If you follow collector-car auctions, you know the market can swing from sleepy to spectacular in the span of a single hammer drop. This past auction year leaned heavily toward the spectacular. Autoweek tallied the 10 highest-dollar sales across the major houses, and the results show a familiar pattern: rare machinery with unimpeachable history still commands breathtaking money, no matter what the broader economy is doing.
The roster is dominated by Ferraris, period race cars, and one record-shattering Mercedes-Benz that rewrote the top end of the market. Several of these vehicles weren’t just garage trophies — they were Le Mans competitors, Grand Prix winners, or factory one-offs with stories that help explain why bidders were willing to climb into eight- and nine-figure territory. For collectors, it was another reminder that provenance and scarcity remain the two most powerful forces in the room.
Here are the ten biggest headline-grabbing collector-car sales at auction during the most recent auction year, ranked by hammer price.
- 1954 Mercedes-Benz W194 R Stromlinienwagen — $53,165,392
A magnesium-alloy “streamliner” Grand Prix machine that once carried Juan Manuel Fangio to the Reims win en route to nine victories in 12 entries. Offered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMS), it set a new single-car auction record at RM Sotheby’s in Stuttgart. - 1964 Ferrari 250 LM — $36,351,936
Once a front-running prototype, this 250 LM went on to claim overall victory at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans with privateer entries from the North American Racing Team (NART). It raced Le Mans three times and Daytona three times before resurfacing at auction — where it sold at RM Sotheby’s Paris. - 2025 Ferrari Daytona SP3 — $26,000,000
A modern supercar from Ferrari’s exclusive Icona series — one of just 599 built. Its flagship 6.5-liter V12 makes 829 hp with a sub-3-second 0–62 mph time. The sale was part of a charity auction benefiting the Ferrari Foundation. - 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB — $25,305,000
A rare “short-wheelbase” California Spider, this example is one of only two alloy-bodied, competition-spec SWB Spyders ever built. Its owner raced it throughout Europe on hill climbs and circuits, apparently without ever crashing it — a factor that helped drive the price skyward at auction. - 2001 Ferrari F2001 — $18,058,998
The only Ferrari chassis to carry the late Michael Schumacher to both a Monaco win and a world championship in the same season. The marque billed it as “the crown jewel” among modern-era race cars, and designer Ross Brawn called it “the best car we’ve produced since I’ve been at Maranello.” - 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II — $13,205,000
One of only eight Mk IIs ever built, this GT40 placed second at Sebring with the Holman-Moody team and was one of three entered at Le Mans. Driven by Mark Donohue and Walt Hansgen, and tested by Ken Miles, it later went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The car’s slightly pedestrian paint job may have kept the hammer from going even higher.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk II Photo: RM Sotheby's.
- Pagani Zonda LM Roadster — $11,086,250
A bespoke request by a Pagani client who commissioned the firm to build an LM-inspired roadster. The car featured no shortcuts: 60 unique components, reworked aerodynamics, and bespoke bodywork. As-sold, it’s basically a road-going prototype steeped in rarity and excess — a fitting tribute to the Zonda line’s wild spirit. - 1993 Ferrari F40 LM — $11,005,000
A rare, Michelotto-built competition variant of the already potent F40. The racer got turbo upgrades, redesigned bodywork, and suspension and braking enhancements for racing. Originally built for potential Le Mans competition, this LM reportedly produced 720 hp — an extra 242 over a stock F40 — and still fights for top billing among 1990s supercars in the collector market. - 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta — $9,465,000
One of only six 375 MM Berlinettas built by Carrozzeria that predated the later Pininfarina naming. This car won its class at the 1956 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Following a restoration a half-century later, it returned to Pebble, though its post-restoration concours record isn’t public. - 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California LWB — $9,465,000
A long-wheelbase California Spider — the second of just eight aluminum-bodied “Competizione” examples ever built. Finished by Carrozzerie Scaglietti in Modena mere days before its planned appearance at Le Mans, it raced — and scored a top-5 overall finish and third in class, a best-ever result for a 250 GT California in factory competition.
As the auction docket makes clear, scarcity — and provenance — still rule the collector-car roost. Vintage Grand Prix machinery, marquee-name Ferraris, rare homologation variants and even a handful of modern exotic “icons” all commanded eight- or nine-figure bids. For anyone tuning into the collector-car market, the message is loud: if you don’t have rarity, racing history, or uniqueness to sell — better bring deep pockets.
Photo: RM Sotheby's.
