There is something inherently alluring about rare cars, even for those who may not consider themselves to be a car person. Maybe it is their beauty? Or perhaps the unique and classic styles? Maybe its even the eye-popping price tags? Or the story behind it? All the rarest cars in the world have a story. These unique cars add to the incredible history of the automotive industry and fuel the dreams of car lovers everywhere as they aren’t just hard to find; some are among the most expensive cars in the world! Rare cars can be invaluable to collectors around the world. Whether they are rare because only a few models were built, their age, or because they have a unique design, cars that are hard to come by can fetch a pretty penny when sold at auction or through private channels. And there seem to be no lengths that serious collectors will not go to in order to get their hands on an extremely rare car.

Updated February 2022: If you're interested in rare and unique cars, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with even more facts about these super-rare models that most of us will never get a chance to see in real life.

Collecting cars may not be as popular as investing in property, but it sure is a lot more satisfying, and in recent years it has been just as lucrative. Most collectors aren't in it for the money, they do it for the love and passion of unique vehicles. For collectors of these sought after cars, money really is no object. Here are some of the world’s rarest cars. Us mere mortals will most likely never get to drive them, but luckily some are in museums where we can admire them and daydream.

20 2013 Lamborghini Veneno

via Pinterest

The Lamborghini Veneno is a limited-edition hypercar built to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary and sold for $4.5 million when new. The Veneno is one of the world's rarest cars. One car is in the Lamborghini Museum in Europe, the rest have all found homes in the hands of private collectors. For those who'd be interested in getting a Veneno, one came up for sale in 2017... with an asking price of $9.5 million - getting your hands on a special edition Lambo straight from the factory is clearly a great investment opportunity.

19 2005 Maybach Exelero

via Pinterest

The 2005 Maybach Exelero cost a whopping $8 million and only one was ever built. The one-of-a-kind vehicle was built for Fulda, a German tire company. The car weighs 5863 lbs, but it still accelerates from 0 to 60 in a mere 4.4 seconds thanks to its 700 hp V12 twin turbo engine - the top speed was a very impressive 218 mph.

Related: These Are The 10 Rarest American Cars Ever Made

18 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

via Artscash

Considered by many collectors to be the holy grail of classic cars, the 250 GTO was one of Ferrari’s most successful race cars. It’s also pretty rare; only 39 were built, and it didn't take long before they became a hot commodity for collectors.

Forbes reported that a 250 GTO was sold for $38 million at auction in 2014, making it the most valuable in the world at the time. The Ferrari 250 GTO Registry has the names of all the owners, and there are a couple of familiar names amongst the people on that list; Ralph Lauren, who bought his GTO for $650,000 back in 1985, and Nick Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer.

17 Ferrari F40 LM

via Top Speed

The Ferrari F40 LM is perfect if the "standard" F40 is too common among your wealthy gearhead friends. The LM got rid of any excess weight and then Ferrary added a bit more power. According to RM Sotheby’s, only 19 of these beauties were built. In 2015, a 1994 Ferrari F40 LM was expected to sell for between $2 million and $2.5 million. However, the final price was a whopping $3.3 million.

16 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

via General Motors

The 69 Camaro ZL1 is one of the most sought-after muscle/pony cars ever built. So what makes this bundle of power so attractive? Well, only 69 units were made, and today, a ZL1 would most likely fetch more than the nearly $500,000 one sold for at auction in 2012 - with some experts believing the price could be over a million for a pristine example.

Some of these Camaros have been butchered and destroyed, but those that do remain are safe in the hands of collectors and car enthusiasts all around the United States.

Related: 5 Rarest American Muscle Cars Ever Produced (5 JDM Cars That Are Even Rarer)

15 1928 Mercedes-Benz S-Type 26/180 Sports Tourer

via Mercedes-Benz

Ferdinand Porsche was the chief engineer during the development of the 1928 Mercedes-Benz S-Type 26/180 Sports Tourer. Only 150 of these classic cars were ever made, and only a handful of those actually made it to the 21st century. Every known example is currently in private collections, and it'll probably be years before we see another one up for sale.

14 1960 Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL

via Robert Sullivan

The 1960 Porsche Abarth 356B Carrera GTL is so rare that even most Porsche enthusiasts might not know about it unless they're really into the 356's history.

Porsche collaborated with the Italian company Abarth, who is usually known for creating powerful Fiats. Even the experts don't know much about it, but it's believed only about 20 were ever made… and at the time they sold for an estimated $6,500. There's no established value for the car today. One of the 20 Abarth 365s made belongs to the Collier Collection and is on display for the public to take a look at.

13 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

via Auto Evolution

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale has a top speed of 160 mph and can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, making it fairly fast even by modern standards. This Italian beauty rarely comes up for sale, making it difficult to estimate its value. However, the Italian carmaker only produced 18 units, so the price will be several million US dollars.

According to the Alfa Romeo Hall of Legends, its launch price was a whopping 10 million Italian lira, meaning it was one of the most expensive cars available. While we'll never find ourselves behind the wheel of one, there's a chance to admire it at Alfa Romeo's museum in Arese.

12 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

via The Awesomer

Zagato is one of the world’s best-known coachbuilders. Since 1919, the company has created some of the most beautiful and memorable cars, and that includes the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.

Only 19 cars were produced, and one example sold for an astonishing $14.3 million. Curators at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta liked the design of the Aston so much they included it in an exhibition that featured 18 cars to celebrate what could be called the golden age of automotive design, from the early 1930s through the early 1960s.

