- [Narrator] Some people think that cars
are a practical purchase
meant to get you from A to B.
Those people, dear viewers, are wrong.
Cars are one of life's greatest pleasures.
If you ask me, the rarer, the better.
In this list, I'll reveal
some of the greatest
motor vehicles of all time.
Be warned, though, they're certain to give
you some serious car envy.
Here are 10 of the most
expensive rare cars of all time.
(fun music)
- Amazing.
- [Narrator] Number 10,
1939 Alfa Romero 8C.
The ultimate sports car of its generation,
this 1939 beauty from Alfa Romeo was
one of only 12 ever made,
which is probably why it sold
for $19,800,000 in 2016.
It was also the first of
its kind to be offered
at public auction this century,
which probably helped boost its price too.
The car was originally
designed as a bespoke decadence
for upper-class clientele,
and it was packed with
cutting-edge technology
that offered the ultimate
driving experience.
It's impressive inside and
out, the lightweight exterior
is considered to be one
of the finest of its time,
and under the hood
there's a 2,905 cc engine,
which is where the car gets its name from.
This supercar is said to
be the Italian equivalent
of the number one car in this list.
Any guesses what it might be?
Let me know in the comments to see
if you can get it before the reveal.
Number nine, Ferrari LaFerrari.
Cars don't always have
to be vintage to be worth
a stack of dollars, as
Ferrari proved in 2016.
The Italian supercar giant produced 500
of the coupe version of their LaFerrari,
which literally means
The Ferrari in Italian.
Very inventive, guys.
This hybrid sports car
is the most valuable
21st-century automobile
ever sold at auction,
raising $7 million at
an RM Sotheby's auction.
The model sold was the
500th and final LaFerrari
to be built, which is
why its price tag was
significantly higher than the other 499
which retailed at around
$1.5 million each.
Fancy getting your hands
on your very own LaFerrari?
Good luck!
According to Ferrari,
several high-profile
buyers were turned down
when they tried to secure
their very own LaFerrari.
Basically, if you're
not already a very good
Ferrari customer like
Jay Kay from Jamiroquai
or Shark Tank's Robert
Herjavec, you can forget it.
Number eight, Ford GT40 Gulf.
Most of the cars in this
list come from Europe,
but this beauty comes from
the good old U.S of A.
Ford's GT40 Gulf claimed its
place in the history books
when it became the most
expensive American car ever sold,
attracting a whopping $11 million.
What contributes to the
super-huge price tag
is its unique history.
This 1968 mean machine
was owned by none other
than Hollywood's king of
speed himself, Steve McQueen.
It was featured in a series of films
including the 1971 classic
Le Mans, and Bullitt.
And, who doesn't want to own a famous car?
At one point, McQueen
decided to kit out his GT40
for live action race
filming, cutting a hole
in the car's roof to
make room for the camera.
That didn't put off the buyer though,
apparently owning a piece
of race car history is
more important than it
being in good condition.
Number seven, 1955 Jaguar D-Type.
Move over USA, the Brits are proving
to be almighty at producing
classic sports cars.
This Jaguar's 1955 D-Type, for instance,
sold for an incredible
$21,780,000 at RM Sotheby's.
The D-Type was produced
between 1954 and 1957
and towards the end of its production run
the 3.4-liter engine was
bumped up to 3.8 liters,
before being reduced to
three liters to comply
with Le Mans' race rules.
Confusing, right?
And speaking of Le Mans,
Ecurie Ecosse raced
this particular D-Type
to victory in the 1956
24 Hours of Le Mans race,
cementing its place in history.
Before the 2016 sale it had only had
two private owners after Ecosse.
It was actually owned by
a single private collector
for 16 years before the sale,
so it really might have been
a once in a lifetime opportunity to own
this example of race car royalty.
If you prefer Aston Martins,
maybe this 1956 DBR1
is more up your alley.
It went for $22,550,000 in 2017,
making it the most expensive
British car to ever be sold at auction.
Take that, Jaguar!
Number six, Ferrari 275 GTB.
The first of many vintage Ferraris
in this list is the 275 GTB series.
There were only 970 produced in total,
so it's quite rare for
one to come up for sale.
The super series consisted
of three two-cam models
and two four-cam models, and
both versions are highly sought
after among the world's
biggest Ferrari aficionados.
One of the rarest models, the
1967 275 GTB/4S NART Spider
sold for $27,500,000 at a
2013 Pebble Beach auction.
There were only 10 of
this model ever built,
making it arguably the most desirable,
and the most expensive
variant of the series.
There is a rarer 275 out there,
though, the GTB/C Speciale.
This one-of-a-kind prototype
was built to compete
at Le Mans and it finished
third in the 1965 race.
When this ultra-rare
car came up for auction
in 2014 it went to a lucky
bidder for $26,400,000.
I wonder how much it'll be worth
when it goes up for sale next.
Any guesses?
As we reach halfway in this list,
let's test your pricing
knowledge with a bit of trivia.
How much do you think Captain Nemo's car
from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
sold for at auction?
I'll reveal all at the end of the video,
so leave your estimate in the comments
now to see if you can get it.
