Maserati Sells for Record £4m

And we thought we were pushing the boat out when we treated ourselves to a new air freshener for our car the other day.

One wealthy car enthusiast is now £4m poorer, but one 1955 Maserati 300s richer, after an auction bidding war led to the model selling for a world record price - almost double the previous amount paid for one of the classic two-seaters.

It has been described by Sir Stirling Moss as "one of the easiest, nicest, best balanced racing cars ever made", with this particular car being the third of its kind ever made. Originally owned by racing driver Bill Spear, it has since passed through several careful hands before being put up for auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Amazingly, this wasn't the most expensive car bought on the day; that honour went to a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 which fetched a cool £19,601,500.

You could buy 2,802 Corsas for that. Maybe we'll go mad and get that deluxe car wash after all.