Cars have come a long way since the early 20th century when the automobile first emerged as a revolutionary new technology. What began as a practical form of transportation has evolved into something far more: a symbol of luxury, performance and status for those with the means to acquire the most advanced vehicles ever built.
This insatiable drive to create the biggest, fastest and most incredible cars has led to ever-escalating prices in the collectible car market. Over decades, the ceiling on what the world‘s wealthy elite are willing to pay to own the ultimate automotive trophies has repeatedly been smashed through.
The 10 cars on this list represent the pinnacle of automobile engineering and design. Crafted by legendary marques like Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Bugatti, they are more than just cars – they are rolling sculpture, mechanical artwork pushed to the limits of technological imagination.
10. Bugatti Centodieci – $9.1 Million
In recent years, Bugatti has established itself as the maker of the most jaw-dropping, outrageously-powered hypercars money can buy. The French company scored another triumph among collectors in 2019 when it revealed the Centodieci.
Built to honor Bugatti‘s 110th anniversary, the sleek, angular Centodieci improves on the mind-bending specs of Bugatti‘s previous speed king, the Chiron. Powered by an 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine producing 1,600 hp, Centodieci hits a top speed of 236 mph – not quite as fast as Chiron‘s record 304 mph, but with quicker acceleration off the line.
With a 0-62 mph sprint taking just 2.4 seconds, the Centodieci provides a dizzying rush. Exclusive touches like the EB 110 GT-inspired front end and aviation-themed interior make this a true bespoke creation worthy of its $9.1 million price tag – the record for a new Bugatti model. Only 10 were produced.
9. Rolls-Royce Sweptail – $13 Million
Rolls-Royce has long been the epitome of luxury for the land-bound set. In 2017 they took exclusivity to another level with the one-off Sweptail – a sensation among collectors that led auction house Sotheby‘s to declare it "quite possibly the most expensive new car of all time".
At the behest of a longtime Roller aficionado, the Sweptail‘s flowing rear deck brings to mind luxury yachts and cricket pavilions, handcrafted with an intricate degree of custom coachbuilding perfection. The result combines Rolls-Royce‘s hallmark opulence with a distinctive, neo-classic presence.
Under the long, sloped hood lurks a 6.75-liter V12 pumping out 453 hp – ample thrust to propel a machine focused on stately grand touring versus raw speed. As a custom offering from a marque practically synonymous with wealth, one Sweptail sold to an undisclosed buyer for a cool $13 million.
8. Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta – $17.5 Million
Boutique Italian supercar atelier Pagani occupies rare air even among exotic manufacturers. Each Zonda supercar is an obsessive exercise in carbon fiber sculpture and exquisite detailing – built to let a fortunate few experience spine-compressing power and aural theater.
Unveiled in 2017, the Zonda HP Barchetta represents Horacio Pagani‘s undiluted vision. A topless speedster packing a 789 hp AMG V12, Barchetta (#3 of 3 produced) fetches $17.5 million as one of the most expensive cars ever auctioned.
Its appeal goes beyond savage performance. The Barchetta translates Pagani‘s aviation and F1-derived design language into an irresistible mechanical artwork. Sweeping curves and aviation-grade materials connect man and machine on visceral new level for enthusiasts with means – translating into a record payday for the Modenese boutique.
7. Bugatti La Voiture Noire – $18.7 Million
When Bugatti shocked the 2019 Geneva Motor Show with the one-off La Voiture Noire, the automotive world took notice. Meaning "the black car" in French, La Voiture Noire claims the title of most expensive new car ever sold when delivered to its unnamed buyer for an astronomical $18.7 million.
Built upon Bugatti‘s carbon fiber chassis architecture that underpins the mighty Chiron hypercar, La Voiture Noire packs the same colossal, quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine churning out 1,500 hp. The six exhaust pipes integrated into the rear diffuser give this cradled black sculpture an even more aggressive stance.
But while Chiron screams for attention, La Voiture Noire projects a more elegant, refined image in the style of Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic – an icon from the marque‘s history. Dropping almost $19 million on a car signifies membership in an exceptionally exclusive circle for collectors. La Voiture Noire now orbits in that rarefied air.
6. Rolls-Royce Boat Tail – $28 Million
Rolls-Royce tapped the heights of automotive luxury once again by ushering a new bespoke offering – Boat Tail. Commissioned by a group Rolls refers to as "Boat Tail clients" in 2021, the pearl white convertible evokes luxury yachts with its elongated, tapered rear deck and Hell Blue roof.
By elevating custom coachbuilding to new levels, Boat Tail provides a suite for entertaining, hosting and modern artistic patronage. Rear deck panels open butterfly-style to reveal a hosting area with cocktail tables, parasol, chairs and refrigeration. The front trunk holds a double refrigerator and Italian porcelain dinnerware painted by the same artisans who work on yachts.
Rolls deems Boat Tail "the most ambitious project in Rolls-Royce Coachbuild history" – reflected in its estimated $28 million price. For patrons of luxury conveyances on land and sea, Boat Tail hits the mark through a collaborative design achieving a seamless integration of nautical motifs and Rolls signature stateliness.
