Auctions are funny places, any car is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it, there is no guideline anywhere that says bidders have to spend millions.
And yet, it's the one place where the insanely rich can go with little concern of ridicule of spending tens of millions of dollars on an old sports car. Sure it's going to be rare, and it will most likely have a Ferrari badge on the nose, or at the very least be Italian.
Ignoring rumors of private deals of inflated prices floating around the press, these are the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
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10 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
How do you create one of the most beautiful cars of all time? In 1960, Aston Martin teamed up with Ercole Spada to create the DG4 GT Zagato. Under that evocative bodywork remains the basics carried over from the DB4 road car.
More than a simple cosmetic makeover, many of the original steel panels made way for aluminum items. Under the hood, Zagato tweaked the 3.7-liter engine to produce 314 HP, which resulted in a top speed of 154 MPH. Only 19 examples were originally made, little wonder why values are on the up, in 2018 one example fetching $13.3 million at auction.
9 McLaren F1 #044
Only a handful of modern machinery reaches the same level of interest as McLaren's F1 supercar, itself quite rare among the dozens of million-dollar cars that attract the super rich to Bonhams. Reputedly the first "road-legal" F1 in the US reached a record final bid of $15.6 million in 2017.
Almost thirty years after its launch, the McLaren F1 still holds the record for a naturally aspirated production car with a top speed of 241 MPH, with modern designers using turbos and hybrid powertrains, it's a record that will likely never be broken. Two things make this example stand out, low mileage and chassis number #044 both drawing the attention of F1 racer Lewis Hamilton.
8 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione
The same car was produced in two separate years, the nose of the later car having a more pronounced forward lean to it, boosting aerodynamic efficiency. By Ferrari standard, the 375-Plus is positively common with 8 cars, double what the Italian carmaker normally rolls out for competition models.
Largely evolutionary design of the earlier 375 MM, the new car using a larger 5-liter V12 engine to tackle the Latin American racing series. Compared to other models wearing the prancing horse badge this one isn't as aesthetically pleasing but still managed to attract a winning bid of $18.4 million.
7 Duesenberg SSJ
Rarity alone is usually all it takes to raise bidding activity, but when you throw in a famous name or two then things really get interesting. In all just two Duesenberg SSJ's were made, both finding a home among the Hollywood elite, this example once owned by Gary Cooper fetching a record $22 million in 2018.
Ownership of this rare '30s supercar didn't come cheap with a price tag of $5,000 which if you were one of the lucky few guaranteed exclusivity. Derived from the more common J-spec cars, the SSJ used a shortened chassis and body combined with a supercharged straight-eight motor producing in the region of 400 HP, a huge amount back in the '30s.
6 Aston Martin DBR1/1
Any famous racer with a history of race wins was going to be on collectors' radar should they come up at auction. With only 3 completed DBR1's and two further chassis converted to later DBR3 spec, understandably they don't change had very often. However, in 2017 chassis DBR1/1 did just that, fetching a record $22.6 million.
Designed from the ground up to compete, regulation changes no longer required entrants to be road-legal or based on production cars. The DBR1 was a no-compromise racer, constructed using a lightweight tubular chassis that later benefitted from the larger 3-liter in-line six producing 250 HP. Narrowly missing out at Le Mans due to mechanical failure, DBR1/1's greatest achievement coming in the 1959 Nürburgring 1000km event with a well-earned victory.
5 Ferrari 275 GTB/C & Ferrari 275 GTB NART
Old Man Ferrari's love of racing and lack of interest in road cars lead to the 275 GTB/C, successor to the earlier 250 GTO. Under its Scaglietti refined bodywork, Ferrari managed to extract 300 HP from the 3.3-liter V12 engine giving a top speed of 160 MPH. Just three Scaglietti's are known to have been completed, one reaching $26.4 million at auction in 2014.
From European GT racer to open-topped two-seater in North America, Ferrari responding to a call for a convertible sports car in low numbers produced the stunning275 GTB NART. In another special edition that guarantees collectability, just 10 NARTs were produced, one selling for $27.5 million in 2013.
4 Ferrari 290 MM
Adding a famous name or proven track record really does make a difference. In 2018, one bidder secured a rare 1956 Ferrari 290MM for just $22 million. However, adding the name Fangio who finished 4th overall in the 1956 Mille Miglia netted a final bid of $28 million three years earlier.
Forgetting the lottery jackpot asking prices, the 290MM is incredibly rare, with only four chassis completed in 1956, each for the Mille Miglia event (MM designation). Powered by an all-new 3.5-liter V12 engine capable of a top speed of 170 MPH.
3 Mercedes-Benz W196
Owning a historic racing car is one thing, owning one that still has the marks and dirt from the last event it raced at must be like opening a time capsule. In 2013, one such lucky and extremely wealthy bidder picked up Fangio's 1954 race-winning Mercedes W196 for $29.6 million.
To most gearheads, Formula One cars have always been open-wheel designs, but it was the Mercedes W196 that validated the move away from streamlining to a simpler and lighter format. Regulations allowed teams to choose either supercharged or naturally aspirated engines, Mercedes opted for the latter with a 2.5-liter eight-cylinder unit producing 257 HP.
2 Ferrari 335 Scaglietti
Unlike some other Ferrari sports cars, this one wasn't built for a single racing series or event, the 335 S competing in the Sebring 12 hr, Mille Miglia, and Le Mans to great success only to be banned in 1958.
A common trait among Ferrari racers of the time, Ferrari produced just four of their successful 335 S racers, including one developed from the earlier 315 S. Powered by a new 4-liter V12 engine developing 390 HP giving Ferrari a performance advantage over its rival Maserati. One example came up for auction in 2016 netting its owner a cool $35.7 million.
1 Ferrari 250 GTO
Admit it, no one is really surprised to see Ferrari's 250GTO at the top of the list. In fact, out of all the most valuable cars sold at auction, nine of the twenty most expensive cars are 250s. Occupying both first and second with bids of $48 and $38 million respectively, Ferrari's 250 GTO and Berlinetta.
Which model is best? All of them, the 250GTO is more than just a historic racer, it's the stuff of which legends are made. Anyone not convinced only needs to fire up the 3-liter V12 engine to understand why Ferrari are so protective of the 250 GTO.