Most Valuable Classic Cars of All Time
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When Ford took on Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans race, the American company smoked the Italian race car manufacturer. But while Ford got the better of Ferrari on the track, the worth of a Ferrari far exceeds even that 1966 race’s winning car.
A Ford GT40 MK II went for $9.8 million at auction in 2018. To get a pristine Ferrari from that era, you’ll have to pay at least double. In fact, Ferrari dominates in the most expensive vintage cars ever sold at auction.
These are the most valuable classic cars of all time. Take a peek under their hoods, and you'll know why.
15. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
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Price: $19 million
Note: Prices have been adjusted for inflation for sales before 2018.
Bottom Line: 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
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Only 32 of these incredible Ferraris by Scaglietti were ever made, making them some of the most coveted Ferraris in the world.
The highest-priced 250 LM sold for $17.6 million in 2015 at auction. That very car took first place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965.
It was the last Ferrari to ever do so.
Under the Hood: 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
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Engine: 3.3 L V-12
Horsepower: 320
Top speed: 180 mph
Weight: 1,940 pounds
14. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
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Price: $19.46 million
Bottom Line: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
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Does this car look familiar? It’s the same type of car in "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" that Cameron accidentally sends flying through a glass wall and into the woods. Of course, the movie just used a custom-built fiberglass shell to duplicate the look.
This 250GT LWB Spider finished fifth in the 1960 12-hour Sebring race, its speed helped by its alloy body. The car fetched $18.15 million at a Gooding and Company auction in 2016.
Another 250 GT LWB, which finished fifth overall at the 1959 Le Mans, fetched $17.99 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2017.
Under the Hood: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
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Engine: 3.0 L V-12
Horsepower: 262
Top speed: 155 mph
Weight: N/A
13. 1994 McLaren F1 LM
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Price: $19.8 million
Bottom Line: 1994 McLaren F1 LM
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At only 25 years old, this car is the youngest on this list — and by some collectors’ standards, perhaps not vintage enough.
Regardless of any debate about its age, the McLaren F1 is an incredible supercar masterfully designed down to the last detail. It can hit 100 mph in 6.3 seconds and blitz down a quarter-mile straight in 11.1 seconds, with top speeds reaching over 230 mph. Only 64 F1s were built from 1994 through 1997.
The one that fetched the highest price at auction was in August of 2019, when chassis No. 018 sold for $19.805 million. It was an F1 "LM," a limited-edition model created to celebrate the F1’s victory at the 1995 Le Mans, a grueling 24-hour race.
Under the Hood: 1994 McLaren F1 LM
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Engine: 6.0 L V-12
Horsepower: 627
Top speed: 230+ mph
Weight: 2,425 pounds
12. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
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Price: $20 million
Bottom Line: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
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The Ferrari 250 GT SWB Spider, which sold at auction in 2015 for 16,288,000 euros ($19.85 million), was found in a barn and belonged to movie star Alain Delon.
It’s the most expensive 250 GT ever sold.
Under the Hood: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
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Engine: 3.0 L V-12
Horsepower: 277
Top speed: 149 mph
Weight: 2,646 pounds
11. 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
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Price: $21.23 million
Bottom Line: 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
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This pre-war Alfa Romeo has a complicated history involving its coachwork and engine, but it remains one of the most striking examples of a classic sports car.
It is one of only 12 extant Touring Spiders, and it fetched $19.8 million in 2016 at a Sotheby’s auction.
Under the Hood: 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
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Engine: 2.9 L straight-8
Horsepower: 180
Top speed: N/A
Weight: N/A
10. 1963 Aston Martin DP215
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Price: $21.455 million
Bottom Line: 1963 Aston Martin DP215
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This Aston Martin didn’t win any races. The gearbox broke down after four hours during the 1963 Le Mans. But it remains one of the world’s most sought-after cars.
It’s the only one of its kind, and it survived mostly intact. It sold for $21.455 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2018.
Under the Hood: 1963 Aston Martin DP215
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Engine: 4.0 L straight-6
Horsepower: 326
Top speed: 198.6
Weight: 2,219 pounds
9. 1955 Jaguar D-Type
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Price: $23.35 million
Bottom Line: 1955 Jaguar D-Type
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The Jaguar D-Type is just one of the coolest race cars ever made. And it’s blisteringly fast, too.
The 1955 D-Type that sold at auction in 2016 for $21.78 million averaged 104.47 mph on the 1955 Le Mans and hit 156.868 mph on the Mulsanne Straight.
The D-Type’s greatest hour came during the 1957 Le Mans, where it took the first, second, third, fourth and sixth spots in the 55-car race.
Under the Hood: 1955 Jaguar D-Type
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Engine: 3.4 L straight-six
Horsepower: 250
Top speed: 156.8 mph
Weight: 2,090 pounds
8. 1935 Duesenberg SSJ
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Price: $22 million
Bottom Line: 1935 Duesenberg SSJ
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The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ that fetched $22 million at auction in 2018 belonged to actor Gary Cooper. Certainly, that added a zero or two to this beast of a car, but the main draw is the road monster itself.
