1. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
More than just a car, it was driven by Fangio making it a piece of automotive history and a winner at many Formula One races Though there have been doubts about how legal the car is to be driven on the road, the asking price of $29,650,095 (€22,701,864) it is the most expensive classic car ever sold at auction.
2. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider by Scaglietti
Costing $27,500,000 because US Ferrari importer, Luigi Chinetti told Enzo Ferrari where he had gone wrong, which let to the car to be built. With only 10 made, the proceeds from this sale went to charity.
3. 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype
This one sold at auction in 2011 for $16.39 million thanks to its incredible racing pedigree. A prototype on which future Red Heads were based, it was restored after crashing and bursting into flames.
4. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Carrozzeria Scaglietti
At $14.3 million it broke all previous records for its model but like all of the Ferraris at the upper end of the list, the premium paid is down to the importance of the car in terms of Ferrari’s history, legend and mythology.
5. 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’
Until the 250 LM went under the hammer, it held the distinction of being the most expensive closed-in Berlinetta Ferrari ever to sell at auction. It is still to this day one of the most important cars in Ferrari’s racing history.
6. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
The second Testa Rossa and, back in 2009 when it went under the hammer, it was the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction. It won the Le Mans three times.
7. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster
A Mercedes but a very different one at that. An example of this incredibly elegant, but rather sporty in its day, open-top cruiser once belonged to Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. Sold at an auction for a then-record of $6.3 million in 2007 only for another of the 26 remaining examples to fall under the hammer at last year’s Pebble Beach, fetching $11.7 million.
8. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
The California models were so called because they were aimed at Californians, who wanted to cruise the boulevards with the top down, but then floor the accelerator and tear it up in the mountains. The price paid for this long wheel base model may well have been influenced by the value of the car now sitting in 10th place.
9. 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Lightweight Racing Car
The Ford GT40 was one of the greatest sports cars in history. Built to beat Ferrari, it did just that. It might be pretty low down in the chart but it is still at $11 million it the most expensive American car ever to go under the hammer.
10. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder
a car with a famous former owner – James Coburn. Sold in 2008 it made the headlines because it was the most expensive car to sell at auction. The successful bidder, UK TV and radio broadcaster, Chris Evans revealed that he bought it because he fell in love with it, and that he had only intended to buy a couple of Ferrari posters at the sale, but got carried away.
