2025 (March): The ten most expensive cars sold at auction thus far in 2025 include a mix of modern hypercars and classics from the 1930s to 1960s, as well as the most expensive Formula 1 Grand Prix car ever and the most expensive Le Mans race winner.
The list of the ten most expensive cars sold at public auction so far in 2025 is led by the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinien racing car — the most expensive Formula 1 single-seat racer ever. The second most expensive car in 2025 is the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, which is the most expensive Le Mans race winner ever. The 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II is the most expensive Ford ever sold at auction. The three most expensive cars thus far in 2025 were all sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at three different RM Sotheby’s auctions.
Top-Ten Lists for: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 & all time.
List of the Top Ten Most Expensive Cars Sold at Auction in 2025
The 10 highest results achieved for the most expensive cars sold at public auction thus far in 2025 :
| R | Year | Car | Price ($) | Auction House | Auction |
| 1 | 1954 | Mercedes-Benz W196R Streamliner F1 | 53,917,370 | RM Sotheby’s | Stuttgart |
| 2 | 1964 | Ferrari 250 LM | 36,344,960 | RM Sotheby’s | Paris |
| 3 | 1966 | Ford GT Mk II | 13,205,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Miami |
| =4 | 1955 | Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta | 9,465,000 | Gooding | Amelia Island |
| =4 | 1959 | Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione | 9,465,000 | Broad Arrow | Amelia Island |
| 6 | 1908 | Mercedes 17.3-Liter Brookland Semmering Rennwagen | 8,255,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Miami |
| 7 | 1957 | Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64 | 7,705,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Miami |
| 8 | 1966 | Ford GT40 MkI Road Car | 7,040,000 | Mecum | Kissimmee |
| 9 | 1989 | RUF CTR “Yellowbird” | 6,055,000 | Gooding | Amelia Island |
| 10 | 1996 | Ferrari F50 | 5,532,500 | RM Sotheby’s | Miami |
Note: Prices include the auction premium. May include post-hammer deals if the price was disclosed publicly.
Most Expensive Cars of 2025 Sold at Public Auction
The most expensive cars sold thus far in the calendar year 2025 at public auctions were:
1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1
The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 car driven by Fangio and Moss sold for €51,155,000 ($53,917,370) at a special RM Sotheby’s auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, as the most expensive F1 racing car ever and the second most expensive car ever sold at auction. It was only the third time ever that a car sold for more than $50 million at a public auction.
This racing car is one of only 14 W196R chassis ever produced, of which ten survived and only four wearing the special Stromlinien (Streamliner) coachwork. It was sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to finance expansion and was only the second W196R ever offered at public auction.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, sold for a model record €34,880,000 ($36,344,960) at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. This 250 LM won the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours race and the sale set a new record for a Le Mans race-winning car.
This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM had a remarkable in-period racing history. Not only was it the only privateer Ferrari to have won Le Mans outright but it also participated in a record six 24-hour races: three times at Le Mans and three times at Daytona. In 1970, the seven-year-old Ferrari still finished a remarkable seventh at Daytona — its final race before spending the next five decades in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk II
The 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II, chassis P/1032, sold for a marque-record $13,205,000 as the most expensive car at the RM Sotheby’s Moda Miami 2025 sale. It became the most expensive Ford ever sold at public auction — the previous record was $11 million paid for a 1968 Ford GT40 Lightweight at RM Auctions Monterey 2012.
The record 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II was raced by Holman-Moody at the famous 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours race but it retired early with mechanical issues. Its best result was second at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring Race. It was the third most expensive car sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta
A 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta sold for $9,465,000 as the most expensive car in the Gooding Christie’s Amelia Island 2025 classic car auction. This Ferrari, chassis 0472 AM, is one of only 22 cars built on the 375 MM chassis, of which only four were road-going berlinettas sold to VIP customers. It had only three previous owners and was in the collection of Fred Leydorf since 1969.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
A silver 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione with coachwork by Scaglietti was the most expensive car at the Broad Arrow Amelia Island 2025 classic car auction. It sold for a relatively low $9,465,000. The seller bought this California Spider for $17,990,000 at the RM Sotheby’s New York 2017 auction.
The second of only eight aluminum-bodied Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione examples ever produced, chassis no. 1451 GT, boasts an impeccable Le Mans history. Its first owner, Robert “Bob” Grossman, and co-driver Fernand Tavano achieved the single most successful result in a 250 GT California Spider in competition, securing a remarkable fifth-place overall finish and third in the GT Class at Le Mans.
1908 Mercedes 17.3-Liter 150 HP ‘Brookland’ Semmering Rennwagen
The unique 1908 Mercedes 17.3-Liter 150 HP ‘Brookland’ Semmering Rennwagen achieved $8,225,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Moda Miami 2025 sale. The car was specifically produced to compete in the prestigious Semmering Hill Climb, which it duly won in both the 1908 and 1909 competitions. It was the fourth most expensive car sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64
The 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64 sold for $7,705,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Moda Miami 2025 classic car auction to double the marque record. This was the first purpose-built racecar of GM and was the only Corvette SS completed and raced by General Motors.
