The most expensive car in the world in 2026: €135M and the top 10

Two rankings hide behind the same question. On one side, the auction records, almost all held by racing cars from the 1950s and 1960s. On the other, the most expensive new cars, built as one-offs or sold for the benefit of a foundation. Here are both, kept apart, with the exact price, the auction house, the place and the date for each car.

All-time records in the auction room

Amounts paid at public auction, buyer’s premium included, as published by the auction houses, in the currency of the sale.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé (1955)

€135,000,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart · 5 May 2022

Built in just two examples by the Mercedes-Benz racing department, this roofed 300 SLR derives from Juan Manuel Fangio’s W 196 R. It bears the name of chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who used it as his company car. Mercedes had kept both cars for sixty-seven years before selling one, in an invitation-only sale, to a private collector. The proceeds fund a global Mercedes-Benz fund dedicated to environmental research and decarbonisation.

Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen (1954)

€51,155,000 (about $53 million) · RM Sotheby’s, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart · 1 February 2025

The streamlined Silver Arrows single-seater, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, was donated in 1965 by Daimler-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which put it up for sale. It is the first enclosed-body W 196 R ever offered to a private buyer. RM Sotheby’s describes it as the most expensive Grand Prix car ever sold and the second most expensive car in auction history.

Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO (1962)

$51,705,000 · RM Sotheby’s, at Sotheby’s New York · 13 November 2023

Chassis 3765 is the only 1962-type 250 GTO raced by Scuderia Ferrari itself, and the only one delivered new with a 4-litre engine. Sold during Sotheby’s major art auction week, it became the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction.

Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 3413GT (1962)

$48,405,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Monterey · August 2018

Winner of the Coppa Fagioli in September 1962 with Edoardo Lualdi, this GTO held the all-time car auction record for almost four years, until the sale of the Mercedes Uhlenhaut. The 250 GTO, built in 36 examples between 1962 and 1964, takes four places in this ranking on its own.

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé (1964)

$42,905,000 · Gooding Christie’s, Pebble Beach · 14 and 15 August 2026

The big record of 2026. This coupé, formerly Carroll Shelby’s own car (chassis CSX2300), carried an estimate of “more than $25 million”. It smashed the previous record for an American car, held by Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg SSJ ($22 million in 2018), and became the most expensive car ever sold by Gooding Christie’s. Only six Daytona Coupés were built to beat Ferrari in the world championship.

The rest of the top 10, from Kissimmee to Paris

Ferrari 250 GTO “Bianco Speciale” (1962)

$38,500,000 · Mecum, Kissimmee (Florida) · January 2026

Chassis 3729GT is the only one of the 36 GTOs delivered in white by the factory. Never restored, only maintained and repaired according to Mecum, it was the star of the big January sale in Florida. Yet it sold for less than the two GTOs of 2018 and 2023, proof that every chassis has its own value.

Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 3851GT (1962)

$38,115,000 · Bonhams, Quail Lodge (California) · August 2014

From Fabrizio Violati’s Maranello Rosso collection, it was at the time the most expensive car ever sold at auction, before being overtaken by its sister car 3413GT in 2018.

Ferrari 250 LM (1964)

€34,880,000 (about $36.3 million) · RM Sotheby’s, Paris · February 2025

Chassis 5893 won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari’s last overall victory in the race until 2023. Estimated at “more than €25 million”, it became the most expensive Le Mans-winning car ever sold.

Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti (1957)

€32,075,200 (about $35.7 million) · Artcurial, Rétromobile show, Paris · February 2016

Sold at the Rétromobile show, this 1957 barchetta from Pierre Bardinon’s collection held the French car auction record until the 250 LM was sold in Paris in 2025.

McLaren F1 GTR (1996)

$34,655,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Monterey · August 2026

Formerly owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, chassis 10R is one of the two short-tail GTR prototypes of 1996, converted for road use after testing at Le Mans. The previous record for an F1 GTR stood at $5,280,000: it is now the most expensive McLaren F1 and the most expensive British car ever sold at auction.

New cars: the wildest prices

Here the price pays for no history, only rarity and craftsmanship. The two highest amounts were reached at charity sales, which push the bidding far beyond the car’s practical value.

Ferrari Luce “Tailor Made” Chassis 0 (2026)

$40,000,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Monterey · August 2026 · for the benefit of the Ferrari Foundation

The first chassis of the Luce, Ferrari’s first fully electric car, off the line before any customer delivery, in a Madreperla shade created for it. RM Sotheby’s made it the most expensive new car ever sold at auction. The buyer’s premium was waived and the whole sum goes to the foundation. The car returns to Maranello, with delivery planned for the first quarter of 2027.

