Any car that carries the Shelby name instantly becomes a valuable collector piece the moment it rolls off of the assembly line. That said, some Shelbys are simply worth more than others, sometimes even those Shelby vehicles that aren’t even Shelbys at all. To what do we refer? How about the $7 million Ford GT40 prototype that was sent to Carroll Shelby after a dismal start at the hands of former Aston Martin boss John Wyer.

So despite the fact that this prototype GT40 has caught fire, and has as many DNFs as it does actual race finishes, the fact that Carroll Shelby graced it with his hand made it worth all the more. Hemmings Auto Blog reports that on the auction block, this unique piece of history fetched an amazing $7 million.

At its first outing on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the GT40 qualified in eighth but ended up finishing in 47th place after the engine caught fire. Determined to beat Ferrari, Ford handed over the GT40 project to Carroll Shelby. Under Shelby, the best finish this GT40 ever managed was third place at the 1965 Daytona Continental, its only podium finish before being retired.

More importantly though, this prototype helped launch the GT40 model’s amazing racing career that resulted in numerous Le Mans victories. While this car may not have done much winning itself, with a little help from Carroll Shelby, it served as the catalyst for years of Ford domination, helping write one of the greatest racing stories ever told.

That’s why it sold for $7 million.