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Ferrari Dominates the List of the Ten Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction

A very famous 1935 Duesenberg SSJ brought $22 million at auction, and with good reason. The Duesenberg SSJ is a pure piece of American history. Aside from the sublime lines of the coachwork and power supplied by a dual-supercharged, inline-eight-cylinder engine that delivered 400 hp, this particular SSJ is one of just two built.
1935 Duesenberg SSJ1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R1956 Aston Martin DBR11956 Ferrari 290 MM1956 Ferrari 290 MM1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta1964 Ferrari 275 GTB C Speciale1967 Ferrari 275 GTB 4 NART Spider
It was originally built for Academy Award winner and American movie royalty, Gary Cooper. Sold at auction by Gooding & Company, this SSJ hammered for the lofty price of $22 million. That number made, to this day, Cooper’s SSJ the most expensive American-made car ever sold at auction.

Next on the list is a 1956 Ferrari 290 MM. The Ferrari 290 MM was built to run the 1956 Mille Miglia, hence the MM designation, and it not only competed, but also took the checkered flag with the legendary Eugenio Castellotti at the wheel. Just four 290 MMs were built, and sadly, only three remain. This example was sold at auction for $22 million as well.

Perhaps the most venerated race machine in Aston history, a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 took victories at Le Mans in 1959 and during the Nürburgring 1000. This fantastic piece of machinery and design was the first DBR1 built and it was once piloted by racing thoroughbreds Sir Stirling Moss and Caroll Shelby. It ultimately sold at auction for $22.5 million.

Coming in at number seven on the list is a 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale. The Ferrari 275 GTB, built specifically in answer to the brutal and formidable Ford GT40s and Shelby Cobra Daytonas, was crafted by Scaglietti and represented a mega-tuned version of the regular 275. The tweaks and upgrades meant this Speciale cranked out an additional 70 horsepower which made it a lightweight, 320-hp beast. This may well be the most coveted example of Italian coachbuilding as the 275 GTB/C Speciale is among the rarest - and most pedigreed - Ferraris in history. Only three models were built, and this one left the block for a staggering $26.4 million.

1964 Ferrari 275 GTB C Speciale
Photo: RM Auctions
Next on the way to the top is the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider. Yet another in the 275 line, the GTB/4 N.A.R.T. Spyder was courtesy of Luigi Chinetti and his powerful North American Racing Team. Chinetti, Ferrari's prime and most famous U.S distributor, was instrumental in suggesting the design of new models during the era. Powered by a 300 hp V12, this example is one of only 10 275 GTB/4 NART Spiders ever built. And the rarity is reflected in the ultimate auction price as it sold for $27.5 million.

Yet another Ferrari, this 1956 Ferrari 290 MM was built for five-time Formula 1 Champion and racing majordomo Juan Manuel Fangio. The supreme one raced this 290 at the 1956 Millie Miglia, and, in an oddity for a Fangio driven car, finished in 4th place. It sold for $28 million USD.

One more in the line of fabulous vehicles which Fangio drove to glory, this 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R took to the grid in Formula 1 during 1954 and 1955, and it won back-to-back drivers championships with Fangio behind the wheel. Still dented and blemished from those two legendary seasons, this W196 sold for $29.6 million.

Still haven’t had your fill of Ferraris? Then consider this gem. This 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti may well be the most beautiful model to ever roll off the factory floor at Maranello. Decked out in Rosso Corsa paint it cruised to glory and the World Manufacturers Championship in 1957. One of only four 335s constructed, it sold for a cool $35.7 million.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta
Photo: Bonhams
Ferrari, Ferrari, Ferrari. The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta is in a class of its own. This model took three straight FIA World GT Championships. Equipped with a five-speed manual transmission and a V12 engine, the 296 hp 250 GTO sold for a stratospheric $38.1 million.

And this is the topmost of the toppermost. This 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which a well-heeled gentleman or gentlewoman could have purchased for a cool $18,000 when it rolled out of the factory, sold for $48.4 million just three years ago and that represents the current record for the most expensive car ever sold at auction.

The third of 36 GTOs built, RM Sotheby's called it "the world's most important, desirable, and legendary motor car."

But keep in mind that these are the most expensive cars sold at auction, and buyers have shelled out considerably more cash for pieces of automotive art in private sales. Yet another Ferrari sold for somewhere around $70 million to an excessively wealthy entrepreneur.
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