A 1961 Aston Martin has become the most expensive British car ever sold at European auction after fetching an amazing £10,081,500 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

On a day of record-breaking, more than £32m was raised which saw a host of classic sports and racing cars going under the hammer. As well as the Aston Martin, a John Surtees 1957 BMW 507 Roadster became the most expensive BMW ever auctioned when it was sold for £3,809,500.

'We are simply blown away by today's results,’ said James Knight, Bonhams Motoring Chairman. ‘This is our 50th sale at Goodwood - which happens to coincide with the silver anniversary of The Festival of Speed – and it was the perfect celebration of classic and collectors' motor cars. The world records that we set today are indicative of the continued market desire for the historically significant motor cars with impeccable provenance such as '2 VEV' and the John Surtees BMW 507.'

The Aston Martin was the star of the show, the ‘2 VEV’ from the ex-Essex Racing Stable, 1961 Aston Martin ‘MP209’ DB4GT Zagato was sold to a European buyer. It wasn’t the only Aston Martin to grab the headlines, a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon which starred in the James Bond film GoldenEye exceeded its estimate in achieving £1,961,500 and was sold to Spyscape, an education and entertainment company focused on the world of espionage and secret intelligence.

Other highlights included:

- 1960 Ferrari 250 GT PF Coupé sold for £583,900

- The Tulip Rally class winning,1954 AC Ace Roadster sold for £404,700

- The 1977 Porsche 911S that starred in The Bridge sold for seven times its pre-sale estimate, achieving £141,500 with proceeds going to WaterAid.

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