Ten Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction

Classic 1950s and 1960s Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari sports and racing cars are the most expensive automobiles ever sold at public auction.

The ten most expensive cars ever are three Mercedes-Benzes and seven Ferraris. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé is the world’s most valuable car by far. The other two Mercedes-Benz cars are Formula 1 racers driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. The most expensive Ferraris ever include four 250 GTO cars and three mid-century racing cars. The top-ten list only includes cars traded at public auctions.

Ten Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Public Auction

The following are the ten most expensive cars ever sold at public auction, with listed prices including auction premium and charges:

Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Public Auction

The ten most expensive cars ever sold at public auction include three Mercedes-Benz sports and Formula 1 racing cars from the mid-1950s and seven mid-20th-century Ferraris. These ten cars were sold at public auctions between 2013 and 2026, with results published.

Privately, the most desirable Ferrari 250 GTO cars have reportedly sold for much more than the couple offered at public auction, but these prices are, of course, impossible to verify. However, it is highly unlikely that any private transaction ever bought a car for more than the Uhlenhaut Coupe.

Most Expensive Mercedes-Benz Cars Ever

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé

The most expensive car ever is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, chassis 196.110-00008/55, which sold for €135 million ($143 million) at an RM Sotheby’s auction for the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, on 5 May 2022. The sale increased the world record price for a car by nearly $100 million.

This car is one of two prototypes developed by Mercedes-Benz for racing purposes, based on the successful W196R Formula 1 Grand Prix racing car. They were made street legal so Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the chief engineer of the racing department, could drive one as his company car. (His company car, considered the better example, is still on display in the museum.)

Expensive Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 Racing Cars

The three most expensive Formula 1 racing cars ever sold at public auction are all by Mercedes-Benz. The two most expensive are W196R models, which Mercedes-Benz donated to major automobile museums that later sold the cars, with consent from Mercedes, to finance expansion.

The 1954/1955 Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen Formula 1 racing car with a streamlined body sold for €51,155,000 ($53,917,370) at the RM Sotheby’s Stuttgart auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in 2025 as the second-most expensive car ever, the most expensive Formula 1 car ever, and the most expensive racing car ever. It was raced in period by both Juan Manual Fangio and Stirling Moss. It was sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

A similar Fangio-raced 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 single-seater racing car was sold by the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in 2013 for record-breaking £19.6 million ($29,650,095) at the Bonhams Auction Goodwood Festival of Speed sale in 2013. The price was almost double the previous world record. 

Outside the top ten, currently at 29th, is the most expensive modern Formula 1 racing car: the 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04-04 sold for $18,815,000 at RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023. Lewis Hamilton won his first race for Mercedes in this car (Hungary 2013), and it is the only Mercedes-AMG Petronas sold outside the company sphere.

Most Expensive Ferraris Ever

Ferrari 250 GTO Cars at Auction

The four most expensive Ferraris ever sold at public auction are 250 GTO cars. These are also the only four GTOs offered at auction since at least 2013:

• The 1962 Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO, chassis 3765, sold for $51,705,000 at an RM Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2023. It was the only car of 36 Ferrari 250 GTOs built to be fitted with a 4-liter engine and raced by the official Scuderia Ferrari factory team. The factory converted the car back to 250 GTO specification before selling it on.
• The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3413, sold for $48,405,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2018 auction. This Ferrari 250 GTO was driven by Phil Hill in preparation for the 1962 Targa Florio. It won its class at Targa Florio in both 1963 and 1964.
• The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO “Bianco Speciale”, chassis 3729GT, sold for $38,500,000 at the Mecum Kissimmee 2026 auction in Florida. It was the only Ferrari 250 GTO finished in white by the factory. It was raced by John Coombs, Graham Hill, Mike Parkes, and Jack Sears.
• The 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3851GT, achieved $38,115,000 at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Sale in 2014. It was raced by Jo Schlesser, Henri Oreiller, and Paolo Colombo.

Expensive Ferrari Racing Cars

The other Ferraris in the top ten list of the world’s most expensive cars ever are all pure racing cars:

The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, sold for €34,880,000 ($36,344,960) at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. This 250 LM won the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours race as a North American Racing Team (NART) entry driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt. It was the only privateer Ferrari victory ever at Le Mans and was the last Ferrari overall victory until the Scuderia returned to the sport in 2023. It is the most expensive Le Mans race winner ever sold at public auction — others have sold privately for more (but prices are unverifiable).

The 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport by Scaglietti, chassis 0674, sold for €32,075,200 ($35,711,359) at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile auction in 2016. In 1957, Mike Hawthorn set the first average lap time exceeding 200 km/h ever at Le Mans before the car had to retire after five hours. It was also raced in period by Peter Collins, Maurice Trintignan, and Wolfgang von Trips (2nd at the Mille Miglia).

The 1967 Ferrari 412P, chassis 0854, sold for $30,255,000 at the Bonhams The Quail Auction in 2023. It was driven in period by, among others, Richard Attwood, Piers Courage, Lucien Bianchi, Jo Siffert, and prominent privateer David Piper. Upon its racing debut, the Belgian Spa 1000 Kilometers, the 412P finished 3rd overall.

The most expensive standard road-going car ever is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider by Scaglietti, chassis 10709, sold for $27,500,000 at the RM Auctions 2013 Monterey sale. It is currently the 12th most expensive car ever.

Most Expensive Cars by Country of Production

The most expensive cars by country of manufacturing, as sold at public auctions, are as follows:

Country	Car	Price ($)	Auction House	Auction Date	Auction
France	1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe	13,425,000	Gooding	2022	Amelia Island
Germany	1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé	143,000,000	RM Sotheby’s	2022	Mercedes-Benz Museum
Italy	1962 Ferrari 250 GTO	51,705,000	RM Sotheby’s	2023	New York
Japan	1967 Toyota Shelby 2000 GT	2,535,000	Gooding	2022	Amelia Island
Sweden	2015 Koenigsegg One:1	4,631,767	Bonhams	2019	Bonmont Geneva
UK	1994 McLaren F1	25,317,500	RM Sotheby’s	2025	Abu Dhabi
USA	1935 Duesenberg SSJ	22,000,000	Gooding	2018	Pebble Beach

The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ, chassis J-563, sold for $22,000,000 at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2018 sale as the most expensive American car ever at public auction. It is also the most expensive pre-Second World War car.

The 2025 Ferrari Daytona SP3 ‘Tailor Made’ is the most expensive new car sold for charity ever. It sold for $26,000,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2025 classic car auction. It is also the most expensive 21st-century car ever.