THE first hand-built Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate has raised almost £700,000 for charity, taking centre stage at an auction at the Action Innocence Charity Gala in Gstaad, Switzerland.

The first example of the coupe model was donated by Aston Martin Lagonda and became the star lot of the auction as it accelerated beyond estimates to support the auction's proceeds, which totalled upwards of £4 million and will benefit the online safety foundation's work in Switzerland.

The car sold for £697,035 at the sale.

Billed as a farewell to Aston Martin's Super GT flagship, the DBS 770 Ultimate is the most powerful production Aston Martin ever made.

Built in strictly limited numbers, all examples of the highly desirable model were sold ahead of its release last month.

The special model sold at the auction is in Aston Martin's Ultramarine Black paint, with Trophy Silver livery touches and a Q by Aston Martin Cote d'Azure Blue interior.

Andreas Bareis, regional president of Aston Martin in Europe, said: "We are delighted to contribute to the Action Innocence Charity Gala, which has become one of the most important philanthropic events in the Gstaad resort, a key destination for Aston Martin and our customers in Europe.

"It is fantastic to see this unique DBS 770 Ultimate model raise such significant funds for charity and generate incredible excitement at the Gala, as such an iconic model in Aston Martin's breath-taking product portfolio."