Rare Aston Martin sells for £1.23 million

An ultra-rare Aston Martin has been sold at auction for £1.23 million pounds as part of auctioneers Bonhams’ Aston Martin Works sale last weekend.

The sale of the DB4GT Zagato Sanction II Coupé set a new world record for such a car at auction and contributed towards a total event sale value of £6.5 million.

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Only 19 original DB4GT Zagatos were ever made, making the model an extremely sought after example. In 1991 a limited run of four DB4GT Zagato Sanction II Coupés were commissioned to officially commemorate the original models.

These newer cars utilised original 1960s chassis and employed a larger 352hp 4.2-litre straight-six engine – the ‘60s cars used a 3.7-litre unit – mated to a period four-speed manual gearbox.

This meant the Sanction II could reach 60mph from rest in 5.5 seconds and 100mph in 12.2, running on to a top speed of 153mph.

Another DB4 variant recorded the second highest sale price at the auction – a 1962 Vantage Convertible went for £611,900, while classic Astons rounded out the top three spots, with a 1963 DBS Convertible selling for £488,700.

Other interesting lots included a unique 1971 Aston Martin DBS shooting brake estate originally ordered by a Scottish laird to use for his fishing trips. It sold for £345,000, despite its guide price of between £50,000 and £70,000.

International Managing Director of Collectors Cars at Bonhams, James Knight said: “This once again shows the steady rise of interest in Aston Martin cars that we have seen since we started these sales at Aston Martin Works.”