2024 (June): The most expensive cars sold at auction thus far in 2024 were a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, a 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’, and a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione.
The list of the ten most expensive cars sold at public auction in 2024 is led by a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that achieved nearly $18 million at the Mecum Kissimmee 2024 sale. It is followed by a 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’, which is the most expensive car ever produced before 1930. Further cars that sold for over $6 million thus far in 2024 include a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Jody Scheckter’s F1-championship-winning 1979 Ferrari 312 T4, a 1966 Ford GT40 Road Car, and a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet’.
Top-Ten Lists for: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 & all time.
List of the Top Ten Most Expensive Cars Sold at Auction in 2024
The 10 highest results achieved for the most expensive cars sold at public auction thus far in 2024:
| Lot | Year | Car | Price ($) | Auction House | Auction |
| 1 | 1963 | Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider | 17,875,000 | Mecum | Kissimmee |
| 2 | 1903 | Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ | 12,100,000 | Gooding | Amelia Island |
| 3 | 1960 | Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione | 10,989,500 | RM Sotheby’s | Paris |
| 4 | 1979 | Ferrari 312 T4 | 8,250,800 | RM Sotheby’s | Monaco |
| 5 | 1966 | Ford GT40 Mk1 Road Car | 6,930,000 | Mecum | Kissimmee |
| 6 | 1938 | Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet’ | 6,605,000 | Gooding | Oxnard |
| 7 | 1962 | Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB | 5,957,600 | Artcurial | Monaco |
| 8 | 1958 | Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder LWB | 5,588,200 | Artcurial | Monaco |
| 9 | 2022 | Bugatti Chiron SS 300+ Coupe | 5,175,000 | Bonhams | Scottsdale |
| 10 | 1972 | Lamborghini Miura P400 SV | 4,900,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Toronto |
Note: Prices include the auction premium. May include post-hammer deals and charity lots if the price was disclosed publicly.
Most Expensive Cars of 2024 Sold at Public Auction
The most expensive cars sold thus far in 2024 at public auctions are:
1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
A 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for $17,875,000 as the most expensive car at the Mecum Kissimmee 2024 collector car auction in Florida, USA. The result was the first time Mecum sold a car for over $10 million, it is also the third highest ever at public auction for a short-wheelbase version of the California Spider and the 27th most-expensive car ever sold at auction.
This Ferrari was the last of the 55 SWB California Spiders produced between 1960 and 1963. It is a covered headlight version with a known history from new. It is a fully restored car that retained its original chassis, body, engine, and gearbox.
1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’
A rare 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ sold for $12,105,000, as the top result at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction. It was also the most expensive car sold at any Amelia Island 2024 auction. It set a new marque record for a Mercedes (before Benz was added from 1926) and is the most expensive car produced earlier than 1930. It is only the 12th pre-Second World War car to achieve over $10 million at auction.
This Mercedes 60 HP was ordered new by British publishing tycoon Alfred Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, and remained in family ownership for 121 years. It was displayed at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England for over six decades. It was originally raced and set a speed record before receiving the ‘Roi des Belges’ body it still wears today, built by the prestigious coach working firm J. Rothschild et Fils. It is one of only four in private ownership with a fifth example, a Long-Wheelbase Omnibus, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti sold for €10,158,125 at the RM Sotheby’s Paris sale, as the most expensive car sold during the Paris Rétromobile Week 2024 auctions.
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, chassis number 1773 GT, is a very rare and highly desirable alloy-bodied Competizione version built in 1960, boasting an outstanding period racing history that includes 7th overall and 5th in class at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring as a N.A.R.T. entry, as well as four overall or class victories, including at the famous Nassau Tourist Trophy in 1960, and a total of ten podium finishes from 1960-1961.
Jody Scheckter’s 1979 Ferrari 312 T4
Jody Scheckter’s 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 sold for €7,655,000 ($8,250,800) as the most expensive car at the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2024 classic car auction. This was the fourth-highest price for a Formula 1 car ever paid at auction and the second-highest for a Ferrari F1 car.
