Of the top 10 highest-priced sales on the online auction site, all came from one of only four automotive brands: Bugatti, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche.
Our colleagues at Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—sell thousands of cars each year. So far this year, they’ve sold over 24,000 vehicles on the site. Our staff love to peruse the listings and pick their favorites for the day. It really is an eclectic collection. Remember that 1974 Bricklin SV-1? What about the time our editor-in-chief’s former Lancia Fulvia popped up for sale? But, rather than endure the pitched battle that would inevitably occur if we forced the editors to vote on their favorite auctions of the year, we decided to gather the 10 most expensive auctions instead.
10 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Edition
Sold for: $1,975,000
The spiritual successor to the Carrera GT, the 918 Spyder was and remains an icon in its own right. This Paint-to-Sample Arena Red is number 743 out of the 918 models built. The lightweight carbon Weissach Edition package was an $84,000 factory option, which revised aerodynamics and added a plethora of carbon fiber to the body. With only 1600 miles on the dash, the listing drew in some 300 comments before closing at the nearly $2 million sale price.
9 2005 Porsche Carrera GT
Sold for: $2,000,000
Much like Dave Letterman’s next guest, this is a car that needs no introduction. The 250-mile Carrera GT was listed at no reserve, and it drew more than 800 comments. In an era when supercars and their manufacturers were turning their backs on the manual transmission, Porsche doubled down. It paired the howling 5.7-liter V-10 to a six-speed do-it-yourself transmission, allowing you to enjoy the engine all the way to its 8000-rpm redline. Peak power comes at 5750 rpm, shooting 605 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels.
8 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Edition
Sold for: $2,025,000
Number 836 of 918, this Weissach Edition 918 Spyder answers the question, “What is 600 miles worth to you?” With only 1000 miles recorded, this car was bought at a $50,000 premium over the Arena Red version that sold three months later. The 918 makes a combined 887 go-fast-ponies from the 4.6-liter DOHC V-8 and 6.8-kWh battery pack. Power is sent to all four wheels. When the 918 showed up to our annual Lightning Lap testing in 2014, it lapped VIR in an absurdly fast 2:43.1, landing it in the storied halls of sub-2:45 cars.
7 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort
Sold for: $2,120,000
With 10 days to go in the auction, this 959 Komfort had already doubled the last 959 to appear on the auction site, a silver example that failed to meet its reserve at $810,000. That car had considerably more miles, at 24,000, compared to only 807 on this example. Porsche built only 337 959s over its three-year run from 1986-1988. It was never sold stateside, but luckily a few have been imported now. The flat-six engine was a version derived from the 956 and 962 race cars and produced 444 horsepower, topping out at 197 mph.
6 1992 Ferrari F40
Sold for: $2,440,444
Few cars are as instantly recognizeable as the Ferrari F40. One of approximately 1311 examples, this car was delivered new in Rome, Italy, before being sold to a private Japanese museum in 1994. The car remained in Japan until it was purchased by the seller and imported to the U.S. in 2022. Dripping wet, the F40 weighs in at 2750 pounds, the 2.9-liter turbocharged V-8 produces 471 horsepower. The speedometer tops out at 360-kph (224 mph), with a 10,000 rpm tachometer redlining at 7800. When the car was first unveiled, Enzo Ferrari revealed to the assembled journalists his wish to create a car reminiscent of the original 250LM. His wish was granted.
5 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K Four-Door Cabriolet by Voll and Ruhrbeck
Sold for: $2,555,555
Ordered new by King Faisal I of Iraq, this 1930 Mercedes-Benz 770K is one of 117 W07 examples built from 1930 to 1938. The chassis was fitted with four-door, three-position cabriolet bodywork by the coachbuilders Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation purchased the car with the assistance of Mercedes-Benz in 1967, shipping it to the IMS Museum. It participated in the F1 USGP pre-race vintage car parades from 2002 through 2007. The 7.7-liter supercharged inline-eight produces 200 horsepower and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission.
4 1927 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Sport/4
Sold for: $2,800,000
Sold new in Germany in 1928, this 1927 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Sport/4 is believed to have lived in Argentina before being imported to the U.S. Here, it was purchased by Howard Kizer, the brother of Karl Kizer, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s first curator. The museum acquired the car in the early ’70s, and featured the car as part of the Basement Collection tour. The supercharged 6.8-liter inline-six pairs to a four-speed manual transmission. At the time of the sale, the odometer read roughly 48,000 miles.
3 1995 Ferrari F50 (Europe Spec)
Sold for: $3,305,000
When the Ferrari F50 went on sale in the U.S., the company put a stipulation in to scare away potential buyers who planned on selling the car for a quick buck. Customers were given a take it or leave it option of a two-year lease, with a $240,000 down payment, 24 months of paying $5600, and a $150,000 final payment, before they were allowed to own the car. Even if $560,640 was no issue for you, there was also the not-so-simple matter of convincing Ferrari that you were actually worthy of buying the damn thing. 27 years on, and there’s no need to convince Ferrari of your worthiness, so long as your $3.3 million check clears the bank.
2 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport
Sold for: $3,800,000
Gaze upon the “Bug” and there are a few immediately recognizable visual changes to the Pur Sport that differentiate it from “lesser” Chirons. The front air intakes are larger, changing the shape of the Chiron’s nose. The horseshoe grill also sized up. Then there’s the back, where Bugatti fitted a huge diffuser under an even larger fixed rear wing. There’s no such thing as an understated Bugatti, but the Pur Sport takes the ridiculous nature of the Chiron even farther, creating a ludicrously fast and loud rocket ship for the road.
1 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta
Sold for: $5,360,000
Unfortunately, Ferrari is a manufacturer who doesn’t love to play at our annual Lightning Lap testing, meaning we’ve never had the ability to record any version of the LaFerrari at our VIR test. When Ferrari gave us the greenlight to test a LaFerrari, the offer included a caveat: Test at Fiorano, with all its limitations to our normal instrumented tests, or don’t test the car at all. What ensued was the LaFerrari reaching 150 mph quicker than any vehicle we had ever tested. The combined 950 horsepower propels the Ferrari to 60 in 2.5 seconds and through the standing quarter in 9.8. Those figures all represent the standard LaFerrari, but this particular listing was for the even more rare Aperta open top versions. Of which roughly 200 were made.This commenting section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information on their web site.
Keyword: These Were Bring a Trailer's 10 Most Expensive Auctions in 2022