(December 3, 2012) LONDON — The magnificent "Birkin" Bentley, which set a world record for a British car at auction when it sold for £5 million earlier this year, roared past its opposition to take the Car of the Year award at the 2012 International Historic Motoring Awards, in association with EFG International Private Banking and Octane magazine.

The 1931 4 ½ Litre Supercharged Bentley set the Outer Circuit record of 137.96 mph at Brooklands in 1932, in the hands of Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin; a truly hair-raising feat.

Eighty years later, following the death of its owner, legendary watchmaker George Daniels, the car set another record when it was sold at Bonhams for £5 million. The combination of unimpeachable provenance, auction excitement and sheer beauty found in this single-seater machine clearly caught the imagination of the historic motoring enthusiasts who voted to award it the Car of the Year title, sponsored by LUXX magazine.

Setting the tone for the evening, guests arriving at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel were greeted by an unforgettable quartet of rare and hugely valuable historic cars, with James Bond’s personal transport — the iconic 1963 Aston Martin DB5 that starred with Daniel Craig in Skyfall — lining up alongside the extraordinarily beautiful Bentley ‘Embiricos’ Special, together with a superb Ford GT40 and the famous Lindner Nöcker lightweight E-type Jaguar.

Five-times Le Mans winner and double World Sports Car Champion Derek Bell acted as Master of Ceremonies for the event, and he was joined on stage by ‘the voice of Formula One’, Murray Walker, to pay tribute to the winner of the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award, Murray’s long-time friend, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, who he summed up by saying “If ever there was an aristocratic petrolhead, it’s Edward Montagu.”

The winners were:

    Car of the Year – ‘Birkin’ Bentley
    Lifetime Achievement – Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
    Museum or Collection of the Year – The National Motor Museum
    Motoring Event of the Year – Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance
    Personal Achievement of the Year – Jeremy Jackson-Sytner and Graham Sharpe (Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance)
    Restoration of the Year – Paul Russell & Co. for the 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S
    Motorsport Event of the Year - Goodwood Revival
    Race Series of the Year – Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy
    Publication of the Year - Inside the Paddock (David Cross)
    Club of the Year – Aston Martin Owners Club

Robert Coucher, International Editor for Octane, said, “This was the second year the awards have been held, and we have been delighted at how the number and spread of nominations have grown in such a short period of time. We had a truly international shortlist, and an international panel of judges, underlining the worldwide appeal of historic motoring and historic motorsport. It is an industry which gives employment to a huge number of people – and gives enjoyment to many, many more.”

Nominations were assessed by an international panel of expert judges, including Jay Leno, Derek Bell, car designers Ian Callum and Peter Stevens, Horst Brüning of FIVA, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (responsible for global coordination of Volkswagen Group's Classic activities), motoring journalists Robert Coucher and Tony Dron, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Chief Judge Ed Gilbertson, Bruce Meyer (founding Chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum), and Lady Susie Moss, wife of the legendary Sir Stirling Moss.