1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $70 million
Fitted with a powerful V-12 engine and a stylish, aerodynamic body, the 250 GTO was built in only 33 units. Original pricing was set at $18,000 back in 1962 and each customer had to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari. A few decades later and these cars started showing up at public auctions, selling for millions of dollars.
In more recent years, a couple of 250 GTOs changed hands privately for incredible sums.
Another example sold for $52 million in 2013, while chassis no. 3413GT sold for $48 million in 2018 holds the record for the most expensive car sold at a public auction.
The 250 GTO might not be the rarest car in the world, but it’s definitely the most expensive with five units sold for more than $40 million as of March 2020.
Read our full review on the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – $39.8 million
The Testa Rossa saw the light of day in 1957 and it was Ferrari’s answer to FIA’s new regulations for sports cars. The 250 TR turned out to be one of the company’s most successful race cars. It went on to win 10 World Sportscar Championship races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Targa Florio. The Testa Rossa remained competitive until the early 1960s.
Once retired, the cars weren’t considered valuable and many of them spent many years forgotten in garages, but the 250 TR started to gain value in recent decades to the point where it became one of the most valuable vintage Ferraris. In 2014, chassis 0704 changed owners for a reported $39.8 million.
Read our full review on the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti – $35.7 million
The third most expensive car on our list is also a Ferrari. It’s also a race car, but slightly different than the 250 Testa Rossa.
Essentially an evolution of the 315 S, the 335 S was built in just four units. Needless to say, the Sport Scaglietti model is unique and more importantly, it remained with the same owner for more than 40 years. Auctioned off in 2016, it traded for a whopping $35.7 million. This specific model won the 1958 Cuba Grand Prix and scored a second-place finish at the 1957 Mille Miglia.
Read our full review on the 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti
1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 – $29.6 million
The only Mercedes-Benz on our list is also the only Formula One single seater ranked among the most expensive cars in the world. Produced by the German company for the 1954 and 1955 seasons, the W196 was a revolutionary vehicle back in the day and won the majority of races it was entered in.
It won both seasons of the Formula One championship against competition from Maserati, Ferrari, Cooper, and Lancia. The car sold for $29.6 million in 2013 is the only surviving W196 in private hands, as well as the most successful version of the car.
Check out more details on the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
1956 Ferrari 290 MM – $28 million
The list continues with yet another Ferrari, the 290 MM. Also designed for the World Sportscar Championship, the 290 MM features a spyder layout and a V-12 engine under the hood.
Alongside the 335 S, the 290 MM helped Ferrari win the championship in 1956. The following year a 290 MM won the 1000-km Buenos Aires race. This specific model was driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio at the Mille Miglia and was sold for $28 million in 2015. At the time, it was the third costliest car in the world. Another 290 MM sold for $22 million in 2018.
Read our full review on the 1956 Ferrari 290 MM
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider – $27.5 million
The Ferrari 275 was introduced as a replacement to the 250 and some versions of this model became almost as iconic and expensive as the 250. One such variant is the GTB/4 NART Spider, a limited-edition series of only 10 examples commissioned by Ferrari North America dealer Luigi Chinetti. Envisioned as a successor to the 250 California Spider, it was a convertible version of the 275 GTB/4, itself an improved version of the standard 275.
It’s one of the rarest 275 series built and a well-maintained unit was auctioned off for $27.5 million in 2013. The drop-top features a 3.3-liter V-12 engine with four overhead camshafts.
Read our full review on the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider
1956 Aston Martin DBR1 – $22.5 million
Arguably the most iconic race car from Aston Martin, the DBR1 is also one of the rarest vehicle fitted with the British company’s badge.
It also won races at Spa, Nurburgring, and Goodwood. The DBR1 also scored Aston Martin’s only overall win at Le Mans. The car sold for $22.5 million in 2017, a record for British automobiles, was completed in 1956 as the first DBR1.
However, its first and only win came in 1959 at the Nurburgring. Although it’s not the most successful DBR1, it’s only one of the three that actually hit the race track in official events.
Read our full review on the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1
1935 Duesenberg SSJ – $22 million
The only American car from our list, the SSJ was built by Duesenberg, a company that existed for only 24 years, from 1913 to 1937. But despite its short existence, Duesenberg left a big mark on the auto industry thanks to its successful race cars and high-end luxury automobiles.
The SSJ is its most iconic model. Part of the Model J series, the SSJ featured a shorted wheelbase and a more powerful, supercharged engine. The massive, 6.9-liter straight-engine generated a whopping 400 horsepower, the most of any Model J. Only two cars were built and sold to Hollywood actors Gary Cooper and Clark Gable in 1935 and 1936, respectively.
Rumors have it that Cooper and Gable used to race each other in the Hollywood hills in their SSJs. The car that sold for $22 million in 2018 belonged to Cooper and remained in unrestored condition for several decades. It’s by far the rarest and most significant car built in the United States. Not only the most expensive American car, this SSJ is also the most valuable pre-WW2 car ever sold.
Check out more details on the 1935 Duesenberg SSJ
1955 Jaguar D-Type – $21.8 million
Just like the DBR1 for Aston Martin, the D-Type was a quintessential model for Jaguar. Introduced in 1954, they hit the track almost immediately and remained competitive until 1959.
Although it failed to finish during its maiden presence at Le Mans in 1954, the D-Type went on to win the iconic race three years in a row from 1955 to 1957. The D-Type scored Jaguar’s last victory at Le Mans until 1988. It’s also one of the very few cars that scored three wins in the iconic endurance race. In 2016, the D-Type that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956 was auctioned off for $21.78 million.
Read our full review on the 1955 Jaguar D-Type
1963 Aston Martin DP215 – $21.45 million
A prototype sports car similar to the Ferrari 250 GTO in design, the DP215 was introduced in 1963 alongside the DP214. Designed to replace the DP212, the DP215 was built on the chassis of the DB4GT. Built in just one example, the DP215 was race at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1963, but failed to finish due to transmission issues. The prototype raced a couple more events and suffered two crashes, one of which resulted in a rebuilt. The DP215 was restored completely in the 1980s, being finished in 1991 after 11 years of work. The car was driven at various classic car and racing events until it was auctioned off for $21.45 million in 2018.
Read our full review on the 1963 Aston Martin DP215
What is the most expensive car in the world?
With the adjusted price of a new GTO in 2020 estimated at almost $160,000 (the car was sold for $18,500 back in 1962), the value of this specific car has multiplied 437.5 times. Incredible, isn’t it?
Who owns the world’s most expensive car?
An auto racer, car collectors, and sponsor of the Laguna Seca race track, MacNeil has a net worth of $1 billion.
How much did the most expensive car in the world cost?
That’s the price of 70 high-profile supercars, around 35 special-edition Chirons, or a luxury yacht. You can also use this kind of money to buy a few hundred homes or pay for a few hundred heart transplants. You can also buy a few tropical islands with that much money.
What is the most expensive car ever sold at auction?
While the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO is the most expensive car in the world at $70 million, it’s not the most expensive ever sold at auction. That’s because the 250 GTO was sold in a private deal.
It happened in August 2018 at RM Sotheby’s event in Monterey, California.