10 Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold

Arguably, the most beautiful open-top sports car ever built. The GT California Spyder SWB had sharper handling and shorter wheelbase and boasted a three litre V12 engine which had 276 horsepower. That’s not an awful lot for a sports car nowadays, but in the 60s that was more than anyone else had on the road. Only about 55 of these were ever built, Chris Evans has one.

The LM was a very different 250. It boasted glorious Pininfarina bodywork and was designed as a road-going, road legal GT car, the LM a nod toward Le Mans. Only 32 examples of the 250 LM were ever built, so if you did manage to grab a bargain on one of these then you’d never see another one on the roads. This sale was completed on August 13th, 2015 at RM Auctions in Monterey California.

The 375 was the F1 weapon of choice for the Ferrari brand in the 1950s and raced at Le Mans, Silverstone and Mille Miglia. Only 5 of these were ever built so these are just about as rare as Ferraris get. The 375 was the fastest car in the world upon introduction and blasted out 330 horsepower - just less than an BMW e46 M3, for comparison. 0-60mph only took 4.0 seconds and it went on to 186mph. Blisteringly quick even by today's standards!

Another 250 California! - the same as the car that featured in number 10 of this list - this one must have had fewer miles on it, perhaps? Well, whatever set it apart from the previous model sold at auction, it must be valuable as it added on almost an extra $1.5million. Here’s a clip of James May taking one out for a spin...

Sold back in August 2014, again in Monterey, California, this stunning coupé was one of only 4 lightweight vehicles produced for the 1965 racing season, and one of the 4 was actually a prototype, so 3. The car boasted weight-saving manufacturing revelations which were considered a stroke of genius - including plexiglass windows and magnesium engine components. The new owner paid a lot of money for a car with acrylic windows...

Another 275! (and yes, another Ferrari - I warned you about this on the first page!) A Massive $27,936,071 was paid for this, again in August 2014 in Monterey, California. Only one dealer ever sold this car, Luigi Chinetti, with the intention of making a run of just 25 models but due to a lack of demand only 10 were ever built. This specific NART Spider was driven regularly and was a one-family owner upon purchase in 2014.

December 10th 2015 in New York City, a 4.5litre V12 290MM sold for a massive $28,050,000. The 290MM was first used as a Formula 1 car and had a top-speed of 170mph. The ‘MM’ stands for Mille Miglia, which was a run of 4 models made for the legendary open-road race which took place annually from 1927 to 1957. In 1956 the penultimate Mille Miglia race, the 290MM came first and placed itself in motoring history.

Finally! A car that isn’t a Ferrari! The W196 was an F1 car produced for the 1954 and 1955 seasons, winning both with a certain Stirling Moss at the wheel. This particular Merc went up for auction in 2013 at the Goodwood Bonhams auction in West Sussex. There are numerous W196s in the world, but this one in particular reached such a huge asking price due to the fact it is the only one in the hands of a private individual, whereas all other models belong to the manufacturer or museums.

Ah, a Ferrari again. This time a 1-of-4 Ferrari 335S. This sold earlier this year at the Artcurial auction in Paris, France. There are many reasons the 335S is such a valuable car, but one of the most interesting reasons the 335S is so famous is actually rather bleak. This was the car that ended the Mille Miglia 1,000 mile road race. In 1957, Alfonso Portago was in third place and travelling at 150mph when his car, a 335S, blew a puncture. The car flung itself to the left of the road killing 5 people, then the momentum of the car carried itself back across the road and killed a further 5 people - just 40 miles away from the finish line. Portago and his co-driver Edmund Nelson also died upon impact.

So, here it is, the most expensive car sold at auction - ever! The 250 GTO went up for sale at Bonhams Quail Auction on August the 14th 2014 at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California. Why was the 250 GTO in particular sold at such a steep price? Well, of all the cars produced in the 60s and 70s, the 250 was considered the model that ‘most embodied the characteristics of the marque.’ That’s somewhat obscure, but experts believe the 250 GTO is as Ferrari as a Ferrari can get. Just look at it, it’s easy to see why so many fell in love with this car, especially when you get a nice amount of change from a $40,000,000 cheque...