A racing thoroughbred, yours for £15m
WOULD you pay £15million for a used car – let alone one that has been in a crash?
When the car in question is a piece of sporting history that belonged to celebrated British racing driver Jim Clark, then maybe you might.
His 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato could become the most valuable British car ever auctioned in Europe when it is sold later this year.
Known as 2 VEV after its registration, it was raced by two-time Formula One world champion Clark in the 1960s, notably at Goodwood. In 1962 he famously span the car on a corner there, crashing into fellow racing legend John Surtees.
This July the car will return to Goodwood to go under the hammer at the annual Festival Of Speed at the West Sussex estate. It is one of only 19 models with a body built by Zagato, the Italian design house from which it takes its name.
Auctioneer Bonhams said the car had an estimate of ‘more than £10million’, and last year Aston Martin itself valued it at £15million. That is more than 4,000 times the £ ,600 paid by the family of the current owner in 1971.
The most expensive British car auctioned in the UK is a Bentley ‘Blower’ sold in 2012 for £5.4million. Last year an Aston Martin DBR1 became the most expensive British car ever, selling for £17.5million in Monterey, California.
Clark, regarded as one of the greatest ever drivers, was only 2 when he was killed in a 170mph crash in 1968.