An auction room applauded a classic Ferrari after it sold for almost £25 million to become the world's most expensive car.

The legendary Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti was capable of doing a staggering 186mph in 1957.

It finished second in the Mille Miglia that year before becoming the first car to average 200kph (124mph) on a lap of the Le Mans circuit.

Unfortunately it didn't finish the gruelling French race but continued to be campaigned around the world by the likes of Stirling Moss.

French auction house Artcurial is set to break the world record for the most expensive car ever sold with one of the most iconic cars in the history of motor racing: the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti

The stunning machine was bought by French collector and racing driver Pierre Bardinon in 1970 and remained part of the family's staggering collection until this week.

Mr Bardinon passed away in 2012 and the family was told to sell the car at a French auction to settle an inheritance tax bill.

It went under the hammer at the high profile Artcurial sale in Paris with interest from around the world.

Marcel Massini, an esteemed Ferrari historian, had previously described it as the 'top of the top'.

Bidding quickly hit 25 million euros (£19.2m) and the hammer eventually went down at 28 million euros (£21.5 m).

With premiums and taxes the final price for the Ferrari was £24.66 million.

This made it a record auction sale in Sterling, beating the £22.8 million price paid for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in 2014.

The Ferrari 335 S Spider left the workshop in 1957 and was fitted with a 3..8-litre V12 engine developing 360bhp.

It finished sixth in the Sebring 12 Hours race and then came second in the Mille Miglia, a daunting 1,000-mile road race in Italy.

The car was then returned to the factory where the engine size was increased to 4.1-litres - boosting power to 400bhp.