Cars Sold for $12 to $15 Million at Public Auction

Aston Martin, Bugatti, McLaren, Porsche, Shelby, and Jaguar mix with Ferraris as marques that have sold classic or collectors cars for between $12 and $15 million at public auction.

1962 Shelby 260 Cobra “CSX2000” — 1962 Shelby 260 Cobra – the Most-Expensive American Car Ever – Darin Schnabel © Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Shelby 260 Cobra, chassis CSX2000, was the first car ever built by Shelby and at the time of its sale in 2016 was the most expensive American car ever. The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop and 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports are the most-expensive French cars ever. Three of the British cars were sold in 2015 and were the first British-made cars to ever have sold for more than $10 million. Ferraris in this price range (and higher) are more common and include a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that was the most expensive car in the world when it sold for $12.4 million in 2009. The 1970 Porsche 917K set a new marque record and is the second-most-expensive German car ever.

Cars Selling for between $12 and $15 Million at Public Auction

The following cars sold at public auction for prices between $12 and $ 15 million:

Year	Car	Price $	Auction House	Auction	Auction Date
1966	Ferrari 275 GTB/C	14,520,000	Gooding	Pebble Beach	2017
1962	Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato	14,300,000	RM_Sotheby’s	New York	2015
1964	Ferrari 250 LM by Carrozzeria Scaglietti	14,300,000	RM	New York	2013
1970	Porsche 917K	14,080,000	Gooding	Pebble Beach	2017
1998	McLaren F1 “LM-Specification”	13,750,000	RM Sotheby’s	Monterey	2015
1962	Shelby 260 Cobra CSX 2000	13,750,000	RM Sotheby’s	Monterey	2016
1960	Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione	13,500,000	Gooding	Pebble Beach	2016
1937	Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe	13,425,000	Gooding	Amelia Island	2022
1961	Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato ‘2VEV’	13,315,899	Bonhams	London	2018
1956	Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France” by Scaglietti	13,200,000	RM Sotheby’s	Monterey	2015
1953	Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight	13,200,000	RM Sotheby’s	Monterey	2015
1953	Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ by Pinin Farina	12,812,800	RM	Villa Erba	2013
1934	Bugatti Type 59 Sports	12,681,550	Gooding	London	2020
1957	Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa	12,402,500	RM	Maranello	2009

The list takes only cars into consideration that have sold at standard public auctions. It also uses only nominal prices and exchange rates at the time of sale.

See also: The Most-Expensive Cars of All Time – $10 Million Plus for a full listing of cars selling for more than $10 million at public auctions.

1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C

A 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C with coachwork by Scaglietti sold for a model record $14,520,000 at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2017 classic car auction.

This 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C was the sixth of only 12 competizione cars built by Ferrari based on the three racing 275s of the Scuderia Ferrari works team. The car was raced in period but is in a magnificently restored condition. It received 99 points at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

1964 Ferrari 250 LM

A 1964 Ferrari 250 LM with coachwork by Scaglietti set a new model record when it sold for $14,300,000 at the RM Auctions and Sotheby’s Art of the Automobile sale in New York in 2013. (The record was increased to $17.6 million in 2015.) It was the third most-expensive car sold in 2013.

This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was the 24th of 32 models produced. Its best result was winning its class in the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona.

1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

The $14,300,000 paid for a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato at the RM Sotheby’s New York 2015 sale set a new marque record as well as the highest price ever paid for a British car at public auction. It was only the third British car ever to have sold for more than $10 million.

The 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was the 14th of only 19 DB4 GT Zagatos made for competing in the World Sportscar Championship. It had only a brief racing record in Australia, which contributed to its fine condition.

1970 Porsche 917K

A 1970 Porsche 917K sold for $14,080,000 at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2017 sale to set a new marque record and become the second most-expensive German car ever. This car was used by Porsche in the development of the 917 racers and although it set a lap record during practice for Le Mans it never actually participated in a race.

Porsche sold this 917K to Jo Siffert, who leased it to Steve McQueen’s Solar Production for use in the making of the Le Mans film.

The Steve McQueen connection greatly added to the value of this Porsche and blue-orange Gulf livery on a 917 never hurts.

1998 McLaren F1 “LM Specification”

A new marque record was set when a 1998 McLaren F1 “LM Specification” sold for $13,750,000 at the RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey sale. This McLaren was the first British car ever to have sold for more than $10 million and held the record for most-expensive British-made car for a few months until eclipsed by the Aston Martin.

