Record Aussie sale

A mystery Australian buyer has paid a world record $1.5 million for an historic Formula One race car.

The 1963 F1 world championship-winning Lotus 25 driven by Jim Clark brought $1,525,500 (including buyer’s premium) after spirited international bidding at the Bonhams and Goodman sale in Sydney yesterday.

"It is certainly a world record for a Lotus and we believe it to be an Australian record for any car," Bonhams and Goodman's Robert Glover said.

"The really nice story is that we had bidders from Japan, the United States and Europe but the car is staying in Australia."

Mr Glover said the buyer was a "known keen enthusiast" but had requested confidentiality on the sale.

Against predictions of recession-hit bidding Mr Glover said the sale had realised $5.2 million, a 90 per cent clearance rate by estimated value.

"The sales were still very much driven by passion rather than any attempts to recession-proof," Mr Glover said.

He said that while rarity was what made many of the lots so attractive, buyers who desired one of the cars or bikes at the sale were prepared to go to great lengths to obtain them.

The record breaking Lotus was the jewel of the John Dawson-Damer collection.

Dawson-Damer was killed competing in a Lotus at the Goodwood festival in England in 2000 and his collection of six historic Lotus cars went under the hammer at the weekend.