When it comes to the world’s most sought after classic cars, there’s only one thing more breathtaking than these iconic automobiles’ looks, lines and performance history—their price.
Take the Ferrari 250 GTO. When Sotheby’s announced it was auctioning off one of just 36 existing examples from the 1962 model year earlier this year, the luxury item brokers predicted it would sell for a world record-setting $45 million. It didn’t—it fetched over $48 million.
Spending that type of money on any single object may seem obscene, but research has shown that buying the right classic car is a rock-solid investment. Some can yield up to 28 percent returns over 12 months and up to 467 percent over 10 years. And they’re way more fun to talk about than a mutual fund.
Because it’s always better to see a classic car than read about one, the price comparison experts at Moneysupermarket have created a new infographic that shows the most valuable car sales of all time.
It includes a detailed graph that depicts how the sales are distributed across the years. A peak occurred in the last decade, particularly with regard to vehicles manufactured around 1960.
The chart offers details pertinent to each car’s astronomical value. For instance, the runner-up to the GTO is a $29.6 million Mercedes Benz W196 that won nine Formula One races and two championships between 1954 and 1955.
More than half of the these vintage rides have ten-figure price tags, and all of them have changed hands for millions of dollars.
Behold the 17 most expensive cars ever sold at auction below:
