Auction search engine Barnebys has compiled a list of the ten most expensive classics ever sold at auction. Not surprisingly Ferraris feature prominently and claim no fewer than six of the places, including top spot with the record-breaking 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for US$38,115,000 at Bonhams in 2014.
The 1954 Silver Arrow Mercedes Benz W196 that sold for $29,650,095 at Bonhams in 2013 was the first non-Ferrari in third spot, while the first Brit was in seventh place – the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 that sold for US$22,555,000 at RM Sotheby’s in 2017.
It just pipped the 1955 Jaguar D-Type (winner of the 1956 Le Mans) into eight place with a sale price of ‘only’ US$21,780,000 at RM Sotheby’s in 2016. Meanwhile the oldest car on the list was the last remaining non-Ferrari, the 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider whose US$19,800,000 at RM Sotheby’s in 2016 nudged it into ninth place.
Of course, it is rumoured that even these stratospheric prices are put in the shade by some private sales, but unfortunately those can rarely be verified.
