Bonhams raised £463,500 for the ex-K Lee Guinness 1922 Sunbeam ‘Strasbourg GP’ works racer (main image) at its Festival of Speed sale, but the ‘million-pound’ GT40, as developed and raced by Ray Bellm over recent years, and the ’72 East African Safari-winning Escort stayed put, though with serious interest above £70,000 after the sale.

Celebrity chef James Martin bought ‘8 EMO’, the ex-Paddy Hopkirk 1963 RAC Mini Cooper S now restored to its 1965 1275S spec, for £67,500; and GRX 555D, the 1966 Mini that was famously denied victory in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally with Timo Makinen, fetched £56,500 despite now being a total restoration project.

Bonhams pointed out that it has never failed to sell an ex-works Mini. Competition cars are notoriously hard work at auction, but a good mix of desirable classics such as a lovely Maserati 3500GT by Touring (£65,300) helped the overall sale rate to 64%, or 42 cars out of 66 offered.