A new world record auction price for any Jaguar was achieved yesterday at an auction taking place during the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
An avid vintage car collector forked out almost $4.4 million for a 1955 Jaguar D-Type that once belonged to Nigel Moores. Moores was the nephew of Sir John Moores, founder of a department store chain known as Littlewoods, as well as the Littlewoods soccer pools empire.
The record-setting example sold at auction was the first D-Type to roll off the line in 1955, a car raced by Lou Brero Sr. during the 1956 American season, during which it was just pipped for first place at Eagle Mountain, Texas by none other than Carrol Shelby in a Ferrari [NYSE:RACE] 121 LM.
While this would have certainly added to the value of the car, the real clincher was its maintenance of original parts which includes the original 3.4-liter engine and original subframe and tub. The auction house Bonhams declared the vintage Jag to be one of the "most original D-Types in existence."
The previous best price for any Jaguar sold at auction was $3.4 million.
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