Bonhams chairman Robert Brooks, who conducted the auction and set a previous world record a generation ago when he sold a Bugatti Royale for £5million at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “I have handled some of the world’s most desirable and important motor cars during a motoring auction career spanning five decades, but I have reached a peak today with this legendary Grand Prix car.
"It was a personal privilege to preside over the sale of this vehicle, which is not only one of the most significant motor cars of the 20th century, but also the most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered for sale.”
The overwhelming interest in the Silver Arrow didn't mean that the rest of the lots were knocked down at bargain prices.
The second star lot, the ex-Bill Spear/Sherwood Johnson 1955 Maserati 300S may have paled into insignificance as a result, but there was nothing insignificant about the result when it topped £4million. In any other sale, this would have been big news.
Another big seller was the Viscount Ridley Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans, which was knocked down for £1,905,000 including premium.
Vintage Mercs and Royces also proved their enduring appeal with an Erdmann & Rossi-bodied 1928 630K selling for over £800k and a 1937 540K Sports Saloon selling for £528k. On the Rolls front a 1913 Silver Ghost with wonderful history sold for £718,000.
The power of celebrity was proven when the ex-John Lennon 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 that was withdrawn at the last minute when it was last listed for sale, did find a new owner having rocketed to £359k. To show the value of Lennon's name a similar car without Beatles connections was sold for 'just' £141,500.
A real cognoscenti Ferrari, a 1965 Superfast, prompted a bit of a bidding war before selling for a mammoth £852,700.
Meanwhile the ex-Sir John Whitmore, European Touring Car Championship-winning Lotus Cortina lived up to its hype, making a staggering £183,500.
And the fever created by the sale of NOJ 393 continued when its ex-Le Mans stablemate NOJ 392 bid quickly to just shy of £800k.
Similarly, Aston Martin fever shows no sign of abating, with a 1964 DB5 Convertible bidding to a mighty £533,500.
Bentley Continental R-type fastbacks have become highly desirable in the recent years and now command half a million pounds (£539k to be precise), an amount that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
Lagondas seem to be coming good, too, with a rash of cars all selling well. The ex-Alan Good 1936 LG45 Rapide was high-flying at £617k, while the 1936 Rapier Granville Grenfell Supercharged Sports made a tempting £63k.
There were some decent buys, though, with a 1993 Diablo struggling to just over £50k and a 1963 Porsche 356B fully kitted out for rallies going for 'just' £31,000.
Bargain of the sale was a toss up between a Works-prepped but needing works Austin-Healey 3000 at £24,150 and a 1970 Ferrari 365GT 2+2 at £63k.
You could have had both for half the price of the numberplate NO 1, which sold for £133k.
