Gallery: Click below to view images of the top Mercedes-Benz models auctioned in London - and a half-million pound Aston

A pair of classic 1950s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL 'Gullwing' models rounded up the mega Merc haul, with a 1954 300 SL AMG model going under the hammer at £451,000, and a 1956 300 SL selling for £302,000, before tax.

The super-rare Mercs were sold at the annual RM Auctions 'Automobiles of London' event held in south London's striking Battersea Evolution Centre.

The event - which two years ago saw F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone sell a vintage Mercedes-Benz roadster for over £2 million - played host to automobile collectors from across the globe.

And the smell of petrol and metal was complemented by the overwhelming stench of cash - punters came with their wallets open.

Speaking to Auto Trader, Malcolm Page, winning bidder for the £616,000 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster said: "I'm buying it for my boss."

Page was seen bidding for the CLK GTR Coupe, which went up for auction before its Roadster sibling, but was outbid in the end.

"My boss won't fit in the Coupe", Malcom said. "But if the Coupe had gone for a slighter cheaper price we would have bought the pair of them".

Mercedes made 25 CLK GTRs, of which just five were Roadster versions, built to meet FIA racing standards. This particular CLK GTR Roadster has covered just 34kms - 21 miles - and is equipped with a 6.9-litre V12 engine developing a prodigious 612bhp.

The 300 SL AMG model is even rarer than the GTR - Mercedes' tuning arm AMG built 11 bespoke AMG 300 SL models between 1996 and 2009, with five going to the Brunei Royal family. This particular model boasts a 6-litre V8 engine producing 380bhp and a limited top speed of 155mph. The AMG 300 SLs are kitted out with loads of AMG goodies including brakes, wheels, suspension and interior. The conversion is said to cost close to £1 million.

But not everything went for eye-watering sums. The biggest shock of the night came when a classic, mint condition 1963 ATS 2500 GT went for just £280,000 - from a projected auction price of £1,000,000.

Away from the German exotica on display there was a treat for fans of classic British supercars - a 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car.

This particular DB2 was once run by Aston founder David Brown, who sold it his 'personal friend' Gerald Lascelles - first cousin to the Queen. Lascelles owned the car for the next 52 years, and so the Aston boasts 'one previous owner'.

The 2.5-litre straight-six engined DB2 Team Car went under the hammer for an astonishing £550,000.