CHICHESTER, ENGLAND — An original, never restored yet well preserved 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder was a runaway success at Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale on September 10, fetching $6.1 million.

James Knight, Bonhams International Group Motoring Director and auctioneer on the day, said, “We’ve had an excellent Goodwood Revival sale, totaling 14.5 million British pounds ($19.3 million). The saleroom was packed full of enthusiastic bidders, with clients phoning in from all around the globe, leading us to sell more than 70 percent of lots, and creating a world record price for a Porsche 550 Spyder.”

“The top lot of the auction is an icon of 1950s sports car design, the gloriously original 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder. The car attracted much attention from bidders, with increments rising by hundreds of thousands until the gavel finally fell. The car is so original, that you could travel back in time 60 years and find it in much the same condition. It’s exactly how a 550 would have looked, smelt and felt like when James Dean famously purchased his example back in 1955.”

Throughout the 1950s, the Porsche 550 was one of motor sports’ most dominant race cars, out-performing almost all other models in its class. The little Porsches were extremely quick in a straight line – having a claimed top speed of some 220km/h – 137mph – and accelerating from 0-100km/h – 62mph – in less than 10 seconds.

The 1950 Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica also sold well, achieving $812,605. The car was famously campaigned by great racing driver Roy Salvadori in the early 1950s. Elsewhere, tenacious bidding for a 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage 4.2-Liter Sports Saloon, finally soaring above estimate to achieve $606,257.

For more information, www.bonhams.com.