By ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR and JOHN MAYHEAD
If you want to feast your eyes on some of the most desired and cherished cars on the planet, there's few better places than a major live auction.
A combination of glamour, glitz and the lure of many exotic models all being sold at once, often makes these irresistible events for the super rich and collectors of the most lusted after vehicles on the planet.
And 2025 has seen plenty of high value sales well into seven and eight figures.
The US once again dominated proceedings with seven of the ten most expensive cars sold there.
Unfortunately, none of the highest-value transactions took place at UK sales.
Classic car expert and editor of the Hagerty Price Guide UK John Mayhead counts down the biggest value classic car sales of the previous 12 months for This is Money.
Sold by: Gooding Christies, Amelia Island, Florida, March 2025
Rarity drives value, and this is certainly the case here. This unique Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta was custom built with a Pininfarina body for Alfred Ducato, the vice president of the California Bank in the fifties
This car turned heads and nearly reached its top pre-sale estimate of $10m when the hammer dropped at the Gooding & Company auction in Florida in March
Rarity plays a huge part in dictating the values of some of the world's most prized classic cars – and this is a prime example. It was custom built by Ferrari with a Pininfarina body for Alfred Ducato, the vice president of the California Bank in the fifties.
Described as a 'competition car for the road', the 375 MM racing chassis held a 4.5-litre V12 producing a huge 335bhp, a cast amount for the time.
With just three owners from new, and a class win at the prestigious Pebble Beach event in California under its belt, this car turned heads and nearly reached its top pre-sale estimate of $10million.
Sold by: Broad Arrow, The Amelia, Florida, March 2025
The Ferrari 250 California Spider is arguably the most collectable convertible car on the planet - and this one sold in Florida in March is very special indeed
The car sold by Broad Arrow earlier in the year is a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Spider Competizione - the latter referencing the fact it was originally built as race car
The Ferrari 250 California Spider is arguably the most collectable convertible car on the planet, and this one is very special indeed as it was originally built as a racing car.
Panelled with aluminium to reduce weight and with a special, factory-fitted 128F high-performance V12 engine, this Competizione model was raced by Bob Grossman who even achieved a class podium finish with it at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959.
Expected to achieve $10million to $14million, and having sold back in 2017 for $17.99million, the car failed to match this price, and although it appears on our list, it sold for well under expectation.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Monterey, August 2025
Just 19 examples of the 'Le Mans' (LM) spec Ferrari F40 were built, making the availability of this motors in August a pretty extraordinary situation for collectors
This particular car was predicted to raise eyebrows in the Monterey auction room as it's the most powerful GTC specification, developing a phenomenal 760hp – that's nearly 300bhp more than the standard F40 road car. It sold for £8.4m
Just 19 examples of the 'Le Mans' (LM) spec Ferrari F40 were built, making the public sale of these motors a pretty extraordinary situation for collectors.
And this particular car was predicted to raise eyebrows in the Monterey auction room as it's the most powerful GTC specification, developing a phenomenal 760hp – that's nearly 300bhp more than the standard F40 road car.
Built for the European FIA-GT series by Giuliano MIchelotto, the car also featured improved aerodynamics on the body, huge Brembo disc brakes and, in this example, Lexan plexiglass sliding side windows. This car raced in period, has won concours prizes, and recently had a service completed… at cost of $67,000 – yes, that's a £57k service, which is more than a brand-new BMW 5 Series executive saloon.
The £8,4million sale price in the summer was double the sale figure achieved the last time a F40 LM went to the block in 2019 – and is around three times the going rate for a standard F40.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Miami, Florida, February 2025
Just eight Ford GT40 Mk II were built originally... and this was one of them. It sold at a Florida auction in February for a whopping £10.1m
This specific car achieved a second-place finish at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring and drove in that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mark Donohue (left) and Paul Hawkins (right) at the wheel
Just eight Ford GT40 Mk II were built originally, each with their own story. This specific car achieved a second-place finish at the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring and drove in that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans - although the car suffered from numerous mechanical issues and retired during the evening stint.
Two years later, it was donated to the Indianapolis Speedway Museum (IMS) where it stayed until this sale.
The price was strong, making it the third most expensive American car sold at public auction, and marked an uplift in GT40 values.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Monaco, May 2025
This two-time Grand Prix winner with a brace of World Championships to its name is chassis 211 - one of the 'most significant modern-day race cars' having been piloted by the great Michael Schumacher
The seven-time German F1 champion pictured driving the car at Monaco - the location it would return to sell for a massive £14.1m, making it the second most valuable modern-era racing car
The catalogue described this car as, 'a two-time Grand Prix winner with a brace of World Championships to its name, chassis 211 is among the most significant modern-day race cars.'
That's no understatement, and the bidders at RM Sotheby's Monaco auction agreed: the sale price of a shade under €16million made it the most valuable Schumacher F1 car ever sold, and the second most valuable modern racing car after the ex-Hamilton 2013 Mercedes-AMG W04 that sold in Las Vegas in 2018 for $18.8M.
All top racing cars, especially those driven to victory by the top world champions, have risen significantly in value over the past five years, and this is likely to be a good investment for the buyer.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Las Vegas, November 2025
While the vast majority of cars to make the annual order of most expensive vehicles sold at auction are genuine classics or modern era legends, few are brand new examples. But that's the case here...
