2025 (February): 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. These mid-20th-century races are followed by a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk1 Road Car and another historic racing car, the 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta.
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:
| – | 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 GT40 MkI Road Car | 7,040,000 | Mecum | Kissimmee |
| 4 | 1950 | Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta | 3,988,000 | Bonhams | Paris |
| 5 | 1958 | Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France” | 3,772,500 | RM Sotheby’s | Arizona |
| 6 | 2025 | Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001* | 3,700,000 | Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale |
| 7 | 2015 | Ferrari LaFerrari | 3,697,800 | RM Sotheby’s | Paris |
| 8 | 1931 | Bentley 8-Litre Convertible Victoria by Murphy | 3,195,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Arizona |
| 9 | 2022 | Pagani Huayra R | 3,170,285 | RM Sotheby’s | Paris |
| 10 | 1939 | Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante by Gangloff | 2,370,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Arizona |
| 11 | 2023 | Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster | 2,200,000 | Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale |
Note: Prices include the auction premium. May include post-hammer deals and charity lots (*) 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 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.
1950 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta by Touring
A 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta by Touring, chassis #0034M, sold for €3,827,500 ($3,988,000) as the most expensive car sold at the Bonhams Paris 2025 sale. This car, delivered new to gentleman driver Count Paolo Marzotto, was extensively raced during its era, including in the Mille Miglia, Monaco Grand Prix, Giro di Sicilia, and Coppa d’Oro. It achieved victories and second-place finishes in smaller races but the most notable result was fourth overall in the 1951 Mille Miglia. French motorsports racing driver and Ferrari importer Charles Pozzi drove it in several Mille Miglia Storica during the 1980s and 1990s.
More disappointing in the same sale, a 1954 Ferrari Tipo 555 F1 sold for only $2 million, less than half the pre-sale estimate. In the same week, its contemporary, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Streamliner set a new record price for a Grand Prix car.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’
The 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ achieved $3,772,500 as the top result at the RM Sotheby’s Arizona 2025 classic car auction. Despite an active in-period racing history in Italy and especially Latin America, this Tour de France never suffered a major accident and remained in a very original condition.
This 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta is one of only 77 TdF cars built and one of only of only 28 single-louver, covered-headlight examples. It is fully restored and finished in the original Oro Chiaro golden color.
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001
The first production 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001 sold for $3,700,000, as the most expensive car overall in the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 sale. The same result was achieved on the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 VIN 001 70th Anniversary Edition at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 sale. GM donated the car with 100 percent of the hammer price from the sale benefiting the American Red Cross in support of hurricane relief.
2015 Ferrari LaFerrari
A yellow 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari sold for €3,548,750 ($3,697,800) at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. This LaFerrari was finished in a bespoke Giallo with Nero roof over a matching black and yellow interior. It had two previous owners who had driven it for 3,459 km.
1931 Bentley 8-litre Convertible Victoria
A 1931 Bentley 8-litre Convertible Victoria by Murphy sold for $3,195,000 as the second-highest result at the RM Sotheby’s Arizona classic car auction 2025. The one-off car is the only 8-Litre Bentley that was originally fitted with American custom coachwork.
This “W.O.” Bentley is in concourse condition and retains its original body, chassis, engine, gearbox, and all other major mechanical components.
2022 Pagani Huayra R
A 2022 Pagani Huayra R sold for €3,042,500 ($3,170,285) at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. This was the fifth of the 30 track-only Huayra R produced. It had only 196 km on the clock.
1939 Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante by Gangloff
The 1939 Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante by Gangloff was the third most expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Arizona 2025 sale. It is a late-production Atatlante and built to order with a unique long-tail Gognloff coachwork. Only 33 Type 57 Atalantes were produced.
Million-Dollar-Plus Cars Sold at Public Auctions in 2025
Thus far In 2025, at least* 38 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 12: 1 at Stuttgart (1 – RM Sotheby’s), 10 at Paris (2 – Bonhams, 8 – RM Sotheby’s), 1 at Las Vegas (1 – Mecum — Most Expensive Motorcycle Ever)
In the battle of the auction houses:
- 16 – RM Sotheby’s
- 10 – Mecum
- 9 – Barrett-Jackson
- 3 – Bonhams
- 0 – Gooding & Co
- 0 – Broad Arrow
- 0 – Artcurial
- 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 (RM Sotheby’s – 250 LM, Bonhams), Las Vegas (Mecum – Most Expensive Motorcycle Ever)
Next Major Classic Car Auctions in 2025:
- February: Paris (Artcurial), Miami (RM Sotheby’s incl. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum cars), San Francisco (Broad Arrow).
- March: Amelia Island (Broad Arrow, Gooding), Glendale (Mecum).
- April: Goodwood Members (Bonhams), Houston (Mecum), Palm Beach (Barrett-Jackson), Oxnard-Mullin (Gooding), 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).