A car with as chequered a past as the 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT MP209 Zagato Grand Touring Two-Seat Coupe would undoubtedly be the Holy Grail for any true auto-enthusiast. Unsurprisingly then, it proved one of the biggest draws at the recently-concluded Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale, going for HK$102 million after a protracted bidding war.

It’s an unsurprising valuation for such a unique car. Not only is it one of just 20 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagatos ever produced, it’s also one of only three Zagatos with the ‘MP209’ specification – a testimony to its lightness – that the marque ever built. Add to that its distinctive UK road-registration number plate – 2 VEV – and it’s probably the most distinctive competition coupe to have ever come out of the highly-competitive Essex Racing Stable.

This quasi-works team car – the chassis of which proved to be the prototype for later racing cars – had a mixed record on the track, however. While it recorded a spectacular win at the 1961 British Grand Prix, it overheated and malfunctioned at the Le Mans 24-Hours Race later that year. Eventually, the Aston Marton DB4GT Zagato became a concours regular, much admired for its spectacular history and groundbreaking design.