Top 20 Most Expensive Cars In The World Of All Time

Top 20 Most Expensive Cars In The World - Of All Time. Picture: Knowinsiders.com

List of 20 most expensive cars of all time

20. 2015 Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion - $12,000,000

19. 2017 Rolls-Royce Sweptail - $12,800,000

18. 962 Shelby AC Cobra 260 Prototype - $13,750,000

17. 1995 McLaren F1 LM - $13,750,000

16. 1966 Jaguar XJ13 - $15,000,000

15. 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa - $16,400,000

14. 2018 Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta - $16,760,000

13. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California - $17,160,000

12. 1963 Ferrari 250 LM - $17,600,000

11. 2019 Bugatti La Voiture Noire - $18,700,000

10. 1955 Jaguar D-Type - $21,780,000

9. 1935 Duesenberg SSJ - $22,000,000

8. Aston Martin DBR1 - $22,550,000

7. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale - $26,400,000

6. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider - $27,500,000

5. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM - 28,050,000

4. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 - $29,600,000

3. 1957 Ferrari 335S - $35,711,359

2. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO- $48,405,000

1. 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO - $70 Million

Detailed information of The 20 Most Expensive Cars of All Time:

1.1963 Ferrari 250 GTO - $70 Million

1963 Ferrari 250 GTO - $70 Million

For the most expensive car of all time, we turn to history. After all, if you’re investing in a gorgeous supercar, it should be one that can tell you a good story.

Beating all other cars by a wide margin is the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, winner of a Tour de France, which was sold in 2018 for a whopping $70 million, having been purchased by David Macneil, CEO of Weather Tech.

In 1964, the Ferrari 250 GTO won the Tour de France Automobile – marking the ninth year in a row that Ferrari won that race. Only 36 of these cars were made between 1962 and 1963; the specific Ferrari that’s the most expensive in the world, at an unbelievable $70,000,000 price point, was victorious not only in the Tour de France, but it also placed in the Le Mans.

Most Expensive Cars of All Time

With a top speed of 174 miles per hour and an acceleration of 0-100kph (0-60mph) in 6.1 seconds, its stats certainly don’t thrill today’s auto enthusiasts by itself. However, in the ‘60s, it was the fastest in the world – and, now, decades later, it remains the most expensive car in the world of all time by a long shot.

Some term this beautiful car the Picasso of the Motoring World; others, the Holy Grail of Ferraris. What is the most expensive car ever? The 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO; and, frankly, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. The current owners of the most expensive car of all time include American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, and Jon A. Shirley, the former President and COO of Microsoft.

1963 Ferrari 250 GTO - Most Expensive Car in the World of All Time

Note: The prices listed here are the price of the vehicles when new. So we’re not counting auction cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO, or overpriced secondhand sales. But don’t worry, there’s still more than $100 million worth of cars here to whet your appetite.

2. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO- $48,405,000

A red 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $48.4 million in California in 2018, the most ever paid for a classic car at auction. The vehicle was offered by RM Sotheby's in Monterey and was estimated to fetch between $45 million and $60 million, the highest valuation ever for a vintage auto at auction.

Chassis number 3413 GT is one of the earliest made. It was the third 250 GTO to ever leave the Maranello production line, though it's widely believed that all 36 examples remain in existence today.

Each road-legal racer left the Italian factory with a 3.0-litre V12 engine under the bonnet that produces a quoted 300bhp.

That was good enough for a zero to 60mph sprint in 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 174mph - enough for the 250 GTO to dominate the motorsport scene during its heyday.

3. 1957 Ferrari 335S - $35,711,359

A 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti (chassis 0674) sold for $35,711,359 (€32,075,200, £24,693,782) at the Artcurial Retromobile 2016 auction, held in 2016 at the Retromobile Show in Paris. Depending on the currency, the Ferrari offered from the Pierre Bardinon Collection set a new world record for the most expensive motor car ever sold at auction.

Built in 1957, the Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti (chassis 0674) was first driven by Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant in the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours, then by Wolfgang von Trips in the Mille Miglia in May of that year, where it finished in second place. Mike Hawthorn drove the car in the 24 Heures du Mans, setting the first lap record in the history of the event of over 200km/h.

0674 has many more races to its name including the Swedish Grand Prix and Venezuela Grand Prix in 1957, as well as the Cuba Grand Prix, which it won at the hands of racing legend Sir Stirling Moss in 1958. In 1970, chassis 0674 was bought by collector Pierre Bardinon, who during the second half of the twentieth century amassed around fifty factory Ferrari comprising the most iconic models in the history of the brand.

4. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 - $29,600,000

The Mercedes-Benz W 196 R designed for the 1954 season met all the demands of the new Grand Prix formula decreed by the sport's governing body, the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale): a capacity of 750 cc with or 2500 cc without supercharger, free choice of gas mixture, a racing distance of 300 kilometres or a minimum of three hours. The streamlined version was completed first because the Reims race kicking off the season permitted very high speeds. After that there was also a version with exposed wheels.

This silver masterpiece, of which 14 units including a prototype were built, drove its competitors to despair in the following two years. Its original streamlined body was both expedient and visually appealing.

From the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring in early August 1954 onward, however, an open-wheel (monoposto) version also formed part of the line-up. Its tubular space frame was light and sturdy, its suspension with torsion bars and a new single-joint swing axle at the rear as well as the giant, turbo-cooled, and at first centrally arranged Duplex drum brakes were unconventionally good. The eight-cylinder in-line engine with direct injection and desmodromic valve control (1954: 256 hp (188 kW) at 8260 rpm, 1955: 290 hp (213 kW) at 8500 rpm) was installed into the space frame at an angle of 53 degrees to the right to lower the centre of gravity and reduce the frontal area.

Read more: Top 5 BMW - Most Expensive Cars of All Time

5. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM - 28,050,000

The 290 MM was built to contest the World Sportscar Championship, which was as important and carried as much weight to Ferrari as his efforts to win the Formula One World Championship. The WSC was inaugurated in 1953, and Ferrari was immediately successful with championship wins in 1953 and 1954. However, in 1955, the goalposts moved in staggering style as the Germanic efficiency of Mercedes-Benz dominated three of the six events, claiming the World Championship in the process. Then, just as Mercedes-Benz retired at the end of 1955, the old enemy Maserati entered a new machine in the form of the fabulous 300S. Ferrari recognized that it needed a new weapon if it was to reclaim its glory.

For 1956, at the suggestion of a returning engineer, the legendary Vittorio Jano, Enzo took the decision to revert to his thunderous trademark V-12 engine after developing various four- and six-cylinder Mondials, Monzas, and 118/121 LMs.

6. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider - $27,500,000

It’s a Monday morning in March 1968 and Eddie Smith Sr., known to his family and friends affectionately as “George,” has arrived at work well before dawn. As he has for so many years, he and several volunteers are making the employees breakfast to start the work week with a smile: 150 biscuits, 17 dozen scrambled eggs, and all the sausages, gravy, grits, and fixings to feed booming hosiery mail-order business in the small town of Lexington, North Carolina. Parked at his office, by the way, is a brand new Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider, one of only ten in the world, which he just acquired from his friend and fellow enthusiast, legendary Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti.

The story of chassis 10709, one of the most famous and desirable Ferraris in the world, is as much about the provenance of a sports car as it is the remarkable life story of the gentleman who cherished it from the day he took delivery and from whose beloved family it is now offered to the public. It represents not only the owner of a sports car for all the right reasons, but also, on a much greater level, the shared multi-generational passion that 10709 has encouraged within the family, and the American Dream that it signifies.

7. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale - $26,400,000

Designed by Sergio Scaglietti, the same man that penned the 250 GTO, the 275 GTB/C got a 3.3-liter, V-12 engine under its hood, as opposed to the 3.0-liter plant fitted in its predecessor. Output was increased to 320 horsepower, which, coupled with the lowered weight, promised to deliver outstanding performance on the track. Unfortunately, Ferrari failed to homologate the 275 for the GT class, as the car submitted was considerably lighter than the dry weight stated for the road-going version.

Ferrari and FIA would reach a compromise by June 1965, enabling only one of the three 275 GTB/Cs built to compete for the remainder of the season. Although its career didn’t span for more than a few months, the Speciale proved its potency at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it finished third and scored the best finish by a front-engined car. Its record still stands to this day. Granted, the 275 GTB/C is not as successful as the 250 GTO or the 250 LM, however, its limited production run and bespoke character places it among the most desirable Ferrari race cars ever built.

8. Aston Martin DBR1 - $22,550,000

It’s an oft-overlooked fact, but regulations are as much a factor for change in motorsport as new technology. Prior to 1956, World Sportscar Championship regulations insisted that competing cars had to be road-legal, so contenders like Aston Martin’s DB3S and Jaguar’s D-type were sold as road cars. It was presumably intended to stop manufacturers building thinly disguised race cars and barely civilising them for highway use, though back in the mid- ‘50s there wasn’t so much difference.

