Inland Empire Collision

Top 5 Expensive Cars Sold at Auction

Most of us will probably never be able to own any of these incredible vehicles, but we can still dream, right? At Inland Empire Collision, we love the craftsmanship that goes into these amazing cars and we probably won't ever see any of these beauties here in Riverside, CA, so here is our list of the top five most expensive collector's cars that sold at auction.

1.) Ferrari 250 GTO: Sold in 2014 for $38,115,000

Here it is (drum roll please) the most expensive car ever sold at any auction anywhere at any time. It is also a vehicle that has been used and raced for almost its entire lifespan. Built in 1962, this car is one of just 39 250 GTOs built by Ferrari with an impressive track record of impressive victories over the decades.

More than 50 years ago, the car was sold to 25-year-old Fabrizio Violati, the son of a family who owned a large mineral water company. Violati paid only $30,000 for the car and keeping the purchase a secret from his entire family and at first only drove the car after dark so they would not find out. Through the 1970s, he took the GTO racing and was later asked by the company's Founder Enzo Ferrari to establish the very first Ferrari museum. Violati passed away in 2010 and the vehicle and was displayed at the museum until it was put up for sale via auction without a reserve price in 2014.

2.) Ferrari 335S: Sold in 2016 for $35,711,359

This car established a European record when it was sold at auction for $35.6 million in late 2015. This iconic vehicle finished in second place at the 1957 Mille Miglia with Wolfgang von Trips behind the wheel. It then sent back to the Ferrari factory to be modified to produce 400 horsepower and reach 186 mph. The car then raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it was driven by future F1 world champion Mike Hawthorn, but dropped out in the fifth hour with serious mechanical issues. It was sold to a secret collector in 1958 but still used for racing and capturing a lot of first places with famous racer Stirling Moss driving.

3.) Mercedes-Benz W196: Sold in 2013 for $29,600,000

The only non-Ferrari on our list (and the only one in the top 15 most expensive cars ever sold at auction), this incredible vehicle was built in 1954, the same year in which it won the French Formula One Grand Prix with Juan Manuel Fangio behind the wheel. Sold in "iffy condition", this car is the lone W196 to be available on the open market and not belonging to Mercedes or displayed museums. You may have seen this beauty on the big screen, which starred in the 1968 Steve McQueen film, The Thomas Crown Affair.

4.) Ferrari 290 MM: Sold in 2015 for $28,050,000

Designed and built for Juan Manuel Fangio to compete in the 1956 Mille Miglia, chassis number 0626 is a V12-engined racing car that finished in fourth place in the 1,000-mile long race. Only four versions of the 290 MM were ever constructed, and when it sold at auction in 2015, it became the most pricey car ever sold by Sotheby's.

5.) Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Nart Spider: Sold in 2013 for $27,500,000

Finished in silver and elegant throughout, the  the 275 GTB/C is regarded as one of the most desirable cars ever manufactured. Prohibited from taking part at Le Mans due to Ferrari's inaccurate reporting of the car's actual weight, it was eventually sold to a collector who drove it almost entirely on the street until the late 1960s when it changed hands several times and briefly lived in London before heading to France for the next 25 years.

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Sources: Wikipedia, Sotheby's and Ferrari