The £15.7m spent on this 2025 Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM - the first example produced by the exclusive car firm - is the highest price paid for a new car that wasn't for charity
While the vast majority of cars to make the annual order of most expensive vehicles sold at auction are genuine classics or modern era legends, few are brand new examples. But that's the case here.
With McLaren F1 DNA surging through its veins, (although, as the catalogue mentions, S1 LM is a Gordon Murray Special Vehicles Project and is not affiliated in any way with McLaren Group Limited or McLaren Automotive Limited.) this car demanded, and received, top money.
It is the first of five ultimate incarnations of the S1 LM, combining a naturally-aspirated 4.3-litre Cosworth V12 that revs to over 12,000 rpm and produces 700bhp, and will be developed to the winning bidders specification. The price was, according to Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, the highest price paid for a new car sold at auction that wasn't for charity. That clarification will become relevant as we progress down the list…
Sold by: Gooding Christies, Pebble Beach, August 2025
This was just one of two 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider SWB Competizione cars that was bodied in alloy, and so rarity marks it out as something exceptional - and worthy of its £19.4m winning bid
Collectors at the very top end of the market can be fickle, as shown by the two Ferrari 250 California Spiders on our list. Just like the one in ninth place, this is alloy bodied, has a special factory-fitted competition engine and has all matching numbers, but this one sold for over two-and-a-half times more than the other.
There are many reasons for the price. First, and most importantly, it's a short wheelbase version with cowled covered headlamps, much more pretty than the open-headlamp cars and the one to have if you're a billionaire.
This was just one of two such SWB cars that was bodied in alloy, and so rarity marks it out as something exceptional. The Grigio Argento metallic grey paintwork is stunning, too, especially as this retains the optional hardtop. Finally, it has been held by three major Ferrari collectors since 1968, the latest, since 1998, by Brandon Wang in the UK.
The car smashed its top pre-sale estimate of $20million and set a new bar for California Spiders.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Monterey, August 2025
Just 599 examples of Ferrari's SP3 were built and all spoken for by names on an ultra-exclusive VIP list before they were produced. But this one stands apart...
This is car 599+1, built by the factory to special order by Ferrari's bespoke Tailor Made department, with proceeds from the £19.9m sale going to the Ferrari Foundation, a registered charity
Buying a brand-new car is a mug's game, so the story goes. Drive it off the forecourt, and you instantly lose about 20 percent of the value.
Not so with top-end Ferraris, if this 2025 Daytona SP3 is anything to go by. Just 599 examples of the SP3 were built by Ferrari, all spoken for by names on an ultra-exclusive VIP list before they were built, a list that requires you to already won a host of other million-pound Ferraris.
This one was 599+1, built by the factory to special order by Ferrari's bespoke Tailor Made department, with proceeds going to the Ferrari Foundation, a registered charity.
That means, if you're one of the world's ultra rich, you could buy this car without all the usual hassle of having to collect a load of other Ferraris (oh, the hardship) and also, depending on the rules of the country where you're based, even maybe offset the cost against tax as a charity donation.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Paris, February 2025
This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM is a truly spectacular racing car, with six 24-hour races completed including an outright win of the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt
It sold in Paris in February for over £30M, setting a new record for the model, for Le Mans winners in general, and for a Ferrari that isn't a 250 GTO
This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM is a truly spectacular racing car, with six 24-hour races completed including an outright win of the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt for Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) and has recently been reportedly fully shaken down by Ferrari at Fiorino ready to race again.
Another long-time exhibit in the Indianapolis Speedway Museum (IMS), this car retained its patina, even keeping the Dymo-tape lettering on the dash and wear holes in the seats.
Bidders loved it and it soared past its €25M pre-sale estimate, setting a new record for the model, for Le Mans winners in general, and for a Ferrari that isn't a 250 GTO.
Sold by: RM Sotheby's, Stuttgart, February 2025
This car sold for an eye-watering £45m in February. The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen was driven by Fangio to victory, set the fastest lap at Monza in the hands of Sir Stirling Moss, and is the first streamlined version of the iconic W 196 R model ever offered for public sale
The only surprise about the €51million winning bid was that it maybe could have been a bit higher if the car had sold a few years previously. Back in 2022, another W196, a fabled coupe built specially for Mercedes chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, sold for €135million (then around £115m)
Chassis number 00009/54 in its streamlined configuration, with Stirling Moss (#16) behind the wheel, on the banked Monza circuit during the 1955 Italian Grand Prix
Ferrari must be spitting feathers: after totally dominating this list so far, the top spot is taken by a Mercedes-Benz.
It's not the first time: most expensive car ever sold: Mercedes-Benz; runner-up: Ferrari (a circa-$70M 250 GTO private sale in 2018). Most expensive modern F1 car: Mercedes-AMG; runner-up: Ferrari. Now, most expensive Grand Prix car of any age: Mercedes-Benz; runner-up… actually, also Mercedes-Benz, but that's another story.
This car ticks absolutely every box: Driven by Fangio to victory: tick. Fastest lap at Monza driven by Sir Stirling Moss: tick. Donated by Mercedes-Benz in 1965 to the IMS and fastidiously cared for their since: tick. The first streamlined version of the iconic W 196 R model ever offered for public sale: tick.
The only surprise about the €51million winning bid was that it maybe could have been a bit higher if the car had sold a few years previously. Back in 2022, another W196, a fabled coupe built specially for Mercedes chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, sold for €135million (then around £115million).