As Dave Kinney says, RM shifted most of the cars at Battersea – 92 out of 103, for a 90% sale rate – yet in anticipation of the ‘Most Famous Car in the World’ waiting in its own studio set in the centre of the room, two of the big lots passed almost unnoticed. Auctioneer Max Girardo worked the crowd hard all night, popping from his rostrum like a besuited jack-in-the box and flitting fluently between at least three languages while never missing a trick, but could but draw no more than £1.75m for the ex-Masten Gregory 1952 Jaguar C-type ‘015’, or £575,000 for the mint two-owner, 9000-mile Ferrari Enzo.

Both were close things; as was the Hiller helicopter ‘flown’ by Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, which bid to £160k, though another Bond prop, a Jaguar XKR (with Ford V8 and 4wd from an Explorer) used in the ice chase scene in Die Another Day, and latterly displayed in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, sold for £56,000. A pack of Aston Martins included a DB6 Volante at £296,800, and Max got the two Miuras away, the SV for £700,000 and the SVJ for £728,000, with all numbers rounded up slightly.

One side of the room – and this would have been big news at any other sale - was lined with the Hooper Corporate Collection, an eclectic mix belonging to Hooper owner John W Dick, many of which have been residing at his palatial St John’s Manor on Jersey, including a 1955 Mercedes Gullwing used on the Mille Miglia at £420,000, ‘The Sorceror’, a recreation of the famous ‘AX 201’ Silver Ghost at £168,000, and a copper-bodied 1930 Phantom II for £114,800, all of these 22 cars selling and most at no reserve.

Nearly six hours after Max announced the first lot at 4pm, and with most of the cars having changed hands, the remainder of the audience faded into the Battersea night after a night of grand automotive theatre; too shattered to be shaken or stirred.

Paul Hardiman