Recently we have seen the Ferrari 335 S Spyder Scaglietti go for an eye-watering (and wallet emptying) £24.7 million and soon we will soon see the last ever Lamborghini Diablo SV go up for auction. The Diablo is very unlikely to fetch the same vast amount of cash as the pranching horse but this does not make this auction insignificant, far from it. With this in mind I thought it would be quite quaint to drive down memory lane and look at past car auctions that have broken world records and bank balances.
Ferrari 250 GTO
We kick off with another Ferrari, the 250 GTO which went under the hammer in 2014 at Bonhams for £26,281,783.99. Despite the recent sale of the 335 S this still remains the most expensive car ever bought at auction. Like the 335 S Spider the 250 GTO was designed by Sergio Scaglietti alongside Giotto Bazzarrini. 39 models were produced between 1962 and 1964, the model sold at auction was the 3851 GT. This car helped Ferrari win the International Championship for GT Manufacturers (over 2000cc class) in 1962, 1963 and 1964. This specific model was crashed fatally by Henri Oreiller in 1962 before being rebuilt.
Mercedes Benz W196
Mercedes Benz made the W196 to compete in the 1954 and 1955 F1 season and was the successor to the W194. It won 9 out of the 12 races entered driven by Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. In 2013 it sold for £20,418,640.71 at Bonhams.
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
Another Ferrari 250, this time it's the Testa Rossa rather than the GTO. This car was produced between 1957-1958 and won 10 World Sports Car Championship races leading to Championship title wins in 1958, 1960 and 1961. Best not to mention 1959... The name Testa Rossa means 'Red Head' which is a reference to the red valve covers. This car was sold for £17,241,019 at a Gooding and Company auction in 2011.
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
A case of deja vu here it seems. The 250 Testa Rossa also sold in 2009, this time at RM Auctions for a sum of £13,679,879.
Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
Yes I know, yet another Ferrari. This is however the last on the list so I promise some more variety to come! 2008 saw the sale of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB (Short Wheelbase) at RM Auctions for the sum of £11,974,287 by current Top Gear presenter Chris Evans (pictured with the car below). This V12 powered convertible was formerly owned by James Coburn and I must say it looks rather striking in black. Evans is a self confessed car fanatic and has a rather impressive collection of Ferraris, most of whice are white.
Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe
1987 saw the sale of the Royale Kellner Coupe (also known as the Type 41) at Christie's for £6,755,538.35. It was one of 6 models produced between 1927-1933 and it will come to no surprise it is one of the largest cars..... in the world...(sorry I simply could not resist). Despite the prototype having a whopping 15 litre engine the production had to 'mak do' with a 12.7 litre engine as was one of the largest automobile engines... in th- ok, I get the message! - world. This gave it a bhp of 275-300. Yeah, not quite what you were expecting from such a big unit. This car is from the 1930s however so I'm sure we can forgive the big brut for it.
Bugatti Royale Berline de Voyage
This car is also part of the Type 41 family but could not do as well as it's Kellner Coupe brother at auction, going for a price of £4,481,367.85 at Kruse in 1986.
Aston Martin DBR2
Finally! An Aston Martin! It's also nice to see a Brit in this list too. The DBR2, built in 1957 had a rough time in it's first racing year, having to be retired in it's first race. However it had more success in 1958 and was driven by drivers such as Carroll Shelby and Stirling Moss. It went for £2,360,984.52 Christie's in1985.
Alfa Romeo Tipo B
The 1934 Tipo B sold for £1,922,515.77 at Christie's, also in 1985. This was the first single seater race car and weighed just 680kg. The Tipo B series was hugely successful and earnt 49 Grand Prix victories making it a racing legend. The Tipo B started life with a 2654cc before growing to 290cc and then 3165cc.
Mercedes Benz 500K
We finish this list with ze Germans in the form of the majestic Mercedes 500K. It is also the only car on the list that is under a million pounds so a 'bargain' in comparison. At auction it sold for £999,689.75 in 1984 at Christie's. This 2 door convertible was produced in 1934-1936 and was designed by Friedrich Geiger. It's power came from a 5 litre straight six which produced 160bhp which is not much more than SEAT Ibiza FR....Crazy.
So there we have it, are you feeling poor yet? I know I am....