5. Mercedes-Benz W196 – $29.6 Million
As early as the 1930s, Mercedes demonstrated that performance cars could also offer refined comfort and reliability – vital characteristics for endurance racing. That spirit culminated in the legendary Silver Arrows Grand Prix racers of the 1950s.
Built for new Formula 1 regulations, the streamlined 1954 W196 racer debuted Mercedes‘ famed desmodromic valve technology along with a fuel-injected 2.5L inline-8 pumping out 257 hp – enough to carry Juan Manuel Fangio to a second drivers title.
In 2013, as the centerpiece of the esteemed Donington Grand Prix Collection auction, the battle-tested W196 obliterated price records, selling for $29.6 million to become the most valuable Mercedes ever sold. For collectors, this rare survivor marks the pinnacle of Mercedes‘ competitive ingenuity during F1‘s early days.
4. Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti – $35.7 Million
Only four examples of this milestone 1950s Ferrari were built, intended strictly for crushing the competition on track. Today the 335 Sport Scaglietti stakes its claim as one of the most valuable cars ever going under the gavel.
This 1957 335 S Spider Scaglietti sold at 2016‘s Artcurial Retromobile auction for $35.7 million – catapulting it into the elite group of eight-figure classic cars. Underneath a voluptuous spider coachbuilt body lies a race-bred 4.1L V12 pumping out 400 hp.
Top Ferrari drivers like Peter Collins and Wolfgang von Trips piloted the 335 to victory in major events like the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours. Of the four 335 Sport Spiders built, this is the only one retaining its original bodywork – adding to exquisite scarcity that fueled fierce bidding from collectors.
3. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO – $48.4 Million
No elite car auction would be complete without a 250 GTO crossing the block. Often considered the Ferrari holy grail, the 250 GTO signifies the glorious pre-corporate era of Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari when his personal passion nurtured Maranello‘s Racing Department to create ultimate driving weapons.
Hand built to take on FIA‘s Group 3 Grand Touring category, the 250 GTO received Ferrari‘s race-proven 3.0L V12 mounted low in a gorgeous Pininfarina coupe body displaying Ferrari‘s signature long hood and truncated tail.
In 2018, this 250 GTO claimed the title of most expensive car ever auctioned when selling for $48.4 million at RM Sotheby‘s Monterey sale. Of 36 GTOs built, this third-of-a-kind Series I example (chassis #3413 GT) still wears its original 1962 livery from racing glory 60 years ago – skyrocketing its value into the stratosphere for collectors
2. 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO – $70 Million
Another 250 GTO claims second place in our countdown as the private sale of chassis #4153 GT made headlines when changing hands in 2018 for a staggering $70 million. Reports of the deal taking place "off-market" between WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil and collector and former Microsoft executive Greg Whitten underscore the exclusive connections required to acquire one of these scarcest of Ferraris.
Adding to its unmatched pedigree within elite car circles, this 250 GTO has an unbroken ownership history belonging to some of the most important Ferrari collectors for over 40 years. It also holds the honor of never crashing in competition – an incredible feat for a ‘60s racer. For Ferrari‘s most obsessive and cashed-up fans, the magic digits "250 GTO" eclipse practically any price – a notion emphatically proven by this $70 million icon.
1. Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupe – $142.9 Million
The Mercedes 300 SLR ranks as mythic apex of the automaker‘s success in the the chest-pounding world of 1950s endurance racing. Derived from three-time world champion racer the W196 Silver Arrow Grand Prix car, the 300 SLR Coupe represents an even further distillation of Mercedes‘ engineering and racing excellence under one sensuous coupe body – handcrafted by chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut as the ultimate road-going sports car for top Benz brass.
Under the long, elegant hood, a fuel-injected 3.0L straight-8 musters 310 hp, rocketing the 300 SLR Coupe to a top speed of 186 mph faster than any road car of its day. And this one-of-two example has an impeccable story: Never raced, driven minimally and securely stored by Mercedes for decades.
When Mercedes announced auctioning this legendary prototype coupe in 2022, frenzied bidding saw it shatter records once again: Selling for an astonishing $142.9 million, the 300 SLR Coupe claims the mantle as the most expensive car ever sold publicly – a fitting superlative for the zenith of Mercedes‘ motorsports legacy.
The Allure of the World‘s Most Coveted Automobiles
The list of priciest cars ever sold reveals a consistent theme: Regardless of era, wealthy collectors remain intoxicated by superlative automobiles that represent the absolute pinnacle of style, performance, rarity and story.
Whether an icon like the Ferrari 250 GTO, an aerospace-inspired technical tour de force such as the Bugatti Chiron or a coachbuilt masterpiece like Rolls Royce‘s Boat Tail, these rolling sculptures ignite passion that transcends common notions of transportation from point A to B.
For an elite group of connoisseurs, the chance to own history and crown their collection drives record sums ever higher. These speeds – and prices – may prove difficult to top any time soon. But if past is precedent, pioneering automakers and designers surely have more earth-shaking mechanical artworks on the horizon.
