But what is of some wonder is that it was not last year’s Le Mans in which this Aston Martin Ulster placed fifth, nor the year before that, nor even the year before that… its big fifth placing was an amazing 82 years ago in 1935.

Only 31 Aston Martin Ulsters were ever built, of which ten were team cars. Remarkably, 28 of these cars survived.

When it went to auction in Paris in still perfect working order this month, four bidders quickly pushed the final price of the historic race-car past the experts’ estimations of €1.8m, to just over the €2million mark.

The Aston Martin – that had sold new in London for £750 (AU$1,220) back in 1935 – was one of 132 classic and historic vehicles that went to auction under the hammer of prestigious British auction house Bonhams in Paris on February 9.

They ranged from a 1900 Benz single cylinder 4.5hp ‘motorwagen’ that fetched €212,750 (AU$296,000,) to €41,400 or AU$57,400, for a 1947 Cadillac convertible once owned by French pop idol Claude Francois, whose hit “Comme d’habitude” became a Frank Sinatra record-breaker when Ol’ Blue Eyes re-titled and belted it out as “My Way.”

And a rare 1957 Bentley S1 Continental of which only 31 were ever built, sold for €1,070,100 or just under AU$1.5million, while a half-century old 1966 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupe also sold for a touch over €1million… with the Aston Martin making up three vehicles to pass the magic-million price-point on the day.

Amazingly, a few spectacular cars failed to sell on the day, including a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta – bidding stopped just above €500,000.

If you’re in the market for one of these, now is the time to move. It is currently a buyer’s market for Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinettas: four failed to sell at Scottsdale, Arizona earlier this year and a further three were on offer at the Paris auctions, and sold for less than expected.