The Duesenberg is a luxury car introduced just before the Great Depression. Its 5,000-pound frame barely hid a massive straight-eight engine that could put out 400 horsepower in its supercharged SSJ model and hit 60 mph in less than eight seconds.
Under the Hood: 1935 Dusenberg SSJ
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Engine: 7.3 L straight-8 supercharged
Horsepower: 400
Top speed: Around 160
Weight: 5,200 pounds
7. Aston Martin DBR1
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Price: $23.67 million
Bottom Line: Aston Martin DBR1
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British entrepreneur and engineer David Brown’s dream to win the Le Mans began in 1949, three years after buying the struggling Aston Martin company for £30,000 ($42,537 today). Brown realized that dream a decade later when his Aston Martin DBR1 won the 1959 Le Mans.
While the exact car that sold at auction in 2017 for a record-setting $22.5 million was not the car that won that race, it was the first of five DBR1s ever made.
Plus, it won the 1959 Nürburgring.
Under the Hood: Aston Martin DBR1
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Engine: 2.9 L V-6
Horsepower: 301
Top speed: N/A
Weight: 1,765 pounds
6. 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale
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Price: $28.7 million
Bottom Line: 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale
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Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri designed three of these 275 GTB Competizione Speciale cars as successors to the GTO.
The 275 GTB/C variations were designed with a super-lightweight aluminum bodywork for the 1965 Le Mans.
Under the Hood: 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale
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Engine: 3.3 L V-12
Horsepower: 230
Top speed: 160mph
Weight: N/A
5. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider
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Price: $30.38 million
Bottom Line: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider
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Out of its original planned production line of 25, only 10 of these Spiders were ever made due to lack of demand. But a man named Eddie Smith thought it was one of the coolest cars in the world.
In 1968 he purchased a 275GTB NART Spider for between $8,000 and $14,500 ($61,000-$111,272 in 2021) and refused to sell it, even to Steve McQueen after the actor crashed his own NART Spider, according to Car and Driver.
Eddie Smith passed away in 2007, leaving the car to his son, Eddie Jr. He put it up for auction in 2013, where it fetched $25 million at auction ($27.5 million with fees). He gave the proceeds away to charity.
Under the Hood: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider
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Engine: 3.3 L V-12
Horsepower: 300
Top speed: 166.5 mph
Weight: 2,866 lbs.
4. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM
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Price: $30.45 million
Bottom Line: 1956 Ferrari 290 MM
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The MM in the Ferrari 290 MM stands for the Mille Miglia, which it was designed for and won in 1956. Only four were made. Three still exist.
When Sotheby’s put one of them up for sale in 2015, it sold for $28 million.
Another 290 MM sold for $22 million in 2018.
Under the Hood: 1956 Ferrari 290 MM
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Engine: 3.5 L V-12
Horsepower: 320
Top speed: 170
Weight: 1,940 pounds
3. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
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Price: $32.17 million
Bottom Line: 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
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The Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula One car competed in two World Championship races and won both, back-to-back, in 1954 and 1955. This was the car that reinstituted Mercedes-Benz in the Ferrari- and Maserati-dominated racing world, although it was a short-lived reign.
During the 1955 24 Hours Le Mans, Pierre Levegh’s W196 crashed into another vehicle and into a pole. Debris — including its 450-pound engine block — flew into the stands, killing 83 spectators. It was the deadliest crash in motorsport history. Mercedes-Benz withdrew from competitive racing for 29 years, until 1994.
The car sold at Bonhams for $29.6 million in 2013.
Under the Hood: 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
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Engine: 2.5 L straight-8
Horsepower: 290
Top speed: 186 mph
Weight: 1,841 pounds
2. 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider
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Price: $38.3 million
Bottom Line: 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider
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The 335 S finished second in the 1957 Mille Miglia, but its reputation was tarnished.
During the race, another 335 S’s tire exploded, and the race car veered off the road and killed 10 spectators, including five children. Driver Alfonso de Portago and his navigator also were killed in the crash.
Only four of these cars were ever made, contributing to its stratospheric price tag.
Under the Hood: 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider
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Engine: 4.0 L V-12
Horsepower: 390
Top speed: 186 mph
Weight: 1,940 pounds
1. 1962 Ferrari GTO
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Price: $48.4 million
Bottom Line: 1962 Ferrari GTO
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The Ferrari 250 GTO is the holy grail of car collectors. Only 36 were ever built, and this particular legendary motor car is worth more than some megamansions.
It smashed car auction sales records by selling for $48.405 million in 2018, or $10 million more than the last record holder, another GTO, which sold for $38.115 million in 2014 ($42.9 million today).
Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi drove the record-breaking Ferrari to victory in the 1962 Italian GT Championship, and it’s only one of seven with Series II coachwork. The car’s history is fascinating.
But this GTO isn’t even the most expensive GTO ever sold. A silver 1963 GTO sold to the founder of WeatherTech for $70 million in 2018 in a private sale. That car won the 1964 Tour de France.
Under the Hood: 1962 Ferrari GTO
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Engine: 3.0 L V-12
Horsepower: 296 HP
Top speed: 174 mph
Weight: 1,940 pounds
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