It competed at the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours but retired early with mechanical issues. The car was only completed the day before the race. Before that race, Chevrolet allowed Juan Manuel Fangio to drive the car and he promptly set a new Sebring lap record. Shortly after Sebring, GM again withdrew from factory-supported racing.
1966 Ford GT40 MkI Road Car
For the second consecutive year, Mecum sold one of the 31 produced 1966 Ford GT40 MkI road cars at the Kissimmee auction. The 1966 Ford GT40 MkI Road Car, P/1034, sold for $7,040,000 as the top result at the gigantic Mecum Kissimmee 2025 auction, was the first of the 31 Mk I road cars delivered to a private customer. The GT40 sold in 2024 achieved $6,930,000.
The 1966 Ford GT40 MkI Road Car, P/1034, was the first Road Car delivered to a private owner and the first delivered in the UK. The car, fully restored to its original specification, had only 4,472 miles on the clock.
1989 RUF CTR “Yellowbird”
A 1989 RUF CTR “Yellowbird” almost tripled the marque record when it achieved $6,055,000 at the Gooding Christie’s Amelia Island 2025 sale. The 26th of 29 CTRs built, this car has only 1,700 on the clock.
RUF was put on the map in 1987 when its CTR was crowned the winner of Road & Track’s famed “World’s Fastest Cars” event, where it smoked the competition with a top speed of 211 mph. During this session, the CTR was nicknamed the “Yellowbird,” and the moniker has stuck ever since. This car was one of nine finished in Blutengelb (Blossom Yellow).
A 1997 RUF CTR2 sold for $2,645,000 in the same sale — also higher than the previous marque record of $2,040,000 achieved on a 1998 RUF Turbo Limited at Gooding Amelia Island 2022.
1996 Ferrari F50
A 1996 Ferrari F50 sold for $5,532,500 at the RM Sotheby’s Moda Miami 2025 classic car auction. This result increased the model record from the $5,505,000 paid for an F50 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2024 sale. It was only the fifth Ferrari F50 to achieve over $5 million at public auction.
The European specification F50 was the 154th of the 349 produced. It had only 2,174 km on the clock.
Million-Dollar-Plus Cars Sold at Public Auctions in 2025
Thus far in 2025, (after Amelia Island) at least* 82 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 26: 9 at Kissimmee (9 – Mecum), 17 at Arizona / Scottsdale (9 – Barrett-Jackson, 7 – RM Sotheby’s, 1 – Bonhams)
- February 29: 1 at Stuttgart (1 – RM Sotheby’s), 14 at Paris (4 – Artcurial, 2 – Bonhams, 8 – RM Sotheby’s), 1 at Las Vegas (1 – Mecum — Most Expensive Motorcycle Ever), 2 at San Francisco (2 – Broad Arrow), 13 at Miami (13 – RM Sotheby’s)
- March 25: 25 at Amelia Island (16 – Gooding Christie’s, 9 – Broad Arrow)
In the battle of the auction houses:
- 29 – RM Sotheby’s
- 16 – Gooding & Co
- 11 – Broad Arrow
- 10 – Mecum
- 9 – Barrett-Jackson
- 4 – Artcurial
- 3 – Bonhams
- 0 – Worldwide
Most Expensive Cars Auction Series in 2025
The list takes the published results of the following 2025 auctions into consideration:
- January: Kissimmee (Mecum), Scottsdale / Arizona (RM Sotheby’s, Barrett-Jackson, Bonhams).
- February: Stuttgart (RM Sotheby’s – W196R), Paris (Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s – 250 LM, Bonhams), Las Vegas (Mecum – Most Expensive Motorcycle Ever), Miami (RM Sotheby’s incl. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum cars), San Francisco (Broad Arrow).
- March: Amelia Island (Gooding Christie’s, Broad Arrow)
Next Major Classic Car Auctions in 2025:
- March: Glendale (Mecum).
- April: Goodwood Members (Bonhams), Houston (Mecum), Palm Beach (Barrett-Jackson), Costa Mesa – Porsche (Broad Arrow).
- May: Miami (Bonhams), Milan (RM Sotheby’s), Indianapolis (Mecum), Villa Erba (Broad Arrow)
- June: Bonmont-Geneva (Bonhams), Tulsa (Mecum)
- July: Festival of Speed (Bonhams), Kissimmee (Mecum), Harrisburg (Mecum), Cliveden House England (RM Sotheby’s)
- August: Monterey Week (Monterey — RM Sotheby’s, Mecum, Broad Arrow; Pebble Beach — Gooding; Quail Lodge — Bonhams).
- September: London (Gooding), Dallas (Mecum), Goodwood Revival (Bonhams), Beaulieu (Bonhams).
- October: Indianapolis (Mecum), Audrain-Newport (Bonhams), Zoute (Bonhams), Scottsdale (Barrett-Jackson), Las Vegas (Mecum), Hershey (RM Sotheby’s).
- November: London (Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s), Las Vegas (RM Sotheby’s), Munich (RM Sotheby’s)
- December: Dubai (RM Sotheby’s), Kansas (Mecum), London (Bonhams).