MENU

НОМЕ

Car fleet

For sale

SERVICES

BLOG

Reviews

Contacts

About us

EN

MENU

06 451 1357

Via Filippo Meda, 183, 00157 Roma RM

9.00-13.00 / 15.00-19.30

Phone
06.451.1357

Hours
9.00-13.00 / 15.00-19.30

Via Filippo Meda, 183, 00157 Roma RM

WhatApp

Hours
9.00-13.00 / 15.00-19.30
Via Filippo Meda, 183, 00157 Roma RM

Call now

The 12 Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction (Photos)

21 November 2018

Home
/
Blog
/
The 12 Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction (Photos)

There are few better ways to spend a Sunday morning than leafing through classifieds and dreaming of an MG or Triumph. But at the opposite end of the classic-car market lies something far more intense: the frenzied atmosphere of a vintage car auction. Here, the world’s greatest automobiles change hands for absurd sums—often eight figures. We’ve selected the highest-priced cars ever sold at public auction and ranked them. Let’s begin with…

12. 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta “Competizione” – $12.8 million

One of just three entries campaigned by Ferrari’s factory team at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, this chassis was driven by world champions Mike Hawthorn, Alberto Ascari and Nino Farina.
11. 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 – $22.5 million (£17.5 million)

The most expensive British car ever sold at auction, this DBR1 was hailed by Sir Stirling Moss as the most important Aston Martin ever built.
10. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM – $14.3 million (£9.4 million)

The last Ferrari to win Le Mans, the 250 LM took the checkered flag in 1965.
9. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – $15.2 million (£10.0 million)

Of the 56 short-wheelbase California Spiders produced, this Pebble Beach example was one of an even rarer batch fitted with a removable hardtop.
8. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – $16.4 million (£10.8 million)

While Testa Rossa variants won Le Mans in 1958, 1960 and 1961, the world-record sale Gooding & Company achieved in 2011 was for the prototype.
7. 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Competizione – $18.4 million (£12.1 million)

At last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Bonhams sold a 1954 375 Plus for £10.7 million.
6. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – $18.5 million (£12.2 million)

One of 59 barn-find classics auctioned off last year, this California Spider once belonged to French actor Alain Delon, who was famously photographed with Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine.
5. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale – $26.4 million (£17.4 million)

Just three of these were built, each featuring a lightweight aluminum body and a 3.2-liter, 316-hp V12 engine.
4. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider – €27.5 million (£18.2 million)

Only ten open-top Spiders were made at the behest of then North American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti.
3. 1954 Mercedes W196 – $29.6 million (£19.5 million)

The sole non-Ferrari in the top ten, this W196 was driven by five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio and won numerous Grands Prix. It set a world-record price at Bonhams’ Goodwood sale in 2013.
2. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $38.1 million (£25.1 million)

Homologated for just 39 units instead of the planned 100, the 250 GTO’s rarity, beauty and racing success made it the world’s most famous car—until it was narrowly outsold by…
1. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $48.4 million (£37.7 million)

This early GTO (chassis No. 3) became the most valuable car ever sold at auction in August 2018, when three phone bidders drove the price to $44 million hammer price at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale (final price including fees: $48.4 million). Its racing résumé includes the 1962 Italian GT Championship and class wins at the 1963 and 1964 Targa Florio. It still has its original engine, gearbox, rear axle and Series II bodywork.

Though it set a public-auction record, it falls more than $20 million short of the $70 million reportedly paid in a private sale last month—for yet another Ferrari 250 GTO.

Choose the car you need for your event and order now with a single click.