The road-legal regulation was relaxed for 1956, although that was immediately offset by a 2.5-litre limit imposed in the wake of the 1955 Le Mans tragedy. Aston Martin nevertheless embraced this new freedom to create the DBR1 from a clean sheet of paper. The 2.5-litre limit didn’t suit Jaguar or Maserati and both pulled out of the championship, leaving Aston’s bespoke baby to face a lone but formidable factory foe in Ferrari.

In 1957, the regulations changed again with a limit of 3 litres, and while that was still no good for Jaguar, Aston replaced the DBR1’s 2.5-litre all-aluminium straight six (which had been loosely based on a Lagonda engine), and installed one from the DB3S, stretched from 2.9 to 3 litres and uprated to push out about 250bhp at 6250rpm. The DB3S itself was still available and Aston made more than 30 of them, but there were just five DBR1s, all but one of which would remain as factory race cars.

9. 1935 Duesenberg SSJ - $22,000,000

The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ formerly owned by Gary Cooper sold for a jaw-dropping $22 million in 2018 at the Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auction, setting a record for the most valuable pre-war car ever sold at auction. It also appears to have become the most expensive American collector car ever sold at auction, eclipsing the very first Shelby Cobra ever made, which sold for $13.75 million in 2016.

The Duesenberg was also the lone American-made entrant in the list of top 10 sellers, which was crowded with the names Ferrari and Porsche. You have to go all the way down the list to No. 21 to find the next American car: a 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Phaeton, which sold for a mere $1.127 million. All told, Gooding & Co. said it realized more than $116.5 million in auction sales over the weekend, with a whopping 25 cars sold for north of $ 1 million, an 84 percent sales rate and an average transaction price of $947,174. Clearly this is how the other half 1 percent lives.

10. 1955 Jaguar D-Type - $21,780,000

The 1955 Jaguar D-Type, chassis XKD501, sold for $21,780,000, at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2016 classic car auction. This Jaguar famously won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans race, as an Ecurie Ecosse entry.

The $21,780,000 paid for the 1955 Jaguar D-Type set several new records for a car sold at public auction including:

Most-expensive British car ever – previously $14,300,000 paid for a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato at RM Sotheby’s 2015 New York sale.

Most-expensive Jaguar ever – previously $13,200,000 paid for a 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight at RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey sale. (This car finished fourth at Le Mans in 1953.)

Most-expensive Le Mans Winner ever – previously $10,120,000 for the 1982 Porsche 956 at Gooding Pebble Beach 2015. (As with Jaguar XK501, this Porsche also only won the Le Mans race the year after its debut.)

The 1955 Jaguar D-Type, chassis XKD501, is the seventh most-expensive car ever sold at public auction and also only the seventh car ever to achieve a result above $20 million. It is the second most expensive car thus far sold in 2016.

11. 2019 Bugatti La Voiture Noire - $18,700,000

“La Voiture Noire is a far more than a modern interpretation of Jean Bugatti’s Type 57 SC Atlantic. It is a feast of aesthetics,” says Stephan Winkelmann. With its extended front end and the distinctive Bugatti C-line, the “Voiture Noire“ creates an elongated impression with the elegant waistline defining the contours of the coupé. Purism and elegance are reflected in the surfaces and the clear lines. The bumpers are smoothly integrated into the body and the windscreen seems to flow seamlessly into the windows at the sides like the visor on a helmet. Without any irritating lines, the surface is “all of a piece” and there is nothing to disturb the optical flow. This means that the hyper sports car has changed its attitude and become a grand tourisme – ideal for comfortable travel on long trips.

“Every single component has been handcrafted and the carbon fibre body has a deep black gloss only interrupted by the ultrafine fibre structure. This is a material that has been handled perfectly,” says Bugatti designer Etienne Salomé. “We worked long and hard on this design until was nothing that we could improve. For us, the coupé represents the perfect form with a perfect finish.

The heart of the new creation is the iconic 16-cylinder engine – unique in the automotive world and the peak of the engineer’s art. “This is not only an engine but the heart of the vehicle and a technical masterpiece. There is no other car in the world with such an engine. It is not only extremely powerful but also beautiful to look at,” Stephan Winkelmann enthuses. The 16-cylinder engine with a displacement of 8 litres develops 1,103 kW/1,500 PS and 1,600 Newton-metres of torque. Six tailpipes at the rear bear witness to its incredible power and are also a tribute to the 16 cylinders.