Related: These Are Some Of The Rarest Cars Featured In The Fast & Furious Franchise

11 1951 Pegaso Z-102

via Flickr

The Pegaso Z-102 was the world's fastest production car in 1951, managing a top speed of 120 miles per hour. Not many people have heard about Spanish carmaker Pegaso these days, but this car was competing against Ferrari in terms of both performance and style. Needless to say, enthusiasts still refer to it as one of the most gorgeous cars ever created. One car can be seen at the "Collecio D'automobils Salvador Claret" in Barcelona, Spain.

10 Porsche 916

via Pyritz

The Porsche 916 is a truly rare beast from Stuttgart. In fact, only 11 Porsche 916s were built in 1972 - all of them prototypes, which makes it so rare that only the nerdiest of Porsche enthusiasts know about it.

Only one of the 11 cars was shipped to the United States, and it can now be seen at the Automobile Atlanta Museum in Marietta, Georgia. Porsche's management decided that the 916 would be too expensive to actually attract enough buyers, so they scrapped the project after making the prototypes.

Related: 5 Rarest JDM Sports Cars Ever Sold (And 5 Even Rarer Muscle Cars)

9 Aston Martin DBR1

DBR1
via Simeone foundation

The Aston Martin DBR1 reigns supreme among the 1950s race cars. Only five of these stunning green machines were ever built, and they won at Le Mans and at the Nürburgring. It is also the most expensive British car to be sold at auction. The price is estimated to be $22.5 million, so it's probably cheaper to go see one at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in England.

8 Icona Vulcano Titanium

via Pinterest

The Icona Vulcano Titanium is the world’s first titanium car. It was made by the Icona Group, an Italian design house that states, “where creativity, experience, and passion can craft dreams into reality.”

Its engine is a mid-front-mounted supercharged V8 that is optimized to produce 680 hp, though it can be tuned to over 1,000 hp “should the owner demand it.” The engine was calibrated for both homologated road and race use, and the car is able to reach 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. The body was hammered by hand over the course of 1,000 hours, justifying the $3.8 million price tag of the one-off supercar. Unfortunately, no one wanted to buy it.

Related: 10 Rarest European Sports Cars We'd Have Over Any Muscle Car

7 1957 Jaguar XKSS

via MENA

Only 16 units of the Jaguar XKSS were made, and it's believed that only twelve are still in existence. The King of Cool, Steve McQueen, actually bought a 'British Racing Green' car for $5,000, and that particular car had an estimated value of $30 million in 2014. It is currently on display in Los Angeles, California at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Another XKSS, alongside a Jaguar D-type and C-type, was found in the James Hull collection which consisted of 450 British cars that sold for an estimated £100 million. XKSS 722 can be found at the Louwman Museum in The Hague.

6 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe

via Pinterest

The 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe was only built on request and only six were made. Ettore Bugatti's plan was to sell them to royalty for $30,000 each, but unfortunately, his plan crumbled due to the Great Depression.

The car featured a massive 12.7-liter engine, which is still one of the biggest engines ever put a car. Most of the remaining examples are displayed in museums or in private collections around the world.

5 1996 Ferrari F50 GT

via Car And Driver

Ferrari built the 1996 F50 GT to race against Porsche and Mercedes in the BPR Global GT Series. However, the project ended up being canceled as the rivals stepped up their game, thus making the Ferrari F50 inferior both in terms of performance and design.

Only 3 of these rare sports cars were ever made: one prototype and two were sold. While it was never driven around a racetrack in anger, the 1996 Ferrari F50 GT is still very much appreciated by enthusiasts and rare car collectors. All three cars are now owned by car enthusiasts, and there's a rumor that car 001 now produces a whopping 950+ hp.

4 1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster

via Barrett Jackson

Packard only made four of this two-seater roadsters. The car was originally supposed to be named “The Grey Wolf II”, but the carmaker figured it was better to go with “Panther” to commemorate the Packard racer of 1903-04.

The body is a one-piece molding and made entirely from fiberglass. It's powered by an inline-8 engine that produces 212 horsepower and that's mated to a 2-speed automatic transmission, this combination was good for a whopping 131 mph. It was sold for a respectable $825,000 to a private buyer at a 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction .

3 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible

via Sportscar Market

The ‘71 Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible doesn't strike most gearheads as something particularly unique. However, this model is extremely sought-after by collectors as just under a dozen units were built in 1971. In fact, in January 2013, one of these sold for $1,320,000 at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, and only a year later it sold for $3.2 million to a private collector at a Mecum auction.

2 1948-1951 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport

via Ultimate Carpage

The post-war Talbot Lago Grand Sport was a famous not only for its speed and luxury, but also thanks to being extremely rare. Only 12 units were made. The Talbot Lago Grand Sport was powered by a 4.5-liter 6 cylinder engine that produced 190 horses, which made it one of the most powerful cars in the world back then. To make it even more famous, the car won the 1950 Le Mans 24 hour race with Louis Rosier behind the wheel. One car is on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, the rest of the cars are owned by collectors.

1 1948-1950 Aston Martin 2-liter Sports DB1

via Drive My

The Aston Martin DB1 is one of the rarest luxury sports cars in the world, it was also the first car of the DB series - named after Sir David Brown, who purchased Aston Martin in 1947.

The Aston Martin 2-liter Sports had an inline four engine with 90 horsepower and a top speed of 93 mph. The car was only manufactured for two years, from 1948 to 1950 and 15 DB1s were built. One car was entered into the 1948 Spa 24-hour race, which it won. Afterward, it spent decades in car museums in Belgium and the Netherlands before returning to the UK where it has been sympathetically restored by its new owner.

Sources: Classic Car, Classic And Sportscar & Carlassic