Most people tend to find the average price for a car rather expensive. A standard compact car or sedan bought new from the dealership will run you anywhere from twenty to fifty thousand dollars, depending on the kind of features and brand you would like. Even the base prices for cars almost always have to involve a payment plan, because they are so expensive, and most people don't have that kind of money on hand. From there prices only go up, SUV's, sport sedans, sports cars, supercars, these can all sell for fifty thousand and run up into the hundreds of thousands if you want a luxury car. And it's possible, although a bit harder, to find production cars that will cost you more than a million dollars. The Bugatti Chiron is one of them.
Of course, most people would never dream of spending that much money on a car, especially when you realize cars tend to be a terrible investment of your money, as they only depreciate, sometimes very quickly. Well, not in every case. There are a few rare cars that end up appreciating in value as they age, whether because they are very rare, owned by famous people, have an important role in motoring history, and other factors. These are the kinds of cars that end up getting sold at auctions, where people will spend insane amounts of money to bid on that one special car they desire. This article is going to look at 25 cars that people paid over, not one, but nine million dollars at auction.
25 Porsche 917K - $14M
This Porsche looks retro and futuristic all in the same moment. This car won Porsche the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in fact, it was its first win in that competition for Porsche.
This car has a Porsche flat twelve engine, which is capable of launching the car from 0-124 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds.
Which is super fast, especially considering this model was made in 1970 and 1971. Many of the fastest supercars today would struggle to beat those numbers by much more than a second. This Porsche sold at auction last year for $14,000,000.
24 Shelby 260 Cobra - $13.8M
One of the greatest and truest Anglo-American racing cars, this AC and Ford Cobra was built and manufactured between 1962-63. Ford provided the engine for Shelby, and Shelby commissioned AC Cars to build him a car that could fit a V8 engine.
AC Cars said yes, as long as a suitable engine could be provided. Cue Ford with it's V8. This car proved to be a true collection of elements from both sides of the pond, as it were, and the end result, as is evident above, is truly stunning. Classy, edgy, timeless, and beautiful. This car sold in auction for a huge $13,750,000.
23 Ferrari 275 - $27M
Talk about a car that screams class. I mean absolutely shouts it at the top of its lungs. This car is immortal, from an age that stretches forward for all time. This car will never not be relevant. The Ferrari 275 came in a few different models from between 1964 and 1968. The engine produced between 280 and 300 horsepower, with a classic Ferrari V-12 engine.
Various models of the Ferrari 275 fluctuate on price and value, but you can guarantee that they will sell for over ten million at auction.
The 275 NART Spyder, one of the rarest Ferrari's, sold for over $27,000,000.
22 Bugatti Royale - $9.8M
Only seven of these were made. Ever. They were also made in the 1920's, which only increases their value as they're almost a hundred years old now. Six remain, as one was destroyed in a crash. Bugatti was going to make these for European royalty, but even they weren't buying anything expensive during the Great Depression, which explains their rareness.
The Bugatti Royale is one of the largest cars in the world, with a front to bumper distance of almost twenty-one feet.
It weighs 7,000 pounds! This car sold at auction for $9,800,000
21 1964 Ferarri 250 LM - $18M
A track Ferrari through and through, this 1964 250 LM by Scagliatelli is one of the most expensive cars sold at auction. This car was built with a Ferrari V12 engine, which gave it 320 horsepower, exceptional for its time. The Ferrari 250 LM won many races, coming in 1st place countless times.
It has a five-speed manual transmission and independent suspension, with differing front and back lengths. This is a unique car, special and entirely rare. It spent a lot of time in Japan, taken care of by Hayashi, then it was sold as part of the Matsuda collection. Despite its many ownership changes, it remains in exceptional condition, sold for almost $18,000,000.
20 1997 McLaren F1 - $15M+
This car was conceived by Gordon Murray, an F1 driver, and he managed to get it into production. This specific model only has 146 miles, as you can see, it still has its factory protection wrapping, and comes with all the accessories it originally came with, including a hand-painted signature from Gordon Murray himself.
This same model of McLaren F1 will sell at auction somewhere in the neighborhood of $15M, so it's safe to say that this one, in beyond mint condition, would sell for much, much more.
This never before driven model is number sixty of only sixty-four, owned by Tom Hartley Jnr. Although, his website says it's been sold. . . I wonder for how much.
19 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa - $12.4M
The Ferrari TR as it's colloquially known, is a model of race car built by Ferrari in the 1950's and 60's. They've got quite a large number of variations off of the first model introduced at the end of the season in 1957, but they all dominated their competitors and won countless races.
The 250TR is the most valuable, with only 21 ever built. This Ferrari has a firm spot in the history books, a hallmark car in the testament of Ferrari's racing achievements.
This car sold at auction for $12,402,500. That's a lot of money, but is it that high of a price for a slice of living, breathing, history?
18 Mercedes Benz W196 - $29.6M
The Mercedes Benz W196 is actually a Formula One car that was made for the seasons of Formula One in 1954 and 1955. They made two different body types, this one and the "Monza" body style, which is more streamlined and aerodynamic looking.
Although it wasn't well suited for curvy tracks, costing Mercedes a win to Ferrari. The W196 is an impressive machine, winning two Grand Prix and bringing Mercedes world championship in its heyday. Which means this car was important in the history of racing, bringing its price tag up and up. The W196 sold at auction for $29,600,00. That's an incredible amount of money.
17 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 - $22.5M
First of all, let's just take a long minute to stare at the beauty of this car. It's an incredible looking machine, totally gorgeous in every way.
The Aston Martin DBR1 is probably most well known for its victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also won three consecutive victories at the Nurburgring in 1959.