The car was the second last of the 63 road-specification cars built and one of only two upgraded to “LM Specification”. The previous record for a McLaren was $8.5 million paid for an F1 at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2013 sale while a 1995 McLaren F1 increased the mark to $15,620,000 at Bonhams Quail Lodge 2017.

1962 Shelby 260 Cobra CSX2000

A new record was set for the most-expensive American car sold at public auction when RM Sotheby’s achieved $13,750,000 for the first Shelby Cobra ever built – the 1962 Shelby 260 Cobra, chassis CSX2000 – at the Monterey 2016 sale. This was the original Cobra and remained in Shelby’s possession until this sale. It was not only used for promotion and development but also for high-speed and racing driver training.

The previous record for an American car at public auction was $11 million for a 1968 Ford GT40 Lightweights at Monterey 2012 with a 1931 Duesenberg Model J the only other American-built car to have sold for more than $10 million.

1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Coupe

Another Le Mans-finishing 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione sold for $13,500,000 at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2016 sale.

This competition specification Ferrari was raced by NART at the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours and finished 7th overall driven by Ed Hugus and Augie Pabst. The car retained its original Scaglietti coachwork and engine.

1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe

The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe sold for $13,425,000 at the Gooding Amelia Island 2022 sale, as the most expensive French car ever sold at public auction. This Goutte d’Eau coupe is one of only around a dozen produced with coachwork by Figoni and Falaschi and the only one (of two produced) to have kept its original all-aluminum coachwork with fully enveloping, skirted front fenders. New it was the winner of the Prix d’Excellence at the 1938 Concours d’Elegance Fémina in Paris and more recently, as a fully restored car, it was awarded First in Class at Pebble Beach and Best of Show at Amelia Island

1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato ‘2 VEV’

1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Bonhams — © Bonhams

The 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato ‘2 VEV’ sold for $13,315,899 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 sale as the first British-made car to have sold above $10 million at an auction held in the UK. This Zagato was raced in period by John Ogier’s Essex Racing Stable and was driven in period by amongst others Lex Davson and Jim Clark, who crashed it at Goodwood into John Surtees Ferrari 250 GTO.

1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lighweight

1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight © Daren Schnabel / RM Sotheby’s

A 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lighweight sold for $13,200,000 at the RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey sale only a day after the 1988 McLaren F1 became the first British car to break the $10 million barrier.

This car was the second of only three Works Lightweight racing cars built and one of the final C-Types built. It finished fourth as a works entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953 before being sold and subsequently raced by the Ecurie Ecosse team.

1956 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France”

1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France' by Scaglietti — Patrick Ernzen ©2015 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

A 1956 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France” by Scaglietti sold for a new model record $13,200,000 at the RM Sotheby’s 2015 Monterey sale – the fourth car that achieved more than $10 million at this momentous records-breaking auction.

This 1956 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione achieved a first place overall in the 1956 “Tour de France” series and is thus credited with establishing the Tour de France (TdF) nomenclature.

1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’

A 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ by Pinin Farina set a new record for a car sold in euro when it achieved €9,856,000 ($12,812,800) at the RM Auction’s Villa Erba sale in Italy in 2013. At the time, it was also a world record price for a closed Berlinetta Ferrari.

The 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ was an official Scuderia Ferrari works entry at Le Mans and a number of other races. This car was driven by amongst others three world champions: Hawthorn, Ascari, and Farina.

1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports

A new Bugatti marque record was set when the King Leopold 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports (Estimate: In Excess of £10,000,000) sold for $12,681,550 (£9,535,000) as the most valuable car in the Gooding London 2020 auction. It was only the second Bugatti ever to have sold for over $10 million (nominal) at public auction and the most-expensive French car ever at the time of sale.

The 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports was originally part of the Bugatti works Grand Prix team and achieved an outright win at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa as well as a 3rd Place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. It was subsequently developed by the factory for sports car events. This Bugatti has been driven by some of the most famous and accomplished names of the era starring Robert Benoist, Louis Chiron René Dreyfus, Piero Taruffi, Achille Varzi, and Jean-Pierre Wimille. It was sold to King Leopold of Belgium in 1937 and is an original unrestored car.

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

A new world record price for a car sold at public auction was set when a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa achieved €9,020,000 ($12,402,500) at the RM Auctions sale in Maranello in 2009. This car took the record from a 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB California Spider set at the same auction a year earlier at $10,894,900.

This 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was raced in period by privateers. The value of an official Scuderia Ferrari was shown when a similar but official works team 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa took the world record in 2011 to $16,390,000.