The 20 Most Expensive Auction Cars Of 2023

Rising owe and rent costs and much costly nutrient and energy bills meant that galore of america person been tightening our belts this past year. But nary of those proletarian concerns, oregon reports of classical conveyance prices softening, prevented the world’s hyper-wealthy car enthusiasts from splashing immense amounts of currency connected collector cars astatine auctions during 2023. Join america arsenic we number down the 20 biggest auction results from the past 12 months.

20. 1995 Ferrari F50 – $5,065,000

RM Sotheby’s – Amelia Island, March

Can you ideate owning an F50 for 27 years and lone managing to enactment 834 miles (1,342 km) connected it successful that time? Sounds similar a transgression offence to us, but 1 man’s nonaccomplishment is different man’s gain. Despite the debased mileage the interior was re-trimmed arsenic portion of a $79k pre-sale refresh successful 2022.

Related: Time Has Been Kind To The F50, Can We Now Call It One Of The Best Ferraris Of All Time?

19. 2010 Pagani Zonda R – $5,340,000

RM Sotheby’s – Amelia Island, March

Twenty-five years agone Pagani had hardly delivered its archetypal car, but present the brand’s backmost catalog of carbon-bodied creations are among the astir invaluable vehicles connected the planet. To beryllium fair, this Pagani is simply a small much peculiar than most, being 1 of lone 10 R Revolución Specification Zondas ever built.

18. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT TdF – $5,365,598

Bonhams – The Zoute Sale, October

This 250 Tour de France – a exemplary named successful designation of Ferrari’s occurrence successful the then-famous car contention – was primitively red, but its 2nd proprietor chose to person it repainted successful Oro Chiaro (Light Gold) lone a fewer months aft it near the factory, and that’s the colour the restorers opted for successful 2016.

17. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 – $5,395,000

RM Sotheby’s – Monterey, August

Two details successful this 275’s household histrion basal out, the archetypal being that its archetypal proprietor was movie prima Steve McQueen, and the other, that it was converted to a spider aft an mishap successful the aboriginal 1980s. Fortunately’s it’s since been returned to its McQueen-era coupe configuration by the artisans astatine Ferrari Classiche.

16. 1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer – $5,395,000

RM Sotheby’s – Monterey, August

Bugatti’s Type 57 SC is astir apt champion known arsenic a coupe with a strikingly modern-looking (for the time) teardrop-shaped body, but determination were convertibles too, including this 1 bodied by British coachbuilder Corsica. The “C” successful “SC” denotes a compressor oregon supercharger that upped powerfulness to 200 hp (203 PS) and gave a 120 mph (193 kmh) apical speed.

15. 2002 Ferrari Enzo – $5,998,805

Monaco Car Auctions – L’Astarossa, June

With lone 399 examples sold, the Enzo is simply a peculiar car, but this 1 is peculiarly noteworthy, being car fig 1, and having been owned from caller by two-time F1 champ, Fernando Alonso. The Enzo outgo $659k erstwhile new, and adjacent allowing for inflation, this car’s near-$6 cardinal merchantability terms means Alonso made immoderate superior dough connected it.

14. 1951 Ferrari 340 America Barchetta – $6,338,737

Artcurial – Rétromobile, February

Owned by the aforesaid collector for 48 years, this dinky Barchetta placed arsenic precocious arsenic 3rd astatine Le Mans successful 1951 earlier a breached starter forced it retired of the contention aft a pit stop. Other big-name appearances successful its past record see the 12 Hours of Sebring successful 1953 and 1954’s Daytona Speed Week.

13. 1955 Ferrari 121 LM Spider – $6,379,285

RM Sotheby’s – Le Mans, June

This 121 LM Spider competed astatine Le Mans successful 1955, and 68 years aboriginal it was backmost astatine the way for a little unsafe mission, that being to find a caller proprietor astatine RM Sotheby’s sale. One of 4 surviving examples, it besides competed successful the Mille Miglia erstwhile caller and has conscionable received a afloat Ferrari Classiche restoration.

12. 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica – $6,605,000

RM Sotheby’s – Monterey, August

A proven concours contention winner, this glamorous coupe is 1 of lone 7 cars built with covered headlights, and the lone 1 of those dressed successful stealthy Nero Tropicale IVI paint. The Superamericas were designed specifically for the power-hungry U.S. marketplace and this 1 was built with a meaty 400 hp (406 PS) Lampredi V12.

11. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta – $7,316,598

RM Sotheby’s – Villa Erba, May

Not being capable to find your car’s service publication erstwhile you’re trying to merchantability it is simply a pain, but conscionable ideate not being capable to find your 250 GT’s Ferrari Classiche documentation. Fortunately a integer mentation inactive came with this 250, which had a 1960s cameo successful the archetypal Herbie movie, and the deficiency of the “Red Book” didn’t forestall it making large money.

10. 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta – $9,465,000

Gooding & Company – Pebble Beach Auctions, August

Yes, different 250 GT SWB due to the fact that the exemplary is simply a regular successful big-ticket classical car auctions and the aforesaid cars thin to harvest up implicit the years. But not this nonstop 250 GT. An unrestored gem that has had conscionable 4 owners from new, it was offered for nationalist merchantability for the archetypal clip ever successful 2023.

9. 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster – $10,235,000

RM Sotheby’s – Las Vegas, November

Arguably adjacent much outrageous than the existent AMG One, the CLK GTR Roadster was a road-going, but roofless mentation of Mercedes’ late-1990s endurance racer, and incredibly uncommon – this is the 3rd of lone six cars. It’s besides done conscionable 106 miles (170 km), having been connected static show for the past 5 years.

8. 2022 Bugatti Chiron Profilée – $10,878,388

RM Sotheby’s – Paris, February

Bugatti abandoned plans to nutrient a bid of Profilée Chirons, leaving this pre-series car arsenic the lone finished example. The thought was to instrumentality vantage of the powertrain and chassis upgrades that came with the Chiron Pur Sport, but without the heavy-handed spoilers.

Related: Bugatti Chiron Profilée Is The Most Expensive New Car Ever Sold At Auction

7. 1972 Ferrari 312 PB – $13,377,890

RM Sotheby’s – Villa Erba, May

This peculiar 312 played a cardinal relation successful Ferrari’s palmy battle connected the 1972 World Sportscar Championship, securing wins astatine the 1972 Buenos Aires 1,000 KM and Nürburgring 1,000 KM, a second-place decorativeness astatine the 1972 12 Hours of Sebring, and 3rd spot astatine that year’s Monza 1,000 KM.

6. 1957 Jaguar XKSS – $13,205,000

RM Sotheby’s – Monterey, August

Essentially a Jaguar D-Type Le Mans racer for the street, the XKSS was meant to person a tiny 25-unit accumulation run, but a devastating mill occurrence destroyed 9 examples meaning the survivors are incredibly rare. This unrestored car is claimed to beryllium 1 of the astir archetypal and best-preserved.

5. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM – $17,520,065

Artcurial – Paris, July

The car that superceded the legendary 250 GTO, and adjacent much uncommon – this is 1 of lone 32 cars built. It’s not the illustration that claimed Ferrari’s past Le Mans triumph for astir 60 years successful 1965, but we’d inactive marque abstraction for it successful our garage.

4. 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – $18,045,000

Gooding & Company – Amelia Island, March

One of lone 37 SWB Californias fitted with the desirable covered headlights, this 250 was the lone one painted successful Azzurro Metallizzato and was built for the 1962 New York International Auto Show. It was aboriginal crashed and acquired bargain the astir caller proprietor successful the aboriginal 1970s for conscionable $2,400…

3. 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04 – $18,815,000

RM Sotheby’s – Las Vegas, November

The archetypal of the modern Silver Arrows F1 cars to beryllium sold extracurricular of the Benz empire, this 2013 car was driven by Lewis Hamilton successful 14 of that year’s 19 races, and took archetypal spot astatine Hungary. It’s besides the past of the V8 expansive prix cars – F1 switched to hybrid-assisted V6s successful 2014.

2. 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta – $30,255,000

Bonhams – The Quail Auction, August

This gorgeous Fantuzzi-bodied 412P’s past record shows it came 3rd astatine the Spa 1000 KM successful 1967, competed astatine Le Mans the aforesaid twelvemonth and achieved outright wins astatine the Nuremburg 200km and Swedish Grand Prix.

1. 1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO – $51,705,000

RM Sotheby’s, November

There was plentifulness of arguing online from enthusiasts implicit whether this car counted arsenic a existent GTO, since it came from the mill with a larger 4.0-liter V12 and was built astir a antithetic chassis, hence the 330 LM portion of the name. But not successful uncertainty was that it was a truly peculiar car and the astir costly automotive auction bargain of 2023.

Image credits: RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Gooding & Co, Monaco Car Auctions, Artcurial