The most expensive auctioned cars of all time
A beautiful, big and fast car is usually an expensive expense, yet having such a car is the dream of almost every man. Although the purchase price of a car does not have to be very high, some owners do make a big deal: in fact, they lay down extremely high prices for a unique specimen. How much money did the owners of the most expensive cars in the world actually pay?
Ferrari 375 Plus Spider Competizione
This Ferrari was made especially for Ferrari’s racing team, so only 5 of them were built. With one of the cars, Umberto Maglioli finished second in the 1954 Mille Miglia. Because of this victory, this type of Ferrari was labeled as a car with real racing history. The car was eventually auctioned for just over 14 million euros.
Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale
Only 3 examples of this type of Ferrari were built. This car is very unique as the first one was handmade. This handmade Ferrari was optimized at the factory in August 2014, which caused the car to be worth more. The car was eventually sold by the auction house RM Auctions for around 20 million euros. That the Ferrari appeared at auction was a unique opportunity for true enthusiasts, as the other 2 Ferraris are owned by avid collectors. As a result, the chances of these being sold quickly are very slim.
Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider
American Ferrari distributor Luigi Chinetti designed the Ferrari 275 to boost Ferrari sales in the United States. Only 10 of these Ferrari types were built in 1967-1968. One of these cars was bought by Eddie Smith, the founder of National Wholesale: a mail-order women’s clothing company. When Eddie passed away, his son decided to sell the car. At an auction in August 2013, the car was sold for about 21 million euros to Lawrence Stroll (a Ferrari collector).
Mercedes Benz W196
This Mercedes meant an awful lot to motorsports and in the process had a lot of influence on the further development of the sport. Juan Manuel Fangio became world champion 5 times with this car and also Stirling Moss achieved many victories (16 Grand Prix) with the Mercedes. Although the car was not active in motorsports for very long, this Mercedes model is wildly popular. Currently, there are still 10 Mercedes Benz W196 in circulation and the most expensive one was sold in July 2013 for about 23 million euros.
Ferrari 250 GTO
This red Ferrari has had several owners. The first owner was the French Formula 1 driver: Jo Schlesser. During the 1968 French Grand Prix, Jo died. Before his death, he had already sold his Ferrari to Henri Oreiller: a French skier who won two gold medals at the 1948 Winter Olympics. Besides skiing, competing in various car races was another of Henri’s great passions. While racing in the Ferrari 250 GTO, a tire blew out, sending him flying out of the corner at a high speed of 160 kilometers/per hour. This cost Henri his life and the car was also totaled. The car was refurbished at the factory and eventually sold to Ferrari collector: Fabrizio Violati. He was the owner until 2010, but in 2014 the car was auctioned for about $28.5 million. Because such a high amount was paid for the car, it is driven quite infrequently. The Ferrari 250 GTO has become a collector’s item after a long and turbulent life as a sports car.
Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti Spider
This extremely rare Ferrari became the most expensive auctioned car of all time at Salon Metromobile by Artcurial Motorcars on Feb. 5. The Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti Spider from Pierre Bardinon’s exclusive collection fetched a whopping 32 million euros. The Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti Spider rolled out of the factory in 1957 and was subsequently used in such legendary races as the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Mille Miglia, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Cuban Grand Prix. Over the years, several motorsport icons drove the Ferrari, including Wolfgang von Trips and Stirling Moss.
Unfortunately, we do not own these most expensive cars in the world, but you can rent magnificent sports cars from us, all young classics that we have selected for you, such as an Aston Martin DBS and Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS. Can you see yourself sitting in such a special car? Check out our sports cars page to see what we have to offer.