MONTEREY, CA.- The iconic 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Lightweight Racing Car, chassis P/1074, used extensively as a camera car in the legendary Hollywood film, Le Mans, sold for a remarkable $11,000,000 before a packed house at a href="http://www.rmauctions.com" target="_blank">RM’s Monterey, California sale last night (August 17), setting a new world record for an American automobile sold at auction.

The first, by serial number, of several lightweight GT40s built for the J.W.A./Gulf team, this exceptional racing car was completed in 1968 and carries an incredible history from new. Finished in the Gulf team colors of Powder Blue with a Marigold stripe, it raced extensively throughout 1968 from Daytona to Le Mans, as well as the Le Mans trials at the hands of Jacky Ickx before it was sold to Solar Productions in 1970 and used in the making of Steve McQueen’s Le Mans. A star attraction of this weekend’s RM sale, the GT40 spurred a spirited bidding war in the room, eventually selling for a sensational $11,000,000 to a standing ovation from the crowd.

The GT40 led a series of seven individual million-dollar-plus sales during Day 1 of RM’s highly anticipated Monterey sale, including an exceptionally rare 1955 Ferrari 410 S for $8,250,000 and the supremely elegant, Pebble Beach ‘Best of Show’ winning 1938 Horch 853A Special Roadster for $5,170,000.

RM Monterey Million-Dollar-Plus Sales (Friday)

1. 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Lightweight Racing Car - $11,000,000 (world record for an American automobile sold at auction)

2. 1955 Ferrari 410 S - $8,250,000 (world record for a Ferrari 410 S sold at auction)

3. 1938 Horch 853A Special Roadster - $5,170,000 (world record for a Horch sold at auction)

4.1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Teardrop Coupe - $2,640,000

5. 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra - $1,485,000

6. 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR - $1,100,000

7. 2001 Audi R8 Le Mans Prototype Racing Car - $1,034,000

Additional notable Friday sales included:

· a highly original 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Mk II, just one lady owner from new, well-surpassed its pre-sale estimate, selling for $792,000;

· a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS ‘Chairs and Flares’ attracted fierce bidding, realizing a world record price of $467,500; and,

· a perfectly preserved, time capsule 1989 Ferrari Testarossa also entered the history books, doubling its pre-sale estimate to sell for a world record $264,000.