“Rare” is such a weird word. Even in the world of cars, the word means many different things. Rare doesn’t even have to mean “good” in a lot of cases. Fortunately, the following cars are both rare and expensive. Some are affordable as well as suitable for investment. Some are priced out of the stratosphere, the stuff of urban legends. But hey, who wouldn’t want to get their hands on at least one rare car to add to their personal car collection? Some manufacturers like GM probably kick themselves every day because they knowingly destroyed a lot of really beautiful concept cars back in the day, as were their practice.
Then again, a lot of the supercar manufacturers probably have a daily laugh about how much some of their past cars are worth today. For them it’s free publicity, adding to the mystery and prestige of their marquees. It’s a mighty proud feeling when a car manufacturer knows they’ve created a car so special and in so few numbers that people are willing to pay a king’s fortune for just one of them. To the victor go the spoils. Check out some of the most beautiful and rare vehicles on Earth to see what it is that makes them so special in the first place, as well as how much they cost.
25 1990-2005 Honda NSX: People Woke Up When They Saw It
Estimated: $160,000-$200,000 – Honda’s New Sportscar eXperimental (NSX) took the world by storm when it was introduced in 1990. The supercar represented the manufacturers only mid-engine vehicle, and man was it something else. Top Speed says that the NSX used a naturally-aspirated V6 engine capable of producing 270 hp and a top speed of 168 mph.
The NSX is a hand-built auto and sported a nearly $70,000 price tag when it went into production, which has only skyrocketed since.
That certainly didn’t stop customers who wanted something different out of a sports car other than what competing automakers were offering at the time. Honda was able to sell 100 NSX vehicles before stopping production to offer something newer.
24 1969 Chevy Camaro ZL1: Muscle Car Toy
Estimated: $450,000 - Anyone who’s got an extra $450,000 burning a hole in their wallet might want to think about buying this Camaro. It might make for a pretty good investment considering that only 69 models were ever made. The ZL1 was supposed to be the ultimate beast for it’s time, and with over 427 hp, it was. Just the transmission alone cost more than a base model V8 Camaro at the time, according to Legendary Motorcar. Each car is numbered, and the lower the factory-produced model number, the more the ZL1’s estimated value increases. Some models have sold for between $800,000-$1,000,000, says CBS News. It seems the price will just keep going up for a parts-documented Camaro, and that’s always a good thing.
23 1954 Packard Panther: Can’t Forget That Grill
Estimated: $800,000-$1 Million – With only four of these great looking cars ever produced, the Panther is about as rare a car as it gets. Only four were created because they were concept cars, built to showcase Packard’s upcoming technologies. According to Hyman Ltd., the Panther was powered by a 359 cubic-inch version of Packard’s straight-eight, and then supercharged to achieve 275 hp.
The body shape was very cool for the time, with smooth lines and a sweptback rear end.
The Panther was actually called “Grey Wolf” at first, named after the 1903 Packard model. The attention to detail was fantastic, especially Packard’s use of a full wraparound windshield.
22 1951 Pegaso Z-102: Fastest In The World Back Then
Estimated: $1 Million - Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of the Pegaso Z-102. Nearly no one else has either. It’s mind-boggling that the fastest car in the world in 1951 came from a Spanish car manufacturer called Pegaso. And the Z-102 was capable of going at least 150 mph, which no other car could touch at the time. The car was powered by a 3.2-liter dry-sump V8 engine, and boy was it expensive. Price is what brought down the Pegaso. The car was reportedly twice the price of a Ferrari, spelling doom for the car maker attempting to make a profit. Only 68 Z-102’s were produced, but any owner of the car will tell you it’s a really special automobile.
21 2007 Lamborghini Reventon: It’ll Take On A Fighter Jet
Estimated: 1.5 Million - Looking very much like a fighter jet, the Reventon is something special. Lamborghini says the Reventon’s design was highly inspired by “the fastest airplanes”. Underneath, the car was essentially a Murcielago with a wildly unique exterior. The Reventon was powered by a massive 6.5-liter V-12, which had 641 hp and could literally launch the car from 0-60 in an asphalt disintegrating 3.4 seconds and move on to an estimated top speed of 211 mph.
Only 21 of these “fighter jet” cars were made, 20 of which were sold to customers and the 21st was produced specifically for the Lamborghini Museum.
Car Magazine calls the Reventon “Darth Vader’s car”, and with good reason. The car’s asking price at auction has changed much, with the Reventon being overshadowed by more unique cars in it’s class.
20 2017 Pagani Huayra BC: Carbon Fiber Dream
Estimated: $2.5 Million – Most people wouldn’t immediately think of owning a Pagani car, because most have never heard of the small Italian supercar manufacturer. Nevertheless, the Huayra BC attains supercar status with sheer style and elegance. The car is absolutely stunning as well as rare. Only 20 units were created, and I’d guess whoever purchased one of these are very lucky and happy owners indeed. The carbon fiber used to make the car is unique in that it’s reportedly 50% lighter than normal carbon fiber, according to Go Banking Rates, and that allows this rocket of a supercar to go from 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, thanks to its 6.0-liter V-12 exploding with at least 740 hp.
