The 14 most expensive cars ever sold

When talking astir the world’s astir costly cars, it’s casual to deliberation the numbers tally retired erstwhile the metre hits astir £4 million. However, that’s erstwhile the existent wealth is conscionable getting started successful the classical car market.

The $4.8 cardinal required for a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita wouldn’t adjacent get you into to the apical 100 astir costly cars ever sold. If you deliberation a Lottery triumph volition help, you whitethorn inactive request to recalibrate, due to the fact that the apical classics present alteration hands for the benignant of sums usually reserved for aged masters.

So, here’s the apical 13 most costly cars connected the satellite based connected the terms paid erstwhile the cars changed hands. Oh, and if you’re wondering wherefore we’ve quoted the prices successful dollars, it’s due to the fact that astir of the cars featured were sold successful the USA. The converted fig successful pounds sterling is close astatine the clip of writing.

Now, instrumentality a heavy enactment and bent connected to your wallet.

1. The world's astir costly car: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé 

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe became the astir costly car ever sold successful 2022, having sold astatine auction for an eye-watering €135 cardinal - the equivalent of £114.4 million.

The car was antecedently owned by Mercedes-Benz and was sold by RM Sotheby’s astatine the Mercedes-Benz Museum to a purchaser who chose to stay private. The winning bid was placed connected the enigma buyer’s behalf by Simon Kidston, caput of historical car specializer Kidston SA.

The £114.4 cardinal hammer terms is the existent satellite grounds terms for immoderate car, much than doubling the erstwhile record, which was held by a Ferrari 250 GTO (below). It was truthful costly that the SLR’s opening bidding terms was higher than the last terms of the 250 GTO.

Just 2 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes were made by Mercedes-Benz, taking their sanction from the firm’s main engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut. 

The car was designed arsenic a road-going mentation of the W 196 R expansive prix car, with an enlarged 3.0-litre straight-eight motor allowing it to deed speeds of up to 180mph.

The car sold was chassis 00008/55 - the 2nd of the 2 cars built and the 1 that Uhlenhaut himself utilized frequently. The merchantability makes the 300 SLR 1 of the apical 10 astir costly items ever sold astatine auction. 

All proceeds from the sale, Mercedes says, volition beryllium utilized to found a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund”. RM Sotheby’s added that it volition purpose to “provide acquisition and probe scholarships successful the areas of biology subject and decarbonisation for young people.”

2. Ferrari 250 GTO - $70,000,000 (£52,300,000)

The caller king is here, but it's the aforesaid exemplary arsenic the last. Another Ferrari 250 GTO has claimed the crown arsenic the astir costly car ever sold, fetching £52 cardinal successful a backstage merchantability from German racing operator Christian Glaesel to US car parts mogul David MacNeil. 

The car has an illustrious motorsport history, winning the 1964 Tour de France and finishing 4th successful the 1963 Le Mans 24-Hour, among assorted different appearances. It's besides ne'er been crashed, which experts accidental is the cardinal to its immense value. 

3. Ferrari 250 GTO - $38,115,000 (£30,750,300)

It volition travel arsenic small astonishment to galore of you the astir costly car ever sold astatine auction to day is simply a Ferrari 250 GTO, though this illustration is simply 2nd successful the wide rankings. No different car successful the satellite has earned specified a estimation and mystique, overmuch of that built connected erstwhile record-smashing auction results. More importantly, the car itself is 1 of the finest of its era, acknowledgment to its almighty 3.0-litre V12, superbly balanced chassis and immaculate contention pedigree. Only 39 were made and this 1 was raced by Jo Schlesser.

4. Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti - $35,700,000 (£28,801,940)

This 1957 Ferrari was different grounds breaker erstwhile it sold astatine the commencement of 2016 to go the astir costly racing car ever sold astatine auction. Previously owned for 40 years by a backstage collector, it caused immense interest, due to the fact that it had been raced by Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant successful the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours. After that, it competed successful the Mille Miglia with Wolfgang von Trips astatine the wheel. Provenance similar that in this marketplace leads to specified a precocious terms being paid.

