Top 10 classic cars

The most expensive cars sold at auction in 2024

This Ferrari made it to second place among the most expensive cars at auction.

(Bild: Remi Dargegen_RM-Sotheby’s)

In 2024, exclusive classic cars once again achieved astronomical prices at auctions. As every year, a few old Ferraris came out on top. However, eight-figure sums were also paid for a particularly young and a particularly old car.

Especially in the USA, where money is still easy to come by, crazy sums were paid for some Ferrari 250s. "The top ten auction results show that the willingness to pay and the buying mood in the upper price segment are unbroken. However, this mainly applies to auctions in the USA, where the economic situation is also better than in Europe," says Frank Wilke, Managing Director of Classic Analytics, describing the general market situation for expensive classic cars.

"Here in Germany, on the other hand, the sum of daily negative news is depressing the buying mood: the interest in classic cars is there, and there is not necessarily a lack of money, but people are not really in the mood," continues Willke.

The top ten of the year 2024

10th place
In the summer of 2024, the auction house Mecum achieved 7,865,000 dollars for a 1969 Ford GT40 Lightweight during Monterey Auction Week. It is one of a total of 10 lightweight factory racers built and has been restored to its original condition. The 440 hp bullet has even been fitted with contemporary racing tires from Firestone.

Ford GT40 Lightweight

(Bild: Mecum Auctions)

9th place
Another racing car, a Ferrari 312 T4, fetched 8.3 million dollars at an RM Sotheby's auction in Monaco. The single-seater with over 500 hp is considered to be Ferrari's first ground-effect Formula 1 racing car. In the 1979 season, the Belgian Jody Scheckter won three Formula 1 Grand Prix races with this winged speedster.

Ferrari 312 T4

(Bild: Tom Wood_RM Sothebys)

8th place
Although visually rather battered, a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing auctioned by RM Sotheby's fetched its former owner 9,355,000 US dollars. It is the 26th of only 29 examples of the 300 SL made of aluminum. The first owner was the former Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti, who sold the SL to the legendary collector Rudi Klein in 1976. Since then, the dream car produced in Untertürkheim in 1956 has never left the Klein collection in California and has collected a lot of patina during this time.

Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

(Bild: Patrick Emzen_RM Sotheby’s)

7th place
As is the case every year, some Ferrari 250s appear in the top ten most expensive classic cars in 2024. Such as the yellow GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti, which fetched 11 million dollars at an RM Sotheby's auction in Paris. The Italian, which was successful in several races in the 1960s, was sold as fully restored.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti

(Bild: Kevin van Campenhout)

6th place
Another Italian in the top ten is a Zonda LM Roadster by Pagani, which was built in 2014 and is therefore still a few years away from classic car status. The open-top V12 carbon flounder, which RM Sotheby's auctioned in Dubai, only had 9604 kilometers on the clock. More decisive for the proud proceeds of 11.1 million dollars, however, was the fact that it was a "one-off" concept and the vehicle is therefore unique in this form among the already not exactly numerous representatives of the Zonda series.

Pagani Zonda LM Roadster

(Bild: Kevin van Campenhout_RM Sotheby’s)

5th place
By far the oldest top ten representative is a Mercedes Simplex from 1903. Gooding & Company was able to sell this open four-seater, built in parts from wood and brass, to its new owner for 12.1 million dollars. It is one of only five surviving examples of the 60 hp Mercedes, which was owned by the same family for 121 years.

Mercedes-Simplex from the year 1903

(Bild: Mercedes-Benz)

4th place
Another Ferrari fetched 13 million dollars at a Sotheby's auction in Monterey. It is a 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti, which Carroll Shelby drove to an overall victory at the Palm Springs Road Races in 1956. The fully documented CV of the V12 racer, which was restored in 2017 and exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2018, shows only four owners in 53 years.

Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti

(Bild: Theodore W. Pieper_RM-Sotheby’s)

3rd place
Also open-top and from Italy, but not developed for racing, is the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider, which fetched just over 14 million dollars at a Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach. Only five examples of the restored 180 hp gem are said to still exist worldwide. The example sold has already won two awards at a Concours d'Elegance.

2nd place
However, the beautiful Alfa has no chance against the Ferrari 250s sold this year. A GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti, which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1960 as the first California Spider ever built, fetched three million dollars more. The topless speedster auctioned by Sotheby's in Monterey is said to have been in long-term ownership and was offered for sale to the public for the first time ever this year.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder from 1963

(Bild: Mecum Auctions)

1st place
The Scaglietti-250 was beaten by another Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder from 1963, which fetched 17,875,000 dollars (17.2 million euros), more than any other classic car in 2024. It is the last of only 55 California Spyders produced. The restored example, which is in its original condition, has 276 hp, a complete owner history, tool roll and operating instructions as well as a Ferrari Classiche certificate.