For €11 million (before tax) this unique car has already been sold to a Bugatti enthusiast. It is the most expensive new car of all time. The car enthusiast is fascinated by the Atlantic; with the “Voiture Noire“, he has acquired a vehicle that takes up the legend and carries the idea forward to the present day. In its exclusiveness, style, quality and performance, “La Voiture Noire” is an unprecedented and unique car that continues a long tradition in the history of the automobile.

12. 1963 Ferrari 250 LM - $17,600,000

The 250 LM is a rear-wheel-drive Pininfarina-designed coupé passenger car with a mid positioned engine, produced by Ferrari. Its 12 cylinder, single overhead camshaft naturally aspirated engine has 2 valves per cylinder and a displacement of 3.3 liters. This unit musters power and torque figures of 316 bhp (320 PS/236 kW) at 7500 rpm and 313 Nm (231 lbft/31.9 kgm) at 5500 rpm respectively. The engine transfers its power through to the wheels by means of a 5 speed manual transmission. The quoted weight at the kerb is 850 kg. The Ferrari 250 LM is said to be able to manage a maxiumum speed of 290 km/h which is 180 mph.

1963 Ferrari 250 LM Info

Body Styles

2dr Coupe

Engine Types

12-cyl. 3286cc/320hp 6 Weber Carbs

Additional Info

Curb Weight: 820 lbs.

Vehicle Length: 4090 in.

Wheel Base: 2400 in.

13. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California - $17,160,000

The entire Ferrari 250 line seems to have secured its place in the palace of automotive royalties for generations to come. With unmistakable lines, a variety of powerful but also reliable Colombo V-12s, and limited-run production, almost all of the late-50s to early-60s Ferrari 250 models command astronomical values at auction nowadays.

There are, of course, some stars that shine brighter than others, such as the 250 GTO, the 250 GT SWB, and, lastly, the 250 California SWB Spider built between 1960 and 1962.

Amazingly, the more sought-after variant is, actually, the one Ferrari made more of: a total of 37,250 California SWB Spiders left the factory with covered headlights and just 19 were optioned without the glass over the twin circular headlamps. Read on to learn more about the strange case of a buyer-induced trend that goes against the otherwise untouchable principle of rarity.

14. 2018 Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta - $16,760,000

According to the report by the website of Moneycontrol News,

• The Zonda HP Barchetta is the costliest car of recent times which is of the worth of approximately Rs 122 crore
• The hypercar is powered by a 7.3-litre naturally aspirated engine, coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox.
• It flaunts a wishbone suspension, upper rocker arm with coil springs, adjustable Ohlins shocks, and an anti-roll bar
• It has beefy 380mm brakes with ventilated discs all around, six-piston callipers up front, and four-piston callipers on the back. It boasts 789bhp of power and weighs in at just 1250 kg

15. 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa - $16,400,000

The world record for a car sold at auction was smashed in 2011 when the Ferrari Testa Rossa prototype sold for US$16.4 million. The previous record (US$12.1 million) for an auctioned car also belonged to a 1957 Testa Rossa, so the original 250 TR prototype had been expected to capture the record in the lead up to the Gooding & Co Pebble Beach auction.

The 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa which captured the record debuted at the 1957 Nurburgring 1000kms but it is not the car's racing history that makes it the most valuable car ever to be publicly sold (as several automotive blogs who should know better would like to have you believe), but the fact this is the very first Testa Rossa - the original prototype and rolling testbed for the 250 TR (Testarossa) line, one of the most successful sports racing cars ever.

Though the cars dominated sports car racing for the next half-decade, only 34 were ever built, with variations winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1958, 1960, and 1961.

Also Read: 12 cool facts about Mercedes-Benz would blow your mind

16. 1966 Jaguar XJ13 - $15,000,000

By the time XJ13 was completed, its design had become obsolete against new cars from Ferrari and Ford, never mind the Porsche 917. Anyway, the Le Mans regulations were changing, and prototype cars were limited to engines of 3 litres. To run cars with larger engines, manufacturers had to build fifty examples as production cars (later reduced to twenty-five).

This did not stop XJ13 from being one of the most beautiful racing cars of all time, thanks to the talent of aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer who had also been responsible for the C-type and D-type shapes. Nor should anyone doubt the potential of its unique 502 bhp, 5 litre V12 engine.

During early testing in 1967, it lapped the MIRA test track at over 161 mph (259 km/h), establishing a lap record in the hands of racing driver David Hobbs, despite the car still being in the development stages. Many of the lessons learned in the development of the racing engine were used in Jaguar’s production V12 engine which would be produced for twenty-five years from 1971 to 1996.

