Auction houses set new price records for classic and racing cars almost every year, but a handful of sales stand far above the rest. Collectors have paid tens of millions of dollars for Ferraris, Jaguars and other icons carrying rare chassis numbers and documented racing histories. Here are twelve cars that sold for the highest prices ever recorded at a public auction.
1. Ferrari 250 GTO (chassis 3413GT): The Record-Setting GTO
This chassis, number 3413GT, sold for $48,405,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 25, 2018, a price that then made it the most expensive car ever sold at auction. Ferrari built the Ferrari 250 GTO for GT racing homologation, and only 36 examples ever left the factory.
Bidding pushed past pre-sale expectations as several collectors chased the car’s documented period racing history. Surviving examples rarely change hands, since most sit in long-term private or institutional collections rather than returning to market.
2. Ferrari 250LM (chassis 5893): Le Mans Winner Turned Auction Star
Chassis 5893 sold for $36,344,960 at RM Sotheby’s Paris auction on February 5, 2025, becoming one of the most valuable Ferraris ever brought to sale. The Ferrari 250LM race car carries class-winning results from major European endurance events of its era.
Unlike many mid-engine Ferraris of the period, this example retains matching numbers and an unbroken ownership record, factors bidders weighed heavily against rival lots that night. Its racing pedigree, not styling alone, drove the final price well past estimates.
3. Ferrari 335 S (chassis 0674): A Works Racer Worth Millions
Chassis 0674 brought $35,730,510, roughly 32.1 million euros, at Artcurial’s Retromobile auction in Paris on February 15, 2016. Ferrari campaigned the Ferrari 335 S Spider as a factory sports-racer during the late 1950s, when it competed against Maserati and Aston Martin works teams.
Only a handful of 335 S chassis were built before Ferrari moved to newer designs, making surviving examples exceptionally scarce. The Paris sale drew bidders from multiple continents, reflecting how few genuine works Ferrari racers from that period ever reach the open market.
4. Mercedes-Benz W196 (chassis 00006/54): Fangio’s Championship Machine
Juan Manuel Fangio’s former Formula One car sold for $29,600,000, about 19.7 million pounds, at Bonhams’ Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on July 12, 2013. The Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula One car carried Fangio to grand prix victories during his championship-winning 1954 season.
Mercedes withdrew its works team from grand prix racing shortly after that season, so few W196 chassis were ever built or sold into private hands. The direct link to a five-time world champion, more than the mechanical rarity alone, pushed bidding to a record for any Formula One car.
5. Ferrari 290 MM (chassis 0626): A Sports-Prototype Record Breaker
Chassis 0626 sold for $28,050,000 at RM Sotheby’s New York auction on December 10, 2015. Ferrari built the Ferrari 290 MM race car for the World Sportscar Championship, and this chassis carried period drivers through several major European endurance rounds.
Fewer than four examples of the model were ever produced, giving each surviving car outsized significance among collectors of 1950s sports-prototypes. Provenance research tied this chassis to specific races before the sale, a documentation trail that helped justify its final price.
6. Aston Martin DBR1 (chassis DBR1/1): Britain’s Priciest Car Ever Sold
This chassis, DBR1/1, sold for $22,550,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 19, 2017, making it the most expensive British car ever sold at auction. The Aston Martin DBR1 was the first car built under the model designation and remained a factory team entry for several seasons.
Aston Martin built only five DBR1 chassis in total, and this one carries early works-team racing credentials from the late 1950s. Its rarity, combined with the marque’s limited outright auction history at this level, made the result a standout even against Italian rivals that night.
7. Jaguar D-Type (chassis XKD 501): Jaguar’s Le Mans Legend
Chassis XKD 501 sold for $21,780,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 19, 2016. The Jaguar D-Type race car was the first works prototype of the model, built specifically to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours in the mid-1950s.
As the original factory development chassis, it holds a distinct place in Jaguar’s competition history separate from the production D-Types that followed. Bidders recognized that originality, and the sale remains the highest price ever paid for a Jaguar at public auction.
8. McLaren F1 (chassis 029): The Modern Road Car Record
Chassis 029 sold for $20,465,000 at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction on August 14, 2021. Unlike most cars on this list, the McLaren F1 road car was built for street use rather than racing, with a three-seat layout and a central driving position.
Low production numbers, a gold-lined engine bay and largely original condition all factored into the final bid. The result stands as the highest price ever paid for a car built after 1980, a marker that separates it from the pre-war and mid-century racers dominating the rest of this list.
9. Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider (chassis 412041): Pre-War Design at Record Money
Chassis 412041 sold for $19,800,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 20, 2016. Alfa Romeo built the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider in the late 1930s as one of its most refined pre-war grand touring chassis.
Coachbuilt bodywork and an unusually well-preserved original interior separated this example from other surviving 8C chassis at the sale. The price set a new benchmark for pre-war automobiles, a category that rarely competes with post-war racing cars at the very top of the market.
10. Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder (chassis 2935GT): The Six-Figure Spyder That Went Eight
Chassis 2935GT sold for $18,454,304 at Artcurial’s Paris auction on February 6, 2015. The California Spyder convertible combined open-top road-going comfort with a competition-derived chassis, a pairing Ferrari built in very limited numbers.
Fewer than fifty short-wheelbase California Spyders were ever produced, and surviving cars with original coachwork command consistent premiums over other 250-series Ferraris. The Paris result reinforced the model’s standing among the most sought-after open Ferraris of the classic era.
11. Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (chassis 0666TR): The Original Red-Head Ferrari
Chassis 0666TR sold for $16,390,000 at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction on August 21, 2011. The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa earned its name, Italian for red head, from the red-painted cam covers on its V12 engine.
Ferrari built the model specifically to compete in international sports car racing during the late 1950s, and this chassis carried a documented factory-team history. At the time of sale, the price marked one of the highest ever paid for a Ferrari at auction.
12. Ford GT40 (chassis P/1074): Detroit’s Answer to Ferrari
Chassis P/1074 sold for $11,000,000 at RM Auctions’ Monterey sale on August 17, 2012. Ford developed the Ford GT40 racer specifically to beat Ferrari at the Le Mans 24 Hours, a rivalry that defined 1960s endurance racing.
This particular chassis carries period competition history from the height of the Ford-Ferrari rivalry, a background that drove strong bidding among endurance-racing collectors. The result stood for years as a benchmark price for American-built competition cars at auction.
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