Collector cars have become a serious asset class, and a handful of them have changed hands for sums that rival masterpiece paintings. The list below counts one car per model, using exact hammer prices from RM Sotheby’s, Gooding Christie’s, Artcurial and other auction houses. Here are ten of the highest, taken in descending order.
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1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe: The Undisputed Record
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe was sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2022 at an exclusive auction for $142,000,000, the most ever paid for a car at auction. The sale price sits about $88 million above the next car on this list.
Nothing since has come close. Press coverage of the sale also gave the price as 135 million euros, and the figure is so far ahead of the field that it reads as its own category. Every other entry here is measured against it.
2. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen: A Silver Arrow Sells
The streamlined Grand Prix car brought $53,917,370 at RM Sotheby’s on Feb. 1, 2025. The Stromlinienwagen is a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 R built for Formula One racing.
That result makes this the second most expensive car ever sold at auction, and the second Mercedes-Benz to lead a price chart here. The same model family appears in Top Gear’s list with an earlier $29,600,000 sale in 2013, which shows how sharply prices for racing history have climbed. Evo converts the same sale to £42,970,200, which shows how currency choice changes the headline.
3. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO: Ferrari’s Auction High
A Scaglietti-bodied 250 GTO sold for $51,705,000 at RM Sotheby’s on Nov. 14, 2023, the highest price for any Ferrari at auction. The 250 GTO has long been treated as the benchmark among collectible Ferraris, and its prices show it.
Other GTOs have sold for less in earlier years, including $48,405,000 in August 2018. Each sale underlines how scarce and well documented examples set the price for the entire model line. A GTO also crossed the block at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction for over $38 million in January 2026, well short of this mark.
4. 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe: Cobra With Wings
The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe was hammered at $42,905,000 at Gooding Christie’s 2026 Pebble Beach sale, or just under £32 million. The coupe is one of the most celebrated American racing cars ever built.
The result lifts it above several Ferraris in the ranking and makes it the most expensive American car on the list. It is also the most recent sale among the top five, so the figure reflects current market conditions. Daytona Coupes were built to take on Ferrari in GT racing, which adds a story to the number.
5. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM: Le Mans Lightweight
A 1964 Ferrari 250 LM sold for $36,344,960 at RM Sotheby’s on Feb. 5, 2025. The mid-engined Ferrari was built for endurance racing, and the price reflects a rare racing car with strong history.
Evo’s list gives the price as £29,080,153 at RM’s Paris sale, a reminder that currency conversions shift between publications. Anyone comparing figures across sources should check which currency is quoted. Top Gear tracks only public sales, so private deals do not appear in any of these rankings.
6. 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti: Paris Surprise
The 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti brought $35,730,510 at Artcurial in Paris on Feb. 5, 2016. The sports racing car comes from the 1950s, and Evo’s list shows the same price as £29,268,961.
The sale is also the earliest on this list, and it is a reminder that American auction houses do not hold a monopoly on top prices. Several later results have since topped it, including the Mercedes cars and the 250 GTO. Top Gear lists it among 31 public auction results, which exclude private sales.
7. 1996 McLaren F1 GTR: Road-Racing Hypercar
A 1996 McLaren F1 GTR sold for $34,655,000 at RM Sotheby’s Pebble Beach sale. The GTR is the racing version of the F1 road car, built for the Le Mans 24 Hours and other sports car series.
Unlike most cars here, this one comes from the 1990s rather than the 1950s or 1960s. Top Gear’s list also shows another McLaren F1 selling for $25,317,500 at RM Sotheby’s on Dec. 5, 2025. Evo’s list puts the result at RM Sotheby’s Pebble Beach sale, one of the biggest events on the calendar.
8. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione: California Dreaming
A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione fetched $25,305,000 at the Pebble Beach auctions. Top Gear dates the sale to Aug. 15, 2025, at Gooding Christie’s, where the car sold for £18,754,585 in British money.
The competition version of the California Spider sits well above standard examples, which sold for $18,045,000 in March 2023 per the same list. The gap shows that racing provenance adds millions of dollars to a car that is otherwise a familiar collector model.
9. 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1: British Record
At $22.6 million, RM Sotheby’s 2017 Monterey sale set the record for a British car with the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1. The DBR1 was a sports racing car that made its name at Le Mans.
The price is a record for a British car, which gives the DBR1/1 a place in auction history. Evo’s list, which shows the price as almost £20 million, helps convert the figure for readers outside the United States. RM Sotheby’s marked the occasion with a press release headlined as a British-car record.
10. 1955 Jaguar D-Type: Le Mans Legend
A 1955 Jaguar D-Type sold for $21,780,000 at RM Sotheby’s on Aug. 19, 2016. Top Gear includes the sports racer in its list of the priciest cars ever sold at auction, which places it among the most valuable British competition cars.
The D-Type is a rare prize because it is a road-going shape built for endurance racing, and collectors treat the surviving cars as historic artifacts. The sale price sits just below the DBR1/1 above it on this list, which keeps British racing machines clustered near the bottom of the top ten.
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