Discover the Highest Prices Ever Paid for Cars in History

Car enthusiasts love their cars. Every once in a while, a single car makes headlines for selling really high at an auction. We’ll look at the highest prices ever paid for cars in history.

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Context of the Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at an Auction

As you might expect, the cars that sell for very high prices at auctions are luxury sports cars. Most of the highest 20 are racing cars from the 1950s or 1960s and come from high-end sports car brands like Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and Aston Martin, according to Autoweek. Rarity is also a consideration, as many of these models were part of extremely limited runs of less than five made or were completely unique, one-of-a-kind cars. The racing cars on this list did very well in their operational lives or had legendary drivers behind the wheel when racing cars were much more exclusive and harder to build.

5. Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R, $29.6 million

Europeans adore Formula 1’s open-wheel racing. It’s a tradition that started in 1950. In 2013, the car that earned two team championships in a row from 1954 to 1955 was sold at an auction by Bonhams for a cool $29.6 million. It was sold as-is with dents, greasy parts, and smoky exhaust pipes.  

4. 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti, $35.7 million

This racer was one of just four made in 1957, and it ran in many races in its heyday. It was the first car to achieve over 200 kph (125 mph) at the 24 Hours of LeMans. The curves and the red paint are also favorites of the people who participated in this auto auction from Artcurial, the company that sold it for $35,7 million in 2016. 

3. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta, $38.1 million

Bonhams sold this famous Ferrari for $38.1 million in 2013. It had a massive V12 engine that, at the time, had an astounding 296 hp. This racing car, in a classic red hue, also won three consecutive FIA World GT Championships. It was owned by one family for nearly 50 years before the sale.

2. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO by Scaglietti, $48.4 million and $70 million

Sotheby’s managed the sale of this racecar in 2018. It was the third of just 36 GTOs built in that era and won the 1962 Italian GT Championship. A similar GTO to this one sold for $70 million in a private sale in 2018.

But the number one and highest-selling car ever to this point has eclipsed all of these figures by a wide margin.

1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, $142 million

More than double the $70 million paid for the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, a gorgeous silver 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for an astounding $142 million in 2022, according to Architectural Digest. 

Mercedes-Benz only built two of these street-legal cars at the time. They never raced, despite being the fastest cars ever constructed at the time. The gullwing doors are striking.

Mercedes-Benz sold this car from the company’s museum in Germany, and the proceeds of the sale went to fund a nonprofit organization funding scholarships for students who want to study sustainability, science, technology, or engineering.

For perspective, you could buy more than 4,250 brand-new GMC Terrain SUVs for the purchase price of one of the rarest cars ever produced.

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