Since the word “classic” is often used interchangeably with vintages, antiques, and collector cars, it stands to reason that oldies as young as ten years old and as ancient as twenty-five to thirty years old or more qualify as classic cars. It's true that the rarer or fewer surviving models, the more valuable they are likely to be.
However, some classics are markedly more expensive due to their unique cultural or historical significance, their impact on the industry, the personalities that owned them, or various other factors. The wealthy collectors who place tremendous value on these decades-old machines are largely to blame for their multi-million dollar price tags.
If you thought the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for $48.4 million in 2018 was outrageous, wait till you read about the Uhlenhaut Coupe and 12 others.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé
- Sold for $144 Million
We might as well start with the most expensive car ever sold at auction – the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. This car's story is the stuff of legends, dating back to historical events within the corridors of Mercedes-Benz's racing department in the 1950s. They named it after Rudolph Uhlenhaut, Mercedes-Benz’s chief engineer at the time, who also created and designed the car as a road-going version of the 300SLR race car.
The W196 S 300SLR race car won the 1955 World Sports Car championship. Long story short, the Uhlenhaut Coupe fetched a ceiling-shattering €135 million ($144 million today) at a private RM Sotheby's auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM
- Sold for $17.6 Million
The “LM” attached to this car’s name is short for Le Mans, as Ferrari developed it to carry on the 250 GTO’s legacy in the GT racing category. Making its debut in 1964, the Ferrari 250 LM used a 3.3-liter V12 engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission to crank out 320 horsepower.
Notably, the LM used a mid-engine design as opposed to Ferrari’s traditional front-engine endurance racing cars. Long story short, a 2015 RM Sotheby’s auction saw the very 250 LM that won the 24H of Le Mans in 1965 go under the hammer for a mouth-watering $17.6 million. Only 32 of them were made, with each hand-built and unique in its own right.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder Competizione
- Sold for $18.1 Million
As the high-performance variant of the LWB California Spyder, the Competizione benefited from a more powerful engine, a lightweight construction, performance upgrades, and racing-specific modifications.
The 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder Competizione proved formidable in endurance races, including the 24H of Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and other motorsport events of the era. One of the nine examples produced, with chassis number 1603, passed to a new owner during a Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction in 2016 for a mouth-watering $18.150 million.
1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider
- Sold for $18.3 Million
The Ferrari 375-Plus Spider made giant strides in endurance racing events like the 24H of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana. As the evolutionary model of the Ferrari 375 MM, the 375-Plus Spider benefited from a larger-displacement (4.9-liter) V12 engine that cranked out 330 horsepower. Ferrari supported this mill with a lightweight chassis and aerodynamic bodywork, a recipe for giant strides on the track.
For example, a Plus Spider with chassis number 0384AM won the 24H Le Mans in 1954, commandeered by José Froilán González and Maurice Trintignant. Ferrari built just five of these cars, one of which changed hands at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed Bonhams auction for $18.3 million.
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder
- Sold for $18.4 Million
The Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder rode on the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB’s (Short Wheelbase) chassis. The convertible sports car was designed by Ferrari and built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti.
As was the Prancing Horse's tradition, the 250 GT SWB California Spyder got motivation from a 3.0-liter V12 engine mated to a 4-speed manual transmission to produce 280 horsepower. It came with both covered and open-headlight designs, with the latter being the rare and more desirable today. Artcurial sold one of the approximately 56 examples for $18.4 million in 2015.
Ford GT40 MK II
- Sold for $9.8 Million
This is none other than the legendary racing car that Henry Ford’s son built for Ferrari. Yes, Ford devoted a sizeable amount of resources with the single-minded goal of crippling the red Prancing Horse at the 24H Le Mans. The MKII went to war against Ferrari, armed with a 7.0-liter V8 engine, sharp aerodynamics, and lightweight construction.
It proved enough to take a historic 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, marking the first time an American manufacturer won the race and ended Ferrari's years-long dominance. One of 31 MKII GT40s produced between 1966 and 1967 fetched $9.8 million at Sotheby’s auction in 2018.
Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta
- Sold for $17.5 Million
With just three examples ever produced, the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta is an ultra-exclusive, extremely limited supercar. The Zonda HP Barchetta is a fine example of art on wheels, boasting the highest levels of attention to detail all over its carbon fiber body.
