When talking about the world’s most expensive cars, it’s easy to think the numbers run out when the meter hits about £4 million. However, that’s when the real money is just getting started in the classic car market.
The $4.8 million required for a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita wouldn’t even get you into to the top 100 most expensive cars ever sold. If you think a Lottery win will help, you may still need to recalibrate, because the top classics now change hands for the sort of sums usually reserved for old masters.
So, here’s the top 13 most expensive cars on the planet based on the price paid when the cars changed hands. Oh, and if you’re wondering why we’ve quoted the prices in dollars, it’s because most of the cars featured were sold in the USA. The converted figure in pounds sterling is correct at the time of writing.
Now, take a deep breath and hang on to your wallet.
1. The world’s most expensive car: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe became the most expensive car ever sold in 2022, having sold at auction for an eye-watering €135 million – the equivalent of £114.4 million.
The car was previously owned by Mercedes-Benz and was sold by RM Sotheby’s at the Mercedes-Benz Museum to a buyer who chose to remain private. The winning bid was placed on the mystery buyer’s behalf by Simon Kidston, head of historic car specialist Kidston SA.
The £114.4 million hammer price is the current world record price for any car, more than doubling the previous record, which was held by a Ferrari 250 GTO (below). It was so expensive that the SLR’s opening bidding price was higher than the final price of the 250 GTO.
Just two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes were made by Mercedes-Benz, taking their name from the firm’s chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut.
The car was designed as a road-going version of the W 196 R grand prix car, with an enlarged 3.0-litre straight-eight engine allowing it to hit speeds of up to 180mph.
The car sold was chassis 00008/55 – the second of the two cars built and the one that Uhlenhaut himself used frequently. The sale makes the 300 SLR one of the top 10 most expensive items ever sold at auction.
All proceeds from the sale, Mercedes says, will be used to establish a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Fund”. RM Sotheby’s added that it will aim to “provide educational and research scholarships in the areas of environmental science and decarbonisation for young people.”