19 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport: Maybe The First Supercar
Estimated: 2.5 Million - From a profile view, the Talbot-Lago reminds me of an extra-long-nosed Datsun 240Z, except that the Lago was produced back in 1948. From the front, I see hints of Roll-Royce.
Either way, the combination works, making the Lago an extremely attractive vehicle.
This is a car I’d imagine a young Queen Elizabeth II would have loved to sneak out of Windsor Castle with, riding around the countryside, having a merry old time. With only 12 produced, you won’t see one at auction all too often, but if you do and you have the funds to invest, the Lago Grand Sport would look quite nice in your portfolio.
18 1967 Alfa Romeo Tipo-33 Stradale: Original Italian Stallion
Estimated: Minimum $3 Million – 18 was the perfect number for the Stradale. That’s how many were produced. The Alfa was one of the most forward thinking designed cars ever produced. The car’s swooping lines and low stance make it seem it could have been manufactured just last week instead of 1967. I think the body shape of the Tipo-33 has probably influenced more car manufacturers than would care to admit. The Corvette instantly comes to mind, especially given the T-Top and exaggerated front-end treatment. Considered one of the first supercars, the Tipo has a top speed of 160 mph, sprinting from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds.
17 1954 Oldsmobile F-88: Beyond Cool
Estimated: $3.5 Million – Having a car in 1954 that could reach 250 mph was just crazy. That’s the F-88. It’s funny that GM had a long-standing policy of destroying its concept cars. That’s why you see many of them from the past. This policy changed in the 1980’s, but there still were so many cool cars lost to the scrapyard. Luckily this F-88 concept somehow survived. This fantastic looking two-seater, with a special metallic gold paint applied to it, and metallic green for the wheel wells, according to a report from How Stuff Works. It’s believed that there are only two or three F-88 left in existence, so if you have the chance to add one to your portfolio, you might want to seriously consider it.
16 2016 Icona Vulcano Titanium: A Real Titanium Car
Estimated: 3.8 Million - The Icona Vulcano Titanium erupted with a vengeance in 2016 as a titanium wrapped beauty. The Italian-designed Chinese supercar is really quite impressive to look at. It boasts 670 hp from its 6.2-liter V8 which gives the Titanium a nosebleed-giving 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds and an estimated top speed of 220 mph.
The Icona is truly a unique car, with its titanium/carbon fiber body and frame.
It’s a really sick design when you look at it. It’s not perfect, nor should it be. What it is, makes up way more than what it isn’t. Honestly, anything that can go from 0-120 mph in 8.8 seconds deserves to be called sick.
15 1954 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing: Flying High With Wings
Estimated: $4.5-$5 Million (Aluminum Version) – If you thought the DeLorean was cool because of its gull-type doors, you might want to see if you can slide this 300SL Gullwing into your storage garage. 167 versions were built, but I would suggest that you look for one of the ultra-rare aluminum-alloy models because they attract a higher price at auction. The Gullwing’s engine pumped out 240 hp from its 6-cylinder engine. The sheer look of the car is stunning, as if it’s meant to do nothing but go as fast as it can. According to Mercedes-Benz, the 300SL was voted Sport Car of The Century in 1999. But it’s the doors that really set off this classic and beautiful car.
14 2009 Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita: The Diamond-Coated Car
Estimated: $5 Million - The Trevita (Swedish for “Three Whites”) has one of the most unique paint jobs ever applied to a car. I say “paint”, but I don’t mean “paint”. The Trevita is too special to apply paint to. Instead, the colour you see are from the body panels. Designed especially for the Trevita, the car uses 3 styles of custom designed white carbon fiber, that when exposed to sunlight, produces a colour similar to millions of diamonds. Now that is sick. Oh, the rest of the car is great too.
Wedged in the engine bay is a 1,018 hp 4.8-liter powerhouse that allows the Trevita to warp from 0-60 in 2.9-seconds and reach an incredible top speed of 254+ mph according to the Koenigsegg website.
Only 2 were made in 2009.
13 1928 Mercedes Benz S-Type: Road Or Track, It Didn’t Matter
Estimated: $5-6 Million - Only 150 S-Types were built. Just over a handful remain. It’s a great car to add to your investment portfolio. Classic Car Weekly calls the S-Type “the Jazz-Age equivalent of the current Mercedes AMG-GT”, and with good reason. It has a 6.8 Liter supercharged straight-six engine, producing at least 180 hp. This was nearly unheard of at the time. It instantly propelled the car into “royalty” status. There simply wasn’t anything like it on the roads and nothing could actually beat it at the time. It looked just as good on the track as on the road, with its fine leather seats and plenty of options. winning plenty of races even though it wasn’t considered to be a race car at all.
12 1964 Ford GT40: The American Challenge to Ferrari
Estimated: $7 Million - Ford’s been building supercars since 1964. The GT40 is perhaps the pinnacle of the automaker’s design dream. The GT40 is as special as it is rare. It was Ford’s attempt to not only compete with but beat Ferrari at its own game on the track. It was made to race, and that it did. Although it didn’t win many races at first because it was such a new design, it did win Le Mans 4 times in a row. The GT40 proved that Ford was up to the challenge to compete with the best race cars in the world. 12 of these cars were built, and it’s not known how many exist. But when one does go up for auction, it always causes a lot of excitement.
11 2015 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster: Full Of Venom
Estimated: $8-9 Million – When you build a car with no roof, it’d better be considered both unique and rare. The Veneno has nothing to worry about in either category.
Only 9 of these crazy machines were built by Lamborghini, and that’s just fine as far as the automaker is concerned.
The Motley Fool says it right when they mention that Lamborghini makes “the most exotic of the exotics”, and I feel that the automaker has no real reason to walk the walk, when they can simply put something out there so different and sick, that no one can say anything about it. It’s a special position and a special car, especially with a 6.5-liter V-12 capable of achieving a top speed of 221 mph from its 740 rabid ponies under the hood.
10 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe: Fit For A King
Estimated: $10 Million – This Kellner Coupe is certainly something to behold if you ever get to see one in person. The Bugatti simply screams sophistication. Everything from its sheer size to the interior accoutrements begged you to drive it. The Kellner was a victim of its time. It was produced during the Great Depression, and naturally nearly no one could afford to buy one. Six of the cars were produced, and only three were ever sold to customers, thus accounting for the car’s “rare” status. The 12.7-liter straight eight engine remains as the largest engine ever sold in a production car. This car was massive, weighing 7,000 lbs., so it need that big engine, which was rated at 250 hp.
9 2004 Maybach Exelero: It Would Do Bruce Wayne Proud
Estimated: $10-12 Million – When you are Bruce Wayne, you expect the best, never ask for it. I personally think Batman’s alter-ego would smile each time he was driven to an event in the Exelero. This One-off was Maybach’s last car off the assembly line, and they did themselves proud. Its big, bad, heavy, you name it. Interestingly, it’s a two-seater car, despite its size, and weighs over 2.5-tons. Yet, thanks to the gigantic 700 hp bi-turbo V-12 beast under the hood, the Exelero launches like a cruise missile from 0-60 in just 4.4 seconds and can reach a top speed of over 218 mph, according to a report from Luxuo. The Exelero definitely talks the talk.
8 1970 Porsche 917K: Pure Racer
Estimated: 10-20 Million - The 917K was the car that brought Porsche fame and fortune in Le Mans racing. It’s a true race car, and only 25 were built in order for the Porsche to qualify for racing. It’s also extremely light, weighing in at just under 1,800 lbs. thanks to its mostly fiberglass body.
The engine was Porsche's first 12-cylinder, with the 5.0-liter versions good for 630 horsepower, according to reports from Top Speed.
That translated in 0-60 mph times of just 2.7 seconds and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. 917K’s are highly sought after, with the car that starred in Steve McQueen’s movie Le Mans selling for around 14-million dollars at auction in August of 2017, according to Road and Track.
7 1998 McLaren F1 LM: A Rolling Masterpiece
Estimated: $14 Million – There were 5 F1 LM fantasy cars built, and all are a thing of beauty. Everything about it demands respect. The massive gull-wing doors, the special metallic paint job, the ultimate specifications, everything was fitted to perfection. The LM is a three-seater supercar, with the driving position centrally located. A 680 rabid hp engine rocket-jets the LM from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and the car goes to a top speed of a staggering 225 mph. The car can also go from 0-100-0 mph in a mind-bending 11.5 seconds. McLaren doesn’t mess around. The LM even features a sophisticated intercom system because you need one to actually hear your passengers when you get up to speed.
6 1956 Ferrari GT Spyder Convertible: Only One Built
Estimated: $20 Million + - Having a Ferrari is nice enough for most people but having a model this rare really takes the cake. The Spyder Convertible is the only one ever produced. It’s also one of the few cars made where the interior looks even better than the exterior. The car cost $20,000 to produce, and it was sold for $9,500 to car-enthusiast Robert M. Lee in 1956, who had met Enzo Ferrari a year earlier. Talk about a lucky break. According to car site Grizly, the Spyder is a true racing car through and through. It has a 260 hp 3.0-liter V-12 engine, propelling the Ferrari from 0-60 in 5.2-seconds and a top speed of 163 mph.