Mindboggling figures are thrown around at car auctions. These numbers keep soaring, and, as things stand, there is no upscale limit. Well-oiled car collectors with deep pockets go to any lengths to purchase highly treasured supercars, sports cars, and classic cars, among others.
There is a very predictable criterion on what makes a car worth millions of dollars at auction. Cars that played a role in the making of history, such as breaking road and track records, exceptional designs, distinguished ownership history, and other unique characteristics, make car auctions highly-valued marketplaces.
The list of most expensive cars in the world today is a long one. This list includes the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta at $17.5 Million, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire at $12.5 Million, the Rolls-Royce Sweptail - $12.8 Million, the Mercedes-Maybach Exelero at $8 Million, the Bugatti Centodieci at$9 Million, among others.
If you think the above figures are out-of-this-world, then you haven't seen anything yet. Here is a list of cars that sold at extraordinary thriftless prices at auctions.
10 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO ($40 Million)
The official figure is recorded at $38,115,000, but many people like to round it up to $40-$48M depending on whom you ask. Whichever the case, this Ferrari GTO holds the record for the most expensive car ever sold in an auction. This car had ticked all the right boxes to become a treasured collectible.
All Ferrari 250 GTOs occupy a special place in race car history. The vehicle in question was very deserving of a hefty price in the market. It is one of just 39 race cars Ferrari built to compete in the 1962-3 lire class FIA GY World Championships. It was the 19th of the 39 pieces and was owned by one family for 49 years.
The first race in which this car participated was the 1962 Tour de France driven by its first owner, the famed French racing driver Ho Schellesser and co-driven by a national celebrity ski champion Heri Oreiller. The duo finished at a prestigious second position.
9 1955 Jaguar D-Type, XKD501 ($21.78 Million)
This Jaguar is also known as chassis XKD-501 and held the token for the most expensive Brit-built car for some time. It was the overall winner of the Le Mans 24 in 1956, placing it on the path of history-making.In the same race, Jaguar's factory racing team finished at the sixth position, making this particular Jaguar automatically noticeable distinguishable.
RM Sotheby reported that the car has changed hands twice and branded it one of the "the most important and valuable Jaguars in the world."
8 1935 Duesenberg SSJ ($22 Million)
When this car sold for US$22 million in August 2018, it went on record as the most expensive American collector car ever sold at an auction. It's still a record holder for the most expensive pre-war car sold at auction.
Part of its history is that it belonged to renowned American actor Gary Cooper. It also had a twin that belonged to another celebrated film actor Clarke Gable.
7 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 ($22.55 Million)
For a car that could achieve 186.4 mph at Le Mans back in 1959, it's not surprising that it attracted such a stratospheric place in the August 2017 auction. The other notable record it holds is being one of only three cars that won the World SportsCar Championship as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours in the 1950s.
This model is considered the most important in the history of Aston Martin and our car of focus was raced by race legends Roy Salvadori, Jack Brabah, Stirling Moss, Carrol Shelby among others.
6 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 ($29 Million)
Juan Manuel Fangio is one of the most celebrated Formula 1 race car drivers ever. Fangio dominated the race in its first decade. To underscore his role in auto racing, his five-time record win of the World Championship of Drivers stood unbroken for 46 years. By virtue of his association with this unique car, its story gets juicer.
This 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 carrying 2.5-liter engine sold in 2013 was described as a "shining star of pinnacle Mercedes-Benz engineering and as an icon of post-war recovery."
5 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C ($26 Million)
The Ferrari GTO passes as one of the best creations by designer Sergio Scaglietti. But Scaglitti also penned the 257GTB/C. Though it never achieved the fame and acclaim of the GTO, the GTB was still a highly capable contestant.
The Speciale 275 GTB/Cs finished third at the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours. It also recorded the yet-to-be-broken best finish by a front-engined car. These are some of the characteristics that made this one fetch an unbelievable price at the August 2014 auction 1959 Ferrari 250 GT
4 Ferrari LWB California Spider Competizione ($19.46 Million)
In 1959, Ferrari decided to build eight all-aluminum-bodied California Spiders. The car that fetched a whopping $17 million was the second of the eight. Such an attribute alone automatically enters any car into a distinguished class. This Spider Competizione, however, had other ways of making history.
It finished third in its class at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959 and came fifth overall. It has also won several awards in racing, Concours as well as vintage car shows. It also underwent superb restoration under the Ferrari Classiche-certified program.
3 1963 Aston Martin DP215 ($21.455 Million)
Commenting on the uniqueness of this car when it went on sale in August 2018, Alain Squindo, Chief Operating Officer at RM Sotheby, said, "It really speaks to the genius of the engineers involved with the project."
This car became the first one to hit over 186.41(300kph) when it recorded 198.6 mph(319.6kph) at the 1963, Le Mans, 24 Hours. In its existence, it has won many accolades and remains one of Aston Martin's celebrated racing successes.
2 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider ($25 Million)
Part of this Ferrari's story is that it belonged to just one man and one family until 2013 when it was auctioned for a record $27,500,000.
This car belonged to Eddie Smith, a man who rose from poverty to become a Ferrari collector in his lifetime. He was the founder of National Wholesale. After his passing in 2007, his family put up the car he had bought in 1968 to auction. Bidding was pegged at $10 million but kept soaring until Canadian entrepreneur Lawrence Stall closed the deal at $25 million.
1 1956 Ferrari 290 MM ($22,4 Million)
It's no surprise that Ferraris feature prominently on this list. Throughout the company's history and even when the company has been hit by serious circumstantial situations, they've always put their best wheels forward.
In 2015, a 1956 Ferrari 290 MM $22M. To achieve this status, the car had lived its best life and fell in the hands of some of the world's legendary race car drivers. Only four examples of the 290 MM were ever built. Three of them survived, and this one, chassis number 0626, is one of the two that have undergone public auction in recent years.