belonged to the same family for the best part of half a century, which significantly helps auction prices, apparently. It was then fully restored to the 1962 specification and in July this year it can be yours for just £14,999,999.99. Bargain.

The DB4 GT Zagato was unveiled at the 1960 London Motor Show and its first competitive race was at Goodwood in 1961, driven by Sir Stirling Moss. Is there anything more British than that? All we would have needed to do was hand Sir Stirling a cup of our finest earl grey tea and a scone and send him driving off into the sunset listening to Pink Floyd’s 'The Wall'. The only non-British thing about this machine is its Zagato styling, but that could hardly be a complaint, it is one of the features that makes this vehicle so desirable. Sir Stirling piloted the DB4 GT Zagato in its first competitive race, and saw it into third place behind a standard DB4 GT and a Ferrari 250 GT, not bad eh? In July 1961 it overtook a Jaguar E Type Series 1 Lightweight on the last lap to claim its first victory at the British GP support race. Splendid!

So, when the Goodwood FOS auction gets underway, be sure to listen out for the price a very serious buyer is willing to spend on this incredible machine. ‘2 VEV’ is an extraordinary automobile, a marriage of British race engineering and Italian styling that proved its ability on world-famous racetracks. It competed against some of the greatest motor cars ever constructed and could be yours for a very affordable 15 million post-Brexit pounds.

Do you think this car is worth its auction estimate? Put your thoughts in the comments below.

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Comments (5)

  • Hi congratulations - your post has been selected by DriveTribe Classics Ambassador for promotion on the DriveTribe homepage.

      3 years ago
  • Interesting read

      3 years ago
  • Great article, but sadly my piggy bank is too small for it 🤨

      3 years ago
  • Surely that big crash lowers the value?

      3 years ago
    • A vehicle's history usually just adds to its value, parts have to be re-manufactured by hand after major crashes and just add to its character so don't usually do much to the inherent value of the car. I think given this is only one of two cars of...

      Read more
        3 years ago
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