Paul Newman’s last race winner sells for $275 000

The 700HP V8 Chevrolet Corvette that Paul Newman drove to his last race victory, sold for $275,000 at the RM Auctions Amelia Island event on March 10th.

The movie star kicked off his motor racing career in the early 1970s, inspired by a role playing an Indy 500 driver in the 1969  film “Winning”.

The movie star was a super capable racer, who racked up an impressive list of wins and excellent finishes in sports car racing, including a stunning second place in  24 Hour of Le Mans in 1979.

The red white and blue machine car began life as a Trans Am racer, which was piloted to three wins, eight top-five finishes and five poles by  Butch Leitzinger during the 2002 season.

Newman actively competed in the car and was a fixture at or near the front of the grid from 2003 to 2007. He won his last race at Lime Rock about a year before he died.