A new record was set for a rare Aston Martin at auction in Bonhams' sale on May 19

A new world record for a particularly rare Aston Martinwas set at Bonhams on May 19, at a sale dedicated to the British marque at the Aston Martin works in Newport Pagnell, UK.

The DB4GT Zagato - a new record holder

The 13th of its kind, the auction saw a record attendance of 2,000 bidders and realised 6.5m, the highest total yet at the Buckinghamshire works.The record was achieved by a 1991 DB4GT Zagato Sanction II coup, which was formerly owned by Tony Smith, manager of singer Phil Collins. With onlyfour of the 1991 collaboration between Zagato and Aston Martin ever produced, the car has becomeone ofthe most sought afterfrom the DB series. Boasting 352bhp, the Sanction II is able to reach 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of 153mph. It sold for 1.23m ($1.94m) in Saturday's sale, the highest price ever paid for a DB4 Zagato. The Zagato was followed by a 1962 DB4 Vantage Convertible, which brought the second highest bids in the sale. The magnificent saloon was an instant hit for Aston Martin when it was first introduced in 1958, and was the first car to reach 100mph and back to rest again in less than 30 seconds. With single family ownership since new, the machine brought 611,900 at the Bonhams sale.A 1963 DB5, one of thebest loved Aston Martin models, achieved 488,700. Thecar's stunning condition and low mileage was attributed to a complete engine overhaul, completed in 1993 by the Aston Martin Service in Dorset. The modified 1964 DB5 which James Bond drove in the films Thunderball and Goldfinger made 2.6m in 2010. Also featuring in the Bonhams sale was a 1994 Virage Volante, which formerly belonged to Prince Charles.