15
Retro
Here are the 20 most expensive cars ever sold at auction
A roundup of the priciest metal to have crossed an auction block
Remember when a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for an astonishing $142m at an auction in Stuttgart? That’s approximately 115 million, in good old pounds sterling.
The stunning specimen, named after its then chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, is one of just two prototypes built. Based on Juan Manuel Fangio’s two-time GP World Championship-winning W196 R, it featured an enlarged 3.0-litre straight-eight engine and was capable of speeds of up to 180mph. Uhlenhaut later commandeered it as his company car.
Spoiler alert - it ranks as the most expensive car ever to have gone under the hammer (and, indeed, one of the top 10 most expensive items ever sold at auction), in a roster dominated by Ferrari, but also featuring the likes of Aston Martin, McLaren and more.
Excluding private sales, we’ve rounded up the top 20, starting with…
Advertisement - Page continues below$19,805,000 – 1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 15 August 2019
Andrei Diomidov ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$20,465,000 – 1995 McLaren F1
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company
Date sold: 14 August 2021
Picture credit: Gooding & Company
Advertisement - Page continues below$21,455,000 – 1963 Aston Martin DP215
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 26 August 2018
Simon Clay ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$21,780,000 – 1955 Jaguar D-Type
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 19 August 2016
Patrick Ernzen ©2016 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$22,000,000 – 1935 Duesenberg SSJ
Auctioneer: Gooding & Company
Date sold: 25 August 2018
Image by Mathieu Heurtault, Copyright and Courtesy of Gooding & Company
$22,005,000 – 1956 Ferrari 290MM
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 8 December 2018
Picture credit: RM Sotheby’s
Advertisement - Page continues below$22,550,000 – 1956 Aston Martin DBR1
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 19 August 2017
Picture credit: RM Sotheby’s
$23,000,000 – 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport
Auctioneer: Rick Cole Auctions
Date sold: 25 August 2014
Picture credit: Rick Cole Auctions
Advertisement - Page continues below$26,400,000 – 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby’s
Date sold: 16 August 2014
Darin Schnabel ©2014 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$27,500,000 – 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby’s
Date sold: 17 August 2013
Darin Schnabel ©2013 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$28,050,000 – 1956 Ferrari 290 MM
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby’s
Date sold: 10 December 2015
Tim Scott ©2015 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$29,600,000 – 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
Auctioneer: Bonhams
Date sold: 12 July 2013
Picture credit: Bonhams
$30,255,000 - 1967 Ferrari 412P
Auctioneer: Bonhams
Date sold: 18 August 2023
Picture credit: Bonhams
$35,730,510 – 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti
Auctioneer: Artcurial
Date sold: 5 February 2016
Picture credit: Artcurial
$36,344,960 – 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 5 February 2025
Picture credit: RM Sotheby’s
$38,115,000 – 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
Auctioneer: Bonhams
Date sold: 14 August 2014
Picture credit: Bonhams
$48,405,000 – 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 26 August 2018
Patrick Ernzen ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
$51,705,000 – 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO by Scaglietti
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 14 Nov 2023
Picture credit: RM Sotheby's
$53,917,370 – 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 1 February 2025
Picture credit: RM Sotheby's
$142,000,000 – 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe
Auctioneer: RM Sotheby's
Date sold: 5 May 2022
Picture credit: RM Sotheby’s
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