5. Mercedes-Benz W196 - $29,600,000 (£23,880,600)

This astonishing Mercedes expansive prix car is the lone quality from the three-pointed prima successful our apical 12, but what a car to marque it. Raced by Juan Manuel Fangio, it won the German and Swiss Grands Prix successful 1954. It was the astir costly car ever sold astatine auction astatine the clip of the merchantability successful 2013.

6. Ferrari 290 MM - $28,050,000 (£22,630,100)

More Ferrari racing past makes it into the precocious extremity of our apical 12. This 1 was built for the 1956 Mille Miglia and was besides driven by the large Juan Manuel Fangio - his sanction ever adds sizeable prestige and worth to immoderate car helium competed in. Only 4 290s were made, and this 1 enjoyed further racing occurrence aft the Mille Miglia, too.

7. Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S NART Spider - $27,500,000 (£22,186,365)

The North American Racing Team (NART) campaigned Ferrari cars successful the USA for to rise consciousness of the marque during the 1950s and 1960s. However, it besides ordered peculiar roadworthy cars from the factory, and this Spider is 1 of lone 10 that were made. Adding to its entreaty is simply a spell of ownership by histrion Steve McQueen, who utilized it successful the movie ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’.

8. Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale - $26,400,000 (£21,298,910)

Any Ferrari 275 is simply a fantastic car and 1 that commands a precocious terms nowadays, but this GTB/C Speciale was made to race. It has an aluminium assemblage for lighter value and its 3.0-litre V12 motor was tuned from the mill to springiness an other 70bhp. Unusually, this illustration was ne'er raced erstwhile caller and that curiosity worth helped propulsion up its auction price, which was paid successful 2014.

9. Jaguar D-Type - $21,780,000 (£17,571,600)

The Jaguar D-Type won astatine Le Mans 3 times from 1955 to 1957, and this is the car that took the triumph successful 1956 with the Scottish racing squad Ecurie Ecosse. It aboriginal resided successful a backstage postulation wherever it was inactive utilized for occasional contention outings. With a superb motorsport inheritance and constricted numbers, it was nary wonderment that bidders pushed the terms truthful high.

10. Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider - $19,800,000 (£15,974,180)

This stunning coachbuilt Alfa Romeo is 1 of conscionable 3 cars to interrupt Ferrari’s dominance of our Top 12, and it’s casual to spot why. Its assemblage was made by Touring successful Italy and it’s based connected the legendary 8C 2.9 chassis and engine, which is a supercharged straight-eight, to marque definite the velocity matches the looks. One of lone 12 made, it was a dormant certainty for auction success.

11. Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider - $18,500,000 (£14,925,370)

The 250 GT SWB Spider already had mythical status, adjacent among the Ferrari faithful, but this car raised it to a full caller level erstwhile it was unearthed from a French warehouse. Robert Baillon bought it with the volition of displaying it successful a museum, but it wasn’t until aft his decease it resurfaced from years of dormancy. Still successful moving order, it was snapped up successful 2015.

12. Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione - $18,400,000 (£14,844,695)

You’ll announcement a batch of our apical 12 beryllium to Ferrari’s racing past and this 375-Plus is nary exception. Better still, it was made from caller to beryllium utilized by the Scuderia and finished 2nd successful the 1954 Mille Miglia. Little wonderment past that buyers were warring truthful hard implicit it erstwhile it sold backmost successful 2014.

13. Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione - $18,150,000 (£14,643,000)

As good arsenic rarity, looks and a racing pedigree, a flawless past is indispensable to the worth of classical cars astatine this level, and that's thing abundantly wide with this mentation of the 250 GT SWB. Only 9 Spider Competiziones were made with alloy bodies, and this car has continuous past of ownership from time one. A documented racing inheritance and latterly plentifulness of awards astatine concourses make the hefty terms tag look similar a shrewd investment.

14. Ferrari 250 LM - $17,600,000 (£14,199,270)

The 250 LM’s sanction tells you each you request to cognize astir this model: it was built to contention astatine Le Mans. Just arsenic importantly, it started the mid-engined epoch astatine Ferrari, which promptly went connected to triumph the 1965 Le Mans race. Fewer than the required 100 were made to suffice arsenic a GT car, truthful it raced arsenic a prototype. Only 32 were built and that present guarantees rarity and precocious prices, specified arsenic what was paid for this 1 successful 2015.