The 25 most expensive cars sold at auction

Auction prices longer than telephone numbers

Following a special sale held by RM Sotheby’s in New York, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO has become one of the most expensive cars to ever be auctioned.

With unique provenance and a prestigious racing pedigree, the 250 GTO was always likely to achieve an enormous auction price.

To show just what the Ferrari has beaten, we have compiled the 25 most valuable cars ever sold at auction. For ease of comparison, the values are represented in US dollars at the time of their original sale.

Although classic Ferraris dominate the list, other car manufacturers are represented, with a few modern supercars even making the cut.

25. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – $17,160,000

That the first car on our list had a selling price of more than $17,000,000 should act as a warning for how high the numbers will go.

The Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was sold at the Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction in 2016. This 1961 example was the 22nd SWB California Spider built and one of the 37 desirable covered-headlight cars. It also featured in an Italian film starring Sophia Loren.

24. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM – $17,600,000

One of only 32 Ferrari 250 LMs built, this car was ordered new by Ronald Fry, a descendant of the famous Fry family who made their fortune in the chocolate industry. The 1964 car, which was shown at the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show, made a sweet fortune at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in 2015.

23. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione – $18,150,000

One of only nine alloy-bodied Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spiders, this 1959 example finished fifth overall at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring. It sold for $18.15m at Pebble Beach in 2016, where sales fell 14 percent from 2015.

22. 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Competizione – $18,400,177

Constructed purely for racing, this Ferrari 375 Plus Spider was one of five built. Its history includes competitive action at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia, which partly explains why it made $18.4m at the Bonhams Goodwood sale in 2014.

21. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – $18,454,300

You might recall the remarkable Baillon barn-find collection unearthed in France in 2014. More than 60 cars, including this Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, were stashed away by a wealthy collector and then forgotten about. The 2015 auction achieved $28.5m in sales, with the Ferrari selling for $18.5m.

20. 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta – $18,900,000

Also sold by Artcurial, this Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta is one of only five examples ever built. Before the Retromobile event, Artcurial predicted it could sell for up to $25m, but it only just made the lower estimate.

19. 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider – $19,800,000

Billed as the Italian equivalent of the Bugatti Atlantic by auctioneers RM Sotheby’s, this 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider made $19.8m at Monterey Car Week in 2016. At the time of sale, it was the most expensive pre-war car to sell at auction.

18. 1994 McLaren F1 LM Specification – $19,805,000

Proving that not every car on this list is a classic Ferrari, this is the first of two McLaren F1s to feature. One of two examples converted by McLaren to LM specification, it came with the Extra-High Downforce Kit and more power from its BMW-supplied V-12 engine.

This car was sold as part of the RM Sotheby’s Monterey event in 2019, making it the most expensive vehicle auctioned during that ‘Car Week’.

17. 1995 McLaren F1 – $20,465,000

Surpassing its pre-auction estimate by more than $5m, this McLaren F1 was sold by Gooding & Company during 2021. Although all F1s are rare, with only 64 being produced, this paint used for this example made it even more special.

Finished in a one-off hue called Creighton Brown, this particular F1 was the 25th production example built. Inside, the three-seat cockpit is finished in Light Tan and Dark Brown leather.

16. 1963 Aston Martin DP215 – $21,455,000

This one-off DP215 sold for £21.45m on day one of the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in 2018 and is the second most expensive Aston Martin to sell at auction. It was clocked doing 198.6 mph on the Mulsanne Straight during the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hours.

15. 1955 Jaguar D-Type – $21,780,000

Speaking of Le Mans, this 1955 Jaguar D-Type was the overall winner of the famous race in 1956 and is the only Le Mans-winning C- or D-Type that has survived intact and remained essentially true to its original form. “Unequivocally one of the most important and valuable Jaguars in the world,” said RM Sotheby’s. Quite.

14. 1935 Duesenberg SSJ – $22,000,000

The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ formerly owned by actor Gary Cooper sold for $22m at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach sale, setting a record for the most expensive pre-war car at auction. It also became the most expensive American car sold at auction.

13. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM - $22,005,000

Surpassing the Duesenberg by just $5,000, surprisingly this is not the most expensive Ferrari 290 MM on our list. This is despite it being used as an official Ferrari works race car during 1956 and 1957, and winning the Nassau Trophy with Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel. It was sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2018 in an event hosted at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

12. 1957 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider – $22,005,000

Sold for the exact same price as the preceding Ferrari 290 MM, the RM Sotheby’s 2022 Monterey auction was where this Ferrari 410 Sport Spider crossed the block.

With bodywork by Scaglietti, this is said to be one of only two factory-campaigned 410 Sports equipped with a 24-plug 4.9 V-12. The legendary Carroll Shelby won more races behind the wheel of this Ferrari than any other racing car in his motorsport career.

11. 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 – $22,550,000

This is the most valuable British car, a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 that sold for $22.55m at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in 2017. Its racing history includes overall victory at the 1959 Nurburgring 1,000km, along with drives by some of the greatest names in motorsport, including Carroll Shelby, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham.

10. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB-C Speciale – $26,400,000

Only three Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciales were built to compete in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours, which is why the first car produced made $26.4m at RM’s Monterey sale in 2014.

9. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB-4S NART Spider – $27,500,000

Amazingly, even with a sale price of $27.5m, this 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider wasn’t the most expensive car to sell at auction in 2013. We’ll come back to that in the moment, but this single-ownership Ferrari was one of only 10 cars built, hence the eyebrow-raising price. Lawrence Stroll, now the owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, was the winning bidder.

8. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM – $28,050,000

This 1956 Ferrari 290 MM headlined the RM Sotheby’s ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale and was the most expensive car to sell at auction in 2015. It was built for Formula One legend Juan Manuel Fangio and was one of only four 290 MMs built.

7. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 – $29,600,000

This was previously the most expensive German car, and the most expensive Mercedes-Benz, to sell at auction. It does still retain the title of being the most expensive auction car of 2013, at least.

The Mercedes-Benz W196 also manages to disrupt the Ferrari monopoly at the top of this table. Fangio raced the car to victory in the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix.

6. 1967 Ferrari 412 P Berlinetta – $30,255,000

This year’s Bonhams The Quail Auction saw an exceptionally rare and desirable Ferrari sports car racer up for sale. As one of only four examples of the 412 P built, this car was originally delivered to the Maranello Concessionaires team in early 1967.

Entered into the 1000kms of Spa endurance race, driven by Lucien Bianchi and Richard Attwood, the 412 P finished in third place. At the end of the year, the points from the Spa podium finish would help Ferrari take the World Championship of Makes, adding to the importance of this car.

Later damaged in a fire, the 412 P would pass through various collectors, and be subject to a nine-year restoration. All of this helped achieve a sale price in excess of $30,000,000.

5. 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport – $35,711,359

This 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport was previously the most expensive car to be sold at auction in Europe, with the car driven by some of the world’s greatest drivers. It finished second in the 1957 Mille Miglia and was the winner of the 1958 Cuba Grand Prix.

4. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $38,115,000

For four years, this 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO was the most expensive car to be sold at auction. At the time, Robert Brooks, chairman of Bonhams, said: “We’ve always maintained that we would exceed the current world record and that the car would bring between $30-$40-million. And today the GTO did just that.”

3. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $48,405,000

Described as the ‘holy grail’ of classic and collector cars, this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO smashed its $45m pre-auction estimate. With bodywork by Scaglietti, this is one of only 36 examples ever produced.

It won the Targa Florio twice, and also contributed to Ferrari winning the 1964 International Championship for GT Manufacturers. Such incredible provenance resulted in the gigantic sale price, but it still not the most expensive Ferrari 250 GTO sold.

2. 1962 Ferrari 330 LM – 250 GTO – $51,705,000

The new entry to our list was sold by RM Sotheby’s in a special one-off sale, held in New York City. Marketed as ‘The One’, this unique Ferrari 250 GTO is the only GTO Tipo 1962 to have been raced by the factory Scuderia team.

It also represents being the only works GTO to have been equipped with the 4.0 V-12 engine, featuring special tuning for extra power. A debut in the 1962 Nurburgring 1000km saw the car finish in second place for Scuderia Ferrari.

Following its factory motorsport career, the GTO was repurposed for sale to a private client, and later converted to 3.0-l 250 GTO specification.

2. 1962 Ferrari 330 LM – 250 GTO – $51,705,000

Having passed through various owners, the rare Ferrari 250 GTO became the property of an Ohio-based collector in 1985.

Following a thorough restoration, it was displayed at several important events across the United States. These included Amelia Island in 2001 and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

The auction represented the first time this 250 GTO had been sold in 38 years. Being the only 4.0-l version with Tipo 1962 coachwork by Scaglietti made it a truly unique car, resulting in the tremendous price of more than $51 million. Incredibly, this was still below the pre-auction estimate.

1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe - $142,000,000

Although our third-place Ferrari held the world record for a number of years, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut absolutely shattered it with a nine-figure auction price. Only two examples of the 300 SLR Coupe were produced, and they never raced due to Mercedes-Benz’s withdrawal from motorsport in 1955.

It left this car to be used as the personal vehicle of Mercedes designer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut. He would regularly test the 180mph top speed on the German autobahn network, making the most of its 3.0-l eight-cylinder engine.

1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe - $142,000,000

Mercedes-Benz retained ownership of both 300 SLR Coupes, with this example professionally restored during the 1980s. It subsequently appeared at various historic events, and in photoshoots for the Mercedes-Benz brand.

The decision to sell one of the 300 SLRs was taken to help establish a new Mercedes-Benz Fund, responsible for promoting environmental sciences.

A special auction, held by RM Sotheby’s in May 2022, resulted in a private collector winning the amazing car. The new owner has agreed to keep the 300 SLR available for public display.