Number five, 1956 Ferrari 290 MM.
Sold in New York in 2015 for $28,050,000
as part of RM Sotheby's
Driven by Disruption' sale,
this 1956 beauty is one of
Ferrari's most expensive cars
to sell at auction.
This particular model was originally built
for Juan Manuel Fangio,
so it's got a history
that's extremely interesting
to motorsport enthusiasts.
The 3.5 litre, V-12
engine car had a top speed
of 170 miles per hour and was raced
by Fangio in the 1,000-mile
Mille Miglia in Italy.
Amazingly, despite its
illustrious racing career
it has never crashed.
This particular 290 MM was
one of four to be made,
and it remained in collector
Pierre Bardinon's renowned
Mas du Clos Collection in
France for almost 24 years.
It's unknown who bought the car in 2015,
other than the fact that it was
a private European collector.
If it was you, let me know and
maybe we can go for a spin.
Number four, 1954 Mercedes-Benz
W196 Silver Arrow.
This legendary Formula
One race car is every
motorsport fan's dream,
because it was actually driven
to wins by Argentinian Formula One racing
legend Juan Manuel Fangio.
Why is this Mercedes so expensive?
Well, it ticks all the right boxes.
It's ultra-rare and only 14
of the W196Rs ever existed.
Right now, there are only 10 left
and only this one belongs
to a private owner.
It's also a technological gem
and was the very first
fuel-injected F1 car.
It was sold by Bonham's
at the Goodwood Revival
in 2013 for $29,600,000,
and the bidder won
over the phone so they remain a mystery.
Another Mercedes made the news earlier
this year for its history
not for its price.
A 1939 770L Grosser
Offener Tourenwagen used
by Adolf Hitler received
a bid of $7 million
at an auction because it didn't meet
the seller's undisclosed minimum price.
The Super Mercedes was seized
by the US Army in 1945,
and had the car sold, 10%
of the sale would have been
donated to a Jewish
human-rights organization.
Number three, 1957 Ferrari 335S.
More from Ferrari now, with the 335S.
Sold in Paris in 2016 for $35,711,359,
this two-seater sports racing car remains
one of the rarest and most
expensive cars on the market.
It brings such a high price due
to its impressive racing history.
It won the 1958 Cuba Grand
Prix and took part in the 1957
12 Hours of Sebring race and
the Le Mans 24 Hours race.
There were only four ever made,
and its looks are as famous as its power.
It can do around 190 miles per hour.
The 335S was actually
built in direct response
to the Maserati 450S,
whose 4.5-liter engine
was threatening to blow
the 3.8-liter engine
of Ferrari's 315 S out of the water.
There's nothing better than a bit
of healthy competition, right?
Despite its astronomical price,
the new owner probably won't
get much use out of their 335S.
It can't be used on the road as it was
designed purely for racing.
Number two, Ferrari 250 GTO.
Which 250 GTO, you ask?
Well, all of them actually.
An incredible 41 models from
the series claim a place
on the list of the 100 most
expensive cars ever sold
at auction, so the entire
range deserves a mention.
The Berlinetta model claimed the top spot
on the list after being
sold for $38,115,000
at auction in 2014, but a
private sale almost doubled
that price earlier this year.
German race car driver
Christian Glasel sold
his 1963 model for at least $70 million.
The GTO series go for so much money
because they're so rare, only 36 were made
between 1962 and 1964, so
it's extremely uncommon
for one to be available to buy.
Here's Bit of trivia for you.
Although Ferrari doesn't top this list
of most expensive rare cars it does
dominate the most expensive cars list.
How many spots do you
think Ferrari claimed?
62 out of 100 cars, incredible, huh?
Number one, Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic.
Number one is this rarer than rare
black beauty from Bugatti.
There were only four of them ever made,
and only two have survived to this day.
A 1938 model is owned by
fashion magnate Ralph Lauren,
while the 1936 version was sold privately
in 2010 for a rumored $40 million,
which is almost $46 million today.
So, what makes this car the
most expensive rare car ever?
Well, other than its actual rareness,
it's also a thing of beauty.
So much so, in fact, that
Ralph Lauren's version
won the prestigious Concorso
d'Eleganze Villa d'Este
award in 2013.
The iconic rivets on the outside make
it instantly recognizable,
as does the classic shape of
the lightweight aluminum body.
Not content with just
making a beautiful car,
the Bugatti family also made
sure that the 57SC series
was frighteningly fast.
It could do more than 120
miles per hour in 1936.
I'm going to start saving up
so I can make Ralph Lauren an offer.
And finally, did you leave your guess
for the auction price
of Captain Nemo's car?
I can reveal that it sold for $45,000.
A bargain, if you ask me.
This was a custom made
vehicle for the movie
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,
so it's as rare as they come.
At 22 feet long, with six wheels.
It has lots of ornate metalwork
and prior to being sold,
was kept at a prop store.
Still, I can't help but think it looks
like a fancy giant tissue box.
That concludes my list of
the top 10 most expensive
rare cars of all time.
Which one would you love to own the most?
Let me know in the comments.
And, thanks for watching.
(entertaining music)
