How much would you be willing to spend on a classic car? Over the last 10 years, the classic car market has exploded. It's been a wild ride: after the financial crisis, the interest rates dropped down to almost nothing. This, combined with all those who were finally in the financial position to buy their dream car, then raised the prices of classic cars drastically. Check out these 5 classic cars that changed owners for crazy prices and remember that these are only the cars sold publicly. It is believed that the record of the most expensive classic cars ever sold changed owners is in private sales. One can only begin to guess the prices...
5. 1931 Duesenberg Model J Murphy (€7 million)
The first car on this list sold for over €7 million in 2011. This is the only Duesenberg with a coupe coachwork designed by Murphy. It has a flat 8-cylinder engine with 265 HP. The first Duesenberg Model J is from 1928, but this one from 1931 and is the top model. The added fact that it was a one-off made this car so valuable and is the reason why it earned a spot on our list.
Image Source: Jalopnik.
The next spot, selling for more than double the price of the number 5, is a Jaguar. It is the predecessor of the well known Jaguar E-type. The D-type was produced from 1954 until 1957. Only 87 D-types were built over the course of this 3 year production run, including the 18 factory team cars and 16 XKSS versions. In 1956, this Jaguar was the overall winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans. With a top speed of 278 km/h, this Jaguar was faster than the competitive Ferrari which could only do 257 km/h. This 1955 D-type was sold in 2016 for a massive €18.4 million.
Image Source: Carscoops
3. Aston Martin DBR1 (€19 million)
Next we have a very rare Aston Martin: the first out of 5 DBR1s ever made. This DBR1 is not only the most expensive Aston Martin ever sold, but also the most expensive British classic car ever sold. It has a 2.5 litre, 6-cylinder alloy racing engine with 212 HP. It has a racing history and won the 1000 km of the Nurburgring in 1959. It was driven by the famous Stirling Moss and Carrol Shelby. It participated in the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1956 as well as the winning Jaguar D-type, but the drivers of the Aston Martin had to retire after 246 laps because the gearbox broke down. This classic race car was sold in 2017 for €19 million at auction.
Image Source: The Gentleman Racer
2. Mercedes-Benz W196 (€25 million)
The Mercedes-Benz W196 was the Mercedes Formula 1 car in 1954 and 1955. It won both of the Formula 1 championships in which Mercedes-Benz participated and was driven by famous racing drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss. In that time, it was the only car with the very advanced mechanical direct fuel injection. It produced 257 HP out of a straight 8-cylinder engine on its introduction on the French GP in 1954, but eventually had a 340 HP after some experimentation. It was sold at an auction in 2013 for a stunning €25 million. This is the only W196 that is in private hands; the other nine are all in hands of Mercedes and museums.
Image Source: CNN Money
1. Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta (€32.5 million)
The record of the most expensive classic car ever sold publicly was set in August 2014 when a red Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta was sold for €32.5 million! It is one of the 39 Ferraris in the GTO family. This one is the 17th true GTO with the 3-litre V12 engine. This beautiful Ferrari was designed by Carrozzeria Scaglietti and is one of the best known and most often raced GTOs of them all. It was used throughout its entire life in historic races, hillclimbs and tours and impressivley it is more a maintained car than a restored car.
Image Source: CNET
Although such rarities do not often come up for sale, we have several Classic Car and Modern Classic Car auctions every week featuring many other special vehicles. We have cars in every price range so you have enough choice of classics to fit every budget.
If you have a classic car and you want to sell it, we are happy to welcome you as a seller on Catawiki. Simply complete your seller registration and offer up your classic. Our team of classic car experts can't wait to see what's in your garage!