Though introduced in 2018 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the HP Barchetta is a modern classic in its own right. Pagani’s signature AMG-derived V12 motivates the Barchetta with over 700 horsepower. This is a confirmed member of one of the world's most expensive supercars, reportedly costing a bank-breaking $17.5 million right from the factory.
Bugatti la Voiture Noire
- Sold for $12.5 Million
Speaking of modern classics in the guise of supercars, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire is an ultra-luxurious, limited-edition hypercar that many classic car collectors will gladly pay a fortune to own, only if they can find one for sale.
The La Voiture Noire is a one-off tribute to the legendary 1930s Bugatti Type 57 5C Atlantic. The car hides a mighty 1,500-hp 8.0-liter W16 engine beneath its all-black carbon fiber body. There's a price tag of $12.5 million on this near-mythic Bugatti.
Rolls-Royce Sweptail
- Sold for $12.8 Million
Speaking of one-off rarities, the Rolls-Royce Sweptail is a one-off Rolls-Royce model built to the exact specifications of a wealthy customer. Rolls-Royce showed off the car at the 2017 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, taking its name from the “swept-tail” design of luxury coachbuilt cars from the early 20th century.
The customer who approached Rolls-Royce with this request wanted the most elusive and exclusive Rolls ever made. It reportedly cost $12.8 million.
Mercedes-Maybach Exelero
- Sold for $8 Million
The Mercedes-Maybach Exelero is another modern classic with a seat at the table of rare million-dollar collector cars. It is a one-off high-performance luxury sports car unveiled in 2005 and commissioned by the German tire company Fulda to showcase their new high-performance tire, the Carat Exelero. Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH based the Exelero on the Maybach 57 platform.
It uses a twin-turbocharged V12 engine that produces around 700 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque, sending the nearly 6,000-lb luxury car barreling from rest to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The top speed is reportedly over 218 mph, and the price is $8 million.
Bugatti Centodieci
- Sold for $9 Million
Unveiled at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Bugatti Centodieci honored the iconic EB110 supercar produced in the 1990s, coinciding with Bugatti’s 110th anniversary. Though built on the Chiron’s platform, the Centodieci hypercar featured a completely redesigned body with more angular lines, a larger rear wing, and a distinctive rear light bar spanning the car’s width.
Bugatti limited the Centodieci’s production to just 10 units, ultimately setting it up for a life of exclusivity and rarity. Considering this car boasts an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine that produces a staggering 1,600 horsepower, it is worth every penny of its $9 million price tag.
Aston Martin DBR1
- Sold for $23 Million
Developed as an endurance racing machine, the Aston Martin DBR1 benefited from a lightweight, aerodynamic body propelled by a 2.5-liter straight-six engine that produced around 250 horsepower. It made Aston Martin proud by winning the 24H of Le Mans in 1959, marking the first time in the automaker’s history to taste a first overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The DBR1 went on to achieve notable racing successes, including the Nürburgring 1000 km and the RAC Tourist Trophy. This car’s roll-call of captains includes superstars like Carroll Shelby, Roy Salvadori, Stirling Moss, and Jack Brabham. One of the just five examples produced fetched $22.550 million at a Sotheby’s Monterey auction in 2017.
Aston Martin DP215
- Sold for $21.5 Million
Aston Martin’s racing team, under the direction of team manager John Wyer, developed the one-off DP215 as a 24H of Le Mans racing car prototype in 1963. The car used the DB4 GT’s chassis and an advanced aerodynamic body design for high-speed performance. The DP215’s motivation came from a 4.0-liter inline-six engine that produced over 300 horsepower.
Sadly, the car grappled with a myriad of technical issues that blighted its performance and forced it to retire, although it saw action again in other racing events, including the RAC Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. The DP215 fetched a jaw-dropping $21.5 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction.
Mercedes Benz W196
- Sold for $29.6 Million
The legend of the W196 is well-known in the classic car collector circles. It’s an F1 car, designed under the watchful eyes of none other than the legendary Rudolf Uhlenhaut, to race in the 1954 and 1955 Formula One seasons.
The Mercedes-Benz W196 stood out with a streamlined bodywork and fully independent suspension, receiving motivation from a fuel-injected 2.5-liter straight-8 engine featuring an innovative desmodromic valve system.
This was the first car to use a spaceframe chassis made of lightweight but strong tubular steel. At action time in 1954, the W196 demonstrated its mettle by winning nine of the twelve races. It fetched $29.6 million at a Bonhams auction in 2013.