Ferrari Daytona SP3 “Tailor Made” 599+1 (2025)

$26,000,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Monterey · August 2025 · for the benefit of the Ferrari Foundation

A one-off added by Ferrari to the limited run of 599 Daytona SP3s, hence its number 599+1: exposed carbon and Modena yellow bodywork, and the first full-length Ferrari logo on the body. Ferrari presented it as the record for a new Ferrari at auction, beaten a year later by the Luce.

Gordon Murray S1 LM, chassis No. 1 (2025)

$20,630,000 · RM Sotheby’s, Wynn Las Vegas · 21 November 2025

A car that did not exist yet: the buyer paid for the right to have the first of five S1 LMs built, a tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans in 1995, and to settle its specification with Gordon Murray. A 4.3-litre Cosworth V12 quoted at more than 700 hp, a six-speed manual gearbox and a target weight of 957 kg. It is the record for a new car sold at auction outside a charity sale.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire (2019)

€11,000,000 before tax · direct sale announced by Bugatti · March 2019

A one-off unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show for the brand’s 110th anniversary, a tribute to Jean Bugatti’s Type 57 SC Atlantic, with an 8-litre W16 and 1,500 hp. Bugatti presented it as “the most expensive new car of all time”. It is one of the few one-off car prices officially announced by a manufacturer.

Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail (2023)

Price not disclosed · unveiled during Monterey Car Week · August 2023

One of the four Droptails Rolls-Royce will build. Its marquetry of 1,603 pieces of wood, laid by hand over almost two years, is the most complex woodwork project the brand has ever undertaken, and a matching Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept watch sits in the dashboard.

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail (2021)

Price not disclosed · three examples · 2021

Three bespoke coachbuilt commissions whose tail opens like butterfly wings onto a complete picnic set. The brand has never confirmed the figures that circulate about them.

Every car at a glance

Prices include buyer’s premium, in the currency of the sale. The auction ranking is based on the dollar equivalent on the day of each sale.

Why one Mercedes is worth three Ferraris

The Uhlenhaut Coupé combined three conditions that no other car has ever brought together. One of only two in the world. A car that had never been on the market since it was built. And a seller who was the manufacturer itself, guaranteeing the authenticity of every part. The price almost tripled the previous record, set by the 250 GTO in 2018, and no sale has come close since.

The rest of the ranking follows a simpler logic: competition. All these cars were born for racing or derive directly from it, and most have a track record at Le Mans, in Grand Prix racing or in the world championship. A documented victory, a famous driver and original bodywork are worth more than any engine.

2026 extended the trend. RM Sotheby’s totalled $380 million at its Monterey sale in August, the highest in the history of the event, with 38 world auction records broken. Three of the ten cars in the ranking were sold this year.

Three myths about these records

“The Rolls-Royce Droptail costs $30 million.” The figure is everywhere, but Rolls-Royce has never disclosed the price of a Droptail or a Boat Tail. Without a verifiable figure, they cannot sit at the top of a serious ranking.

“The published price is what the seller receives.” Wrong: the amounts announced by auction houses include the fees paid by the buyer, which are deducted before the seller is paid. The Ferrari Luce is an exception: RM Sotheby’s waived its commission, and the full $40 million goes to the Ferrari Foundation.

“The most expensive new car is ordered from a dealer.” The two new-car records, the Luce and the Daytona SP3, are charity sales of one-offs. Outside charity, the record belongs to a car that had not even been built yet, the Gordon Murray S1 LM.

Are these cars a good investment?

For a handful of chassis, yes, but not in a straight line. The 250 GTO shows it: $48.4 million for 3413GT in 2018, $51.7 million for 3765 in 2023, then $38.5 million for the Bianco Speciale in 2026. Every example has its own value, set by its race record, its owners and its original condition, and the model’s average says nothing about the next sale.

The most spectacular jump of 2026 came from a 1990s car: the record for a McLaren F1 GTR went from $5.28 million to $34.66 million. Below this circle, a hypercar built in several hundred examples depreciates first, and only climbs back if the series becomes a collector’s item.

Updated on 11 October 2026. Prices sourced from RM Sotheby’s, Gooding Christie’s, Mecum, Bonhams, Artcurial, Ferrari and Bugatti.