To many, cars are as much a tool as they are a fashion or status symbol, with certain brands leaning into this by creating crazy one-off examples fitted with diamond-encrusted dashboards and gold on the ceiling. 

There are also cars that are expensive because of their incredible technological advancements, in this article, I’ll showcase some of each.

The Most Expensive New Cars

The Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail - £23 million

Let's kick off with the most expensive dealer-to-public sale, by none other than Rolls-Royce, cementing their place as the most prestigious marque in the world. The car was bought for £23 million, purportedly by the Meilland family, famous for their Roses, hence the name. 

The end user also clearly had an influence on the interior, with thousands of pieces of black sycamore detailing throughout designed to look like rose petals. The car uses a modified BMW N74 engine; a 6.75 litre V12.

The Rolls Royce Boat Tail - £22 million

Before the aforementioned droptail, a special version of a long-established Rolls model; the Phantom Drop Head was commissioned. Instead of the traditional aluminium body panels covering the boot, it was fitted with marine-esque Caleidolegno wood, which is essentially a fancy veneer.

At a whopping 5.8 metres long (a 19-footer to use boat terminology!) you’d struggle to park the Boat Tail at your local supermarket, then again with no roof and a one-of-a-kind, removable timepiece made by Bovet 1822 mounted to the dashboard, you probably wouldn't want to anyway.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire - £10.5 million

As the first non-Rolls Royce on the list, the La Voiture Noire is a bit left-field, it's based on the Chiron Supercar, except it has a good half a metre more aero and bodywork, making it altogether more extravagant, if that was possible.

Interestingly, the inspiration and name for the La Voiture Noire comes from a limited-run model, beloved by Jean Bugatti, son of the founder Ettore Bugatti. The Type 57SC Coupé Aero in question was given the name La Voiture Noire or, The Black Car. 

The contemporary La Voiture Noir was created to honour the 110th anniversary of both Jean Bugatti and the Bugatti company.

Record-Breaking Cars Sold At Auction

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider - $10.9 million

It may seem somewhat conservative compared to some cars on this list, especially those below, but the Ferrari 250 GT broke the record for the first-ever car to sell for over $10 million when the hammer fell in 2008.

If you remember the golden era of Top Gear, you’ll probably recall Jeremy Clarkson visiting the buyer's house, none other than radio DJ turned temporary Top Gear presenter Chris Evans.

Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 - $29.6 million

In 2013 a W196 sold for nearly $30 million at Goodwood, which stands as the most expensive sale at auction in the UK. In the early and mid 50’s the W196 dominated across multiple disciplines and countries. 

The car sold in 2013 was the most successful of all the surviving W196 models, winning two World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix races and taking racing driver Juan Fangio to his second win of the Drivers' World Championship.

Aston Martin DBR1 - $22.5 million

Whilst British-made Rolls-Royces  top the list for most expensive new cars, most of the expensive cars sold at auction are Italian or German made; Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Mercedes and Alfa Romeos. In 2017 an Aston Martin DBR1 sold for over $22 million, making it the most expensive British car sold at public auction.

Created to compete at Le Mans, the DBR1/1 that sold retired from all three years, its sister car, the DBR1/2 however was the company's most successful car ever, winning at the Nurburgring Spa and the Goodwood Tourist Trophy. 

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider - $17.8 million

Clearly a popular car among those buying $10m+ cars, this is the second time this model has appeared on this list, but this sale surpassed Chris Evans’ one in 2008 by a decent margin, the auction was held early last year, making it the most expensive car sold at auction in 2024. 

The 1963 car is quite special, being the last example built, it features the iconic 3.0 litre V12 engine, a beautiful tan interior and that typically Ferrari red paintwork. The car also benefitted from Ferrari Classiche Certification and full owner history – to be expected at nearly $20 million I suppose!

Mercedes 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé - $143 million

I discussed the 300SL in a recent article about record-breaking cars, for the standard road car managed 150mph in 1955. In 2022 an even prettier version of the 300SL; the SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe broke yet another record, having the highest hammer price of any car in the world: $143 million.

Rudolph Uhlenhaut was the British-born engineer behind both the 300SL and the 300SL SLR racing version. The 300 SLR was heralded as “The greatest sports racing car ever built” by F1 driver and Mercedes race team test driver Stirling Moss. 

Author - Joseph Law

Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.