They don't get much rarer than this, and that should be reflected in the hammer price. The car in this grainy black and white photo could soon become the most expensive ever sold by Christie's auction house. The 1939 Auto Union D-Type is one of only two remaining in existence, and has been valued at up to $15 million. It will be sold at the prestigious annual Retromobile fair in Paris on 17 February.



Formed at the amalgamation of four German car companies, Auto Union is the precursor to the modern Audi brand. The car develops 460 hp and has a top speed of 205 mph. It was driven to victory in Grand Prix events in both France and Yugoslavia during the late Thirties. The example shown here is piloted by Tazio Nuvolari.



Its most recent history involved an American called Paul Karassik, who found both cars stripped down to their parts in the former Soviet Union in the Eighties. He brought them to the U.K., and had them reassembled by experts with the full support of Audi. The German firm bought one, but the other - the vehicle to be auctioned - has been in private hands.