A recent Aston Martin sale at Bonham’s auction shows that the brand is perhaps a touch more valuable to collectors these days. A 1935 Aston Martin Ulster was unloaded for a staggering $4.5 million, marking the first time a pre-war example has reached numbers of that magnitude.
The Aston Martin Ulster was a racing car and this one, LM19, competed in the Ards TT race. These cars were designed with racing in mind, and made their mark at many races in the early to mid 1900s, including the Mille Miglia, Le Mans, RAC TT and the French Grand Prix. The Ulster is special because just 21 cars plus 7 team cars were built and they were incredible. There were minimal differences between a road and racing car during that era, and the Ulster packed a 1.-5-liter 4-cylinder with a single-overhead camshaft that had been used for some time by the brand. Power is flushed to a 4-speed transmission and the rolling chassis is old school aluminum. It has that signature shape that seems to attract gearheads across the globe, and would fit in perfectly among exotic car collections, especially Jay Leno’s.
The rare Aston Martin caused an absolute sensation at Bonham’s auction house, where 3 bidders created an inferno fighting for the right to own the car. The buyer, while anonymous, was a European. The Aston Martin Ulster sold alongside some of the following cars at the sale that day:
- James May’s 1984 Porsche 911 3.2-liter Carrera
- Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 S
- Also Wyman’s 1971 Citroën Maserati SM
- Sir Stirling Moss’s 1961 Porsche RS-61 spyder
- Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR roadster
The event was a phenomenal success, and seemingly with new standards being set for Aston Martin collectors.
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