World’s Most Expensive “Used Cars”

Admittedly most of us are looking for a great deal and reliability when we buy a used vehicle and are not likely to be in the market for an extravagantly expensive “used car”.  But as with many purchases we make, it is fun to dream big.  

Generally speaking, prices on highly collectable vehicles have skyrocketed over the last thirty years or more as they have been seen as a safe investment.  Some of them end up in the collections of very wealthy individuals while others are bought by museums.  The extreme price tag for these rare vehicles seems to go higher as with each one recently sold.  Since there are not any public records for sales that occur between private parties, this is just cars that have sold through public auctions.

That being said, a rare 1954 Mercedes-Benz race car was sold for a record breaking $30 million at Bonhams’s auction in England in July of 2013.  What makes this car so special is it was driven by the legendary F1 driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, a five time winner of the World Championship of Drivers.  There were only 14 ever built and just 10 that exist today.  Out of those 10, this is the only one that is not owned by Mercedes-Benz or in a museum.

Another exceptional sale was for a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider, which sold for $27.5 million last summer through a California auction.  NART stands for North American Racing Team and this car was seen in the 1968 movie, The Thomas Crown Affair.  Only ten of them were ever built and one of them was owned by Steve McQueen who ended up crashing it.  The proceeds of this sale were all donated to charity.

In 2011, a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was sold at another California auction house for $16.3 million, which was a $4 million increase from another record breaking Ferrari that was sold in 2009.  The importance of this car was that it was the first prototype of the subsequent Testa Rossas produced and took part in several big races.

The Car Show, Inc. is a family owned and operated dealership that has been offering unsurpassed service to the community since 1987.  Our motto is "If it has wheels, we sell it." You will find our prices are competitive on high-quality pre-owned cars, trucks, and motorcycles.