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1956 Jaguar sets record

Posted on 23 August, 2016

A Jaguar that won the Le Mans race in 1956 has set a record for being the most expensive British car sold at auction. Stuff.co.nz reports that the 1955 Jaguar D-Type sold for NZ$29.9 million. Auctioneer RM Sotheby’s says estimates showed that the model could have sold for as much as $34 million and that it is only the fourth British car to sell for more than $13m at auction. The first Shelby Cobra, from 1962, was also under the hammer at the auction, which took place in Monterey, California, selling for $18.7 million, making it the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. The CSX 2000 was the first Cobra racer ever produced by Carroll Shelby. When the car was first created, the company was on such a tight budget that Shelby famously had the car repainted in different colours for every car magazine shoot, so that it would look like he had more of the models than he actually did. Ian Kelleher, managing director of the auctioneer’s West Coast division in the US, says: “These outstanding prices achieved at our flagship sale are a reassuring sign that the market remains healthy and vibrant.”