17. 1995 McLaren F1 LM - $13,750,000

The McLaren F1 stands among the greatest sports cars of all time, a revolutionary vehicle that still sets the bar for supercars. The brainchild of Gordon Murray, the renowned designer and technical director of the McLaren Formula One team, the F1 was produced from 1994-1998 by McLaren Automotive, a spin-off of the racing team. With a top-speed of 240.1 miles-per-hour, the F1 became the fastest production car in history, a record it would hold until 2005.

A radical three-seat cockpit and butterfly doors made the F1 look every bit as exotic as its carbon-fiber monocoque body, the first such application in a road car. This wasn’t the only unconventional material employed by Murray, as the F1’s engine compartment was lined with gold foil to insulate the carbon body from potential heat-induced deformation. Powered by a 6.1-liter BMW-sourced V12, the 2,425-pound F1 boasted an astonishing power-to-weight ratio. Its 627 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque were routed through a six-speed manual transmission and a Torsen limited-slip differential. The F1’s mid-engine design and short, 107-inch wheelbase helped the double-wishbone aluminum suspension provided exceptional handling.

18. 962 Shelby AC Cobra 260 Prototype - $13,750,000

If you ask any car enthusiast the name of the person who has been the most influential to the automotive world, nine times out of ten you’ll get the answer “Carroll Shelby.” And, rightfully so – Carroll Shelby had an amazing automotive legacy. And, that legacy all started out with the car you see here: a 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX 2000. While all early Cobras are special in their own right, this one is excessively special because it was the first Cobra built. Ever. It came to be at the hands of Carroll Shelby and a few other people in a small garage in California.

There’s a lot more to this specific Cobra, though. See, this Cobra was built by Carroll Shelby and was owned solely by him. Furthermore, there is a funny story behind it. When the car was complete, it was shown at a number of different venues used by the motoring press and used for testing and development. The funny part is that Shelby had the world convinced that Cobra production was running at full force when in fact the CSX 2000 was the only Cobra at the time. To pull this off, the car was repainted prior to most appearances to give the illusion that there was more than just one for the first seven months of its existence.

19. 2017 Rolls-Royce Sweptail - $12,800,000

The highly personalised two-seater, which has been built on the aluminium spaceframe architecture of the Phantom VII Coupe, was commissioned by an unnamed Rolls-Royce customer and unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza historic car show, held at Villa d’Esta on Lake Como, Italy, during the spring.

The British marque has hinted that its one-off, bespoke commission could lead to more personalised creations in future.

The owner of Sweptail worked directly with Rolls-Royce’s design department in its creation, over a period of around four years. The car, powered by the Phantom VII’s 6.75-litre V12 engine, features several unique design features, including a system that deploys a bottle of champagne at the touch of a button.

The exterior styling has been crafted with design cues to both vintage Rolls-Royce machines and luxury yachts. The Sweptail name refers to the swept-tail design of 1930s Rolls-Royce motors.

20. 2015 Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion - $12,000,000

The new research vehicle F 015 Luxury in Motion has its world premiere at the Consumer Electronics Show, and provides a concrete example of the visionary ideas the company is developing with regard to autonomous driving of the future. With this self-driving luxury saloon Mercedes-Benz illustrates how the car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a private retreating space. This new way of travelling gives passengers the freedom to use their valuable time on the road in manifold ways.

Read More: Top 10 Most Expensive Mercedes Cars of All Time

Progressing from the self-propelled ("automotive") to the self-reliant ("autonomous") vehicle, Mercedes-Benz as a pioneer goes far beyond the purely technical realisation of automated driving. The company's experts also have to anticipate different outlooks and social trends. People are always at the centre of such considerations. Just as the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car and its successors revolutionised personal mobility and, as a consequence, society as a whole, the first self-driving cars will also bring about major changes.

"Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how autonomous driving will change our society. The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space," explains Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The ingredients of a luxury car Have you ever thought about what goes into a luxury vehicle – that is, the practical difference between a budget car and higher-end alternatives? It’s easy to think that much of it is simply brand recognition and price. In the past, that might have been the answer. Now, auto manufacturers are stepping up their innovation. With initiatives such as sustainability, new tech such as electric-powered vehicles, and a renewed focus on the smooth, satisfying, and enjoyable experience of driving a high-end car – the latest and greatest luxury vehicles are truly creative works of art. When considering the components of a luxury car, it’s crucial to realize the years of craftsmanship that has led to each new generation of vehicles. When producing a high-end car, auto houses select fine materials thoughtfully; they employ the world’s best engineers to design the concept; they do their research to produce a truly sought-after style.

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