Jody Scheckter drove the car in nine races in his driver’s championship-winning year including in all three of his victories in 1979—the Belgian, Monaco, and Italian Grands Prix. This 312 T4 was Enzo Ferrari’s last Formula One Drivers’ World Championship-winning car and the last Ferrari that won the championship until the Michael Schumacher era.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk1 Road Car
The second-highest result at the Mecum Kissimmee 2024 auction was for a 1966 Ford GT40 Mkl Road Car that sold for nearly $7 million. This Ford was one of the 30 original GT40 Road Cars produced and currently showed just 13,442 original miles. The car was in the care of its previous owner for nearly 30 years, unseen by the public, and was comprehensively restored by RUF Automobiles.
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet’
The most expensive car sold in the Gooding Mullin Automotive Museum sale in Oxnard 2024 was a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis ‘Special Cabriolet’, which sold for $6,605,000, doubling its pre-auction estimate, to set a new model world record.
Only three of the Gangloff-bodied Aravis 2/3-seat cabriolets survived. This one was ordered new by Avignon agent Granat & Fils for famed Bugatti team racing driver Maurice Trintignant. Featuring ivory bodywork with dark blue fenders and trim, chassis 57768 was successfully raced in-period by Trintignant at the Grand Prix du Comminges in 1939. In more recent years, as part of the Mullin Collection, the Aravis was restored by Sargent Metal Works and at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® was awarded First in Class.
Million-Dollar-Plus Cars Sold at Public Auctions in 2024
Thus far In 2024, at least* 141 cars were sold at public auctions for over a million dollars. (*Definitions vary, results include auction premium, charity lots, and post-hammer deals announced in first published results.)
- January: 36 — 13 at Kissimmee (13 – Mecum), 18 at Scottsdale / Arizona (5 – RM Sotheby’s, 2 – Bonhams, 10 – Barrett-Jackson, 1 – Worldwide), 5 at Paris (5 – RM Sotheby’s)
- February: 5 — 5 at Paris (3 – Artcurial, 2 – Bonhams)
- March: 50 — 31 at Amelia Island (17 – Broad Arrow, 14 – Gooding), 12 at Miami (12 – RM Sotheby’s), 9 at Dubai (9 – RM Sotheby’s), 1 at Glendale (1 – Mecum)
- April: 11 — 4 at Oxnard-Mullin (4 – Gooding), 3 at Palm Beach (3 – Barrett-Jackson), 4 at Orange County (Broad Arrow).
- May: 21 — 2 at Miami (2 – Bonhams), 17 at Monaco (8 – Artcuria, 1 – Bonhams, 8 – RM Sotheby’s), 2 at Indianapolis (2 – Mecum)
- June: 18 — 18 at Toronto (18 – RM Sotheby’s)
In the battle of the auction houses:
- 54 – RM Sotheby’s
- 21 — Broad Arrow
- 18 – Gooding & Co
- 16 – Mecum
- 13 – Barrett-Jackson
- 11 – Artcurial
- 5 – Bonhams
- 1 – Worldwide
Most Expensive Cars Auction Series in 2024
The list takes the published results of the following 2024 auctions into consideration:
- January: Kissimmee (Mecum), Scottsdale / Arizona (Barrett-Jackson, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s, Worldwide), Paris (RM Sotheby’s).
- February: Paris (Artcurial, Bonhams)
- March: Amelia Island (Bonhams, Broad Arrow, Gooding), Miami (RM Sotheby’s), Dubai (RM Sotheby’s), Glendale (Mecum).
- April: Goodwood Members (Bonhams), Rhode Island (Bonhams), Houston (Mecum), Palm Beach (Barrett-Jackson), Oxnard-Mullin (Gooding), Orange County (Broad Arrow)
- May: Miami (Bonhams), Monaco (RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Artcurial), Indianapolis (Mecum)
- June: Toronto (RM Sotheby’s)
Major classic car auctions in 2024 include:
- June: London-Cliveden House (RM Sotheby’s), Bonmont-Geneva (Bonhams), Tulsa (Mecum)
- July: Tegernsee-Germany (RM Sotheby’s), Kissimmee (Mecum), Harrisburg (Mecum)
- August: Monterey Week (Monterey — RM Sotheby’s, Mecum; Pebble Beach — Gooding; Quail Lodge — Bonhams)
- September: London (Gooding), Dallas (Mecum)
- October: Indianapolis (Mecum), Las Vegas (Mecum)
- December: Kansas (Mecum)