This car is truly one of the racing greats, tying and beating records for all of its career. Just look at that perfect shade of teal. I can't get enough of this car. It sold at auction for $22,550,000. I can say that if I had $23M to spare I would spend it on this car in a heartbeat. Incredible.
16 Ferrari 250 GTO - $70M
No list of cars sold at auction would be complete without mention of the Ferrari 250 GTO. Some refer to this as the "holy grail" of auction race cars, especially when it comes to collectible Ferrari's. You can tell too, with its timeless styling and that recognizable Ferrari red.
The GTO was made between 1962-1964, and GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato. This car is the epitome of classic, collectible cars rich with history.
It has broken multiple auction records, in fact, this month it was sold for a record-breaking $70,000,000.
That's pretty crazy if you ask me.
15 Jaguar D-Type - $21.8M
This is probably Jaguar's most iconic racing model, manufactured from 1954-1957. This particular car, the seventh of only sixty, proves to be a very unique collector vehicle. This car has around 300 horsepower, independent suspension with live rear suspension, a four-speed manual gearbox, and loads of style oozing from every sculpted line of bodywork.
This model went through quite a few changes of ownership, but mostly between racing drivers and caretakers, so it's managed to stay in exceptional condition over the years. What a cool car sold at auction, coming in at a staggering $21,780,000.
14 Alfa Romeo 8C - $19.8M
This behemoth holds a massive straight eight engine underneath that promontory of a hood, designed by Vittorio Jano in the 1930's. The car was first designed for racing in the Grand Prix and wasn't going to be sold to private buyers.
That changed, though, by 1931. The cars, rare and sought after, have survived down to our day, passing hands between the greatest of gearheads and only increasing in value. Drastically increasing, actually. This version of the Alfa Romeo is the 2900B and sold at auction for a whopping $19,800,000.
13 LaFerrari Aperta - $10M
The reason this LaFerrari Aperta is so special is because it was part of the 70th-anniversary celebration of Ferrari. Some call this car the pinnacle of car technology. This is the vehicle that embodies everything that the company and its founder, Enzo Ferrari, stood for. A truly epic masterpiece, a machine like no other.
It marries hybrid technology with Ferrari combustion to create a mind-melting car with unbelievable performance. Even just looking at it is a sinful pleasure, a machine that's truly exquisite and perfect in every way. This, the 210th Aperta made, sold at auction for almost $10,000,000.
12 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante - $9.7M
Jean Bugatti gave this retro art-deco, strangely futuristic Atalante a whopper of an engine, a twin cam 3,257cc banger. This car is one of seventeen of the same model name, and no two are exactly alike. They had to rivet panels together because the material they used to make the body, Elektron composite, would catch fire if exposed to extremely high temperatures. This led to its famous styling, recalling the characteristics of aviation craft from the same time period.
The Atalante is truly a unique car, a treasure worth collecting if you have the true desire to.
I know I'd love to have this car in my garage. It truly is a work of art. Made between 1934 and 1940, this car sold at auction for $9,735,000.
11 Duesenberg Model J Long Wheel Base Coupe - $10.3M
The Duesenberg Model J Long Wheel Base Coupe was made under the ownership of E.L. Cord, who bought the company for the Deusenberg brother's skills in engineering and their general talent for car making.
He turned the company into a luxury car company, with one goal: making the fastest, biggest, and most expensive car ever made. The company was quite successful, and it seems like he did alright, judging by the sole fact alone that this car sold at auction almost a hundred years later for $10,340,000.
10 Ferrari 375 MM - $9M
Another Ferrari race car from the fifties goes on auction and pulls in an incredible amount of money. While it's far from surprising, it's not hard to understand just why. These race cars were the epitome of what racing was supposed to be, while at the same time pushing the envelope for what was possible, and pushing it further than ever before.
Some say that these were the golden years for Ferrari, although we've already seen that yes, these days were the glory days, but the best is yet to come.
This Ferrari 375 MM sold at auction for $9,075,000.
9 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster - $9.9M
This car model had a lot of customizable options available, from differing wheelbases to different model options, from two door to seven seater limousine, and it was one of the biggest cars of its time. As you can see, it oozes Cruella De Ville styling, looking classy and devilish, elegant and villainous all in the same breath.
It draws you in, and there's a good reason for the high price tag it fetches, being such a unique vehicle, made by Benz only from 1936-40. Quite a high price tag too, this one selling at auction for $9,900,000.
8 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB - $17M
Pictured is the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB, a truly classic, collector's vintage Ferrari. This model replaced the LWB version of the California Spyder, still designed by Scaglietti. It featured better handling, more power, better chassis, and only 55 were made.
That's not very many, and especially when designed by Scaglietti, during the era of incredible racing and road cars from Ferrari, we find that this car has a lot of value.
It held its value well, in a manner of speaking, because nowadays it's worth an incredible amount of money, selling at auction for over $17,000,000.
7 Porsche 956 - $10.1M
This is the Porsche 956. A race car through and through. The Porsche 956 was made in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. This car holds a very special title, a title coveted by many car companies and by many, many people.
This Porsche 956 holds the record for the fastest lap time around the Nurburgring, with a blistering 6:11.13. That means the car kept an average of 116 mph for the entire track.
Which, if you know anything about the Nurburgring, that's a pretty incredible time. Which is why this car sold at auction for $10,120,000.
6 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Spyder - $9.3M
Another Ferrari on the list of cars sold at auction for over $9M. Not surprising, as Ferrari were literally pioneers of the race car as we know it today, especially racing like Formula 1. I just love that you can see all twelve cylinders on this beast, proudly on display for all to see.
The best part is, even with the hood on you can still see the cylinders poking through. Talk about a car worth spending some money on. This car was the last of the Testa Rossas, and in a way the last of an era, because Ferrari stopped making racing sports cars with front engines after this one. And it sold in auction for $9,281,250.