ROME – Classic cars have a timeless charm for which collectors are willing to offer more and more in order to have an exclusive car in their hands. But what are the ten most expensive classic cars sold at auction? Here’s the list.
1) Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut-Coupe?”, 1955
In an auction organized by RM Sotheby’s at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, it reached an incredible figure of 135 million euros which broke the old record of 90 million. The “Uhlenhaut-Coupé” – created in only two units, owned by the Stuttgart company – was based on another very successful car, the W 196 R from Grand Prix, who won two world championships in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio. The eight-cylinder in-line engine was increased from 2.5 to 3.0 liters, so that it could reach 290 km / h, and become one of the fastest road racing cars.
The company’s proceeds today will be used to establish a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund” that will provide scholarships and research in the fields of environmental science and decarbonisation.
2. Ferrari 250 GTO, 1962
After 20 years in the private collection of vintage Ferrari enthusiast and driver Gregory Whitten, it is back on the market. The car – chassis number 3413 GT – was sold at auction on 25 August 2018 for approx 48 million dollars. “My journey with the 250 GTO has come to an end, but I’m really excited to see how this car will make its new owner happy,” Whitten commented at Monterey car week.
3. Ferrari 250 GTO Maranello Rosso Collection, 1962
It was sold by Bonhams in the summer of 2014 for $ 38,115,000. The Ferrari 250 GTO from the Maranello Rosso Collection – one of the most important private Ferrari collections – was until then visible in the museum of the same name in San Marino: it belonged to Fabrizio Violati – mineral water magnate and friend of the Drake – in 1965 he paid for it 2 , 5 million lire.
4. Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti, 1957
In 2016 the Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti became one of the most expensive cars in the world when Artcurial Retromobile beat it for $ 35,730,510. This model was launched in 1957 and driven by legendary drivers such as Stirling Moss, Wolfgang von Tapis and Maurice Trintignant: marked with chassis number 0674, it came from the garage of Pierre Bardinon, one of the major Ferrari collectors, who died in 2012.
5. Mercedes Benz W196R, 1954
During the 2013 Goodwood Festival, Bonhams auction house sold the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Grand Prix for $ 31.6 million: this completely original sports car is the only post-war Silver Arrow owned by a private individual. Of the 14 units built, only 10 are still in circulation: 6 are part of the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection; 3 instead are found in the museums of Indianapolis, Vienna and Turin. The tenth is this, whose chassis is number 006/54 with which Fangio triumphed in the German and Swiss GPs in 1954.
6. Ferrari 290 MM for Scaglietti, 1956
For the record figure of $ 28,050,000 ranks among the most expensive cars sold at auction. Produced in only 10 units, moreover, this jewel was the weapon that Enzo Ferrari used to take back the world championship for sports cars that Mercedes had stolen from it the previous year. The MM nomenclature stands for Mille Miglia.
7. Ferrari 275 GTB:4/S N.A.R.T. Spider, 1967
In 2013, he received the scepter for the most expensive classic car ever sold at auction. RM Auctions, in Pebble Beach, hit the hammer on $ 27,500,000. Specifically, it was chassis 10709, one of the examples in the series of 10. The owner had bought the new Spider in 1968, in North Carolina, keeping it jealously until auction.
8. Ferrari 275 GTB / C Speciale by Scaglietti, 1964.
Built in 1964 and bodyworked by Scaglietti, it was auctioned in 2014 for $ 26.4 million, in Monterey, California by RM Auctions. The car is the close heir to the GTO, produced in the mid-1960s, from which it inherited the front with the characteristic bezel air intakes: handmade between the end of 1964 and the beginning of 1965, it is the first Red with independent rear wheel, built in just three units, with characteristics that meet the FIA standards for the homologation necessary to participate in races in the GT category. Homologation which was obtained, however, by only one of the specimens which finished third overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965. The Ferrari 275 GTB / C from the auction returned to the factory to be destined for road use.
9. Aston Martin DBR1, 1956
In 2017 with 22.55 million dollars the new owner, in Monterey, set a new record for British cars sold at auction (previously held by the DB4 / GT Zagato, sold in 2015 for 14.3 million dollars). Built between 1956 and 1958 in just 5 units, the DBR1 was one of the most powerful and fastest cars of its time, taking 9 victories in the 18 races in which it participated, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1000 km of the Nurburgring.
10. The Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti, 1956
In tenth position is the fourth example of the Maranello racing car, designed for the 1956 Mille Miglia. In 2018 it was sold by RM Sotheby’s in the Petersen Automotive Museum. Price? $ 22,005,000. With Scaglietti bodywork and 3.4-liter four-cylinder 280 hp engine, it made its debut in the most beautiful race in the world: the model boasts a truly important pedigree: it was brought to the track by pilots of the caliber of Peter Collins, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Stirling Moss, on three different continents.