A FERRARI that spent much of its life in pieces scattered across woodland sold for £10.8million at the Festival of Speed.

The rebuilt 1954 375-Plus was one of dozens of cars sold at Bonhams auction on the Goodwood Estate at the weekend.

The car was used in iconic road races such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana in 1954.

But the Ferrari has a less-than-glamorous background. It had previously been scattered across woodland in Cincinnati, and, at one point, had a tree growing through its engine bay.

After a fierce battle between deep-pocketed bidders on Saturday the carefully restored car was brought by someone from outside the UK.

Elsewhere a 1902 De Dietrich – formerly part of the Michael Banfield Collection – sold for £998,300.

The vehicle was found during the Second World War when a German bomb demolished the stable it had been in since 1912.

With just four owners from new, the powerful four-cylinder 4078cc De Dietrich is identical in specification to the works racers built for the 1902 Paris-Vienna challenge.

Another collector bought a Lotus F1 car driven by Graham Hill in 1969, shortly after he won his second world championship, for £673,500. Modern vehicles were also given plenty of attention, including one of the most iconic sports cars of the 20th century – a 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 ‘Periscopio’ Coupé – which sold for a record £953,500.

Doug Nye, Bonhams and Goodwood racing car historian, said: “This sale offered a phenomenal range of really special and important cars with their various classes.

“Above all, each of the prime cars offered has links with some of the greatest racing drivers of all time – names like Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Surtees and so many more.

“It’s always a pleasure to see new owners’ delight as the gavel falls. After all, they’re winners too.”

Away from the auction house, gamer turned racer Jann Mardenborough smashed the supercar record for the Goodwood Hillclimb with a sensational performance in a dramatic Michelin Supercar run Saturday afternoon.

Mardenborough, whose only race experience until winning the GT Academy in 2011 had been on his PlayStation, drove a Nissan GTR-NISMO and completed the 1.16-mile Hillclimb in 49.27 seconds.

Lexus, Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, McLaren, Audi, Jaguar, Pagani, Bentley, Maserati, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Sin, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo and Ginetta were represented with ex-Formula 1 racers Bruno Senna and Rupert Keegan and sportscar legend Derek Bell all taking a turn behind the driver’s seat.

Fresh from his pole position at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa wowed the crowd by driving Damon Hill’s 1996 Formula 1 world championship-winning Williams FW18.

Famous faces were also in abundance with Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, England international footballer Glen Johnson, TV presenter Jake Humphrey and rock star Chris Rea all spotted in and out of cars around the estate.

Olympic racing bike hero Sir Chris Hoy was also in the limelight – this time for crashing his £125,000 Nissan GT-R Nismo into straw bales.

Sir Chris emerged unscathed but the car was too badly damaged for him to continue.

He said afterwards: “Well, that was embarrassing. I’m fine but the car looks a bit sore.”