1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £18.6m
The list of names to have piloted this Scaglietti-bodied car reads like a roll call of great racers from the ’50s, with everyone from Phil Hill to Richie Ginther and Juan Manuel Fangio to Masten Gregory having raced it in period. But none enjoyed more success with the car than the late, great Carroll Shelby who drove it to eight wins and 10 podiums – the best run of results he achieved in any single car. It was sold complete with the first (1956) and last (1958) trophies he won with it, along with its original 1957 Nassau race licence plate.

1984 Ford Escort RS Turbo Sold by Silverstone Auctions, £722,500
Classic ‘fast Fords’ have become hugely sought-after but this Escort RS Turbo had the additional appeal of belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales. Custom-built, it was the only black Series 1.

1934 Ford ‘Gilmore Special’ Sold by Bonhams, £28,500
Not by any means the most expensive car sold at Monterey Car Week but for anyone in search of pure racing thrills, this was difficult to beat. Push start, four cylinders and rear brakes only.

1964 Aston Martin DB5 Sold by Broad Arrow Auctions, £2.1m
One of the highlights of Broad Arrow’s inaugural auction was this Aston that belonged to the late Sean Connery. The Bond star bought the DB5 in 2018, just two years before his death.

2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo Sold by Gooding & Company, £4.7m
One of just 17 RS Spyders built, this is powered by a 3.4-litre V8 engine producing 503bhp at a screaming 10,300rpm. It was described by the vendor as a “remarkably user-friendly racing car”.

1931 Bentley 8 litre Sold by Silverstone auctions, £585,000
This 8 litre was originally bought by the Duke of Leinster for £2200 with ‘concealed head’ coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly. It was converted to open four-seat configuration in the 1970s.

1972 Datsun 240Z Sold by Gooding & Company, £43,500
The coolest of all Japanese cars, the 240Z looks as stylish today as it did when launched in 1969. Few have survived the ravages of time as well as this example, which had covered just 59,000 miles.

1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £7.8m
Claimed to be the most famous Hispano-Suiza in the world, this was commissioned by drinks tycoon and gentleman racer André Dubonnet and campaigned by him in the 1924 Targa Florio and Coppa Florio. The entire body of the car is built from mahogany.

Forthcoming sale highlights

● Bonhams, Stafford, October 15-16 Bonhams’ bi-annual Stafford motorcycle sale has grown into a bumper affair that invariably features more than 350 lots. This autumn’s event has dozens of ultra-collectible machines, including one of the first 200 ‘green frame’ Ducati 750 SS café racers built (£140,000-£170,000) and a rare Vincent Black Prince that was sold as a box of bits for £91,000 in 2014. Now fully restored, it is estimated at £50,000-£60,000. Ouch!

● H&H, Duxford, October 19 H&H returns to the hangars of the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, which is highlighted by a remarkable 1925 Bentley 3 Litre Speed model bought by the vendor’s family in 1939 and used as a runabout for business relating to the Ministry of Aircraft production. Up, running and in fabulous patinated condition, it could realise as much as £180,000. Also pre-war is a 1934 Alvis Speed 20SB Flatback, supplied new to Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster.

● RM Sotheby’s, October 29 More than 40 cars and a similar quantity of memorabilia from the collection of the Newman/Haas racing team will cross the block in this one-of-a-kind auction. Items amassed by the phenomenally successful CART and Champ Car team founded in 1983 by Carl Haas and actor-turned-racer Paul Newman include Lola, Dallara and Swift chassis. Race kit worn by Newman/Haas stars including Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell is also up for grabs.

● Sotheby’s, New York, December 9 This sale of collectible watches includes a Rolex Cosmograph and Rolex GMT-Master given to stuntman, NASCAR racer and speed hero Stan Barrett by his friend, the film star Paul Newman. Barrett wore both watches while piloting the Budweiser Rocket car to an unofficial, sound-barrier-breaking 739.666mph at California’s Edwards Air Force Base in December 1979. The pair are expected to make more than £500,000 between them.