Updated: 21st November 2023. Notes: the order presented is based on currency conversion to GBP on the day of sale.
There are levels to the game of the collecting cars.
At each level you can find intrigue, stories, dedication, passion and heartache.
But at the top level, where the sales involve 8 figures, and sometimes, 9 figures - there's perhaps more intrigue and stories than anywhere else.
Given that intrigue you may well be intrigued to know what the top 10 most expensive cars to ever sell at auction are. We've got them for you:
10 - 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider by Scaglietti - $27,500,000 (£17,589,487)
For road-going Ferrari's there are few that are more highly prized than this - the 275 GTB NART Spider.
275 GTBs are a regular sight on the concours lawns and premier collections around the world.
A 275 with the roof chopped off, isn't.
This is one of those.
Only 10 NART Spiders were produced and this example has been owned from new by the same individual. It's matching-numbers and fully restored. Oh, and all proceeds went to charity.
No doubt helping it on its way to RM selling it for $27,500,000 (£17,589,487) in Monterey in 2013.
9 - 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti - $22,005,000 (£17,998,813)
Scaglietti have their name against some of the finest designs in history, but this is up with one of their best.
In fact, it is one of a select few Ferrari models with coachwork both designed and built by Sergio Scaglietti. Amazingly, the car comes fitted with its original fuel tank inscribed by Shelby, “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built.”
It's one of just two Factory-campaigned 410 Sports equipped with a 4.9 litre V-12.
It was raced by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 1000 KM Buenos Aires. It was raced by Carroll Shelby during the 1956 and 1957 and he won more races as a driver in this car than any other car in his racing career, with 8 wins and 10 podium finishes.
The list of famed drivers goes on including Phill Hill and Masten Gregory.
With that sort of backstory its no surprise that RM sold it in Monterey in 2022 for $22,005,000 (£17,998,813).
8 - 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti - $28,050,000 (£18,545,349)
The 290 MM was built to contest the World Sportscar Championship (WSC). The WSC was inaugurated in 1953 and it was a big deal back in the day. To Mr Ferrari it carried as much weight as his efforts to win the Formula One World Championship.
Ferrari won the WSC in 1953 and 1954 but Mercedes-Benz stole the crown in 1955.
Mercedes-Benz stepped away from motorsport in 1955, Maserati tried to steal the crown with their 300S, Ferrari's response was the 290 MM.
7 - 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R - £19,601,500
Prior to Mercedes-Benz's withdrawal from motorsport in 1955, the W196 was the F1 car to beat. This is the only W196 that is survivor not preserved within either Daimler-Benz or an International museum. Yet it is the most successful of all surviving W196s.
It is the only surviving Mercedes-Benz W196 to have won not just one World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix race, but two. It is the first open-wheel version of the landmark W196 design ever to have won a race, and it is the actual car in which Fangio clinched the second of his five Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship titles.
Aside from the paint finish and the replacement of some hoses the vehicle remains today as it was assembled and prepared by the factory prior to the Mercedes-Benz withdrawal from motorsport on December 9th 1955.
When Bonhams sold it in 2013 for £19,601,500 it was as the most expensive car in the world at the time. Even now, 10 years on it still sits proudly as the 7th most expensive car sold publicly and the most expensive F1 car ever sold publicly.
6 - 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO - $38,115,000 (£22,842,320)
Ah, the 250 GTO - it was only a matter of time before those magical six letters appeared in this list.
This was the 19th GTO produced and looked rather different when it came out the factory. It was finished in metallic pale grey with lengthwise red, white and blue centerline stripes when collected by its first owner, the experienced and rugged 34-year-old French privateer Jo Schlesser.
Schlesser put the car to work swiftly finishing 2nd overall in the 1962 Tour de France - the start of a long career competing on the race track.
In case you were unsure, it's not the last time you'll see those famed 6 letters in this list.
5 - 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta - $30,255,000 (£24,273,861)
One of the headline lots of 2023 may have missed its estimate by c. $10,000,000 but despite that after a single bid secured this 412P and brought it to its French owner for the princely sum of $30,255,000 (£24,273,861) in August 2023.
4 - 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti - €32,100,000 (£24,428,100)
This stunning 335 Sport is the most expensive car ever sold at auction in France.
It came second in the 1957 Mille Miglia and was on course for a great result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso doing the steering. An engine problem forced the team to retire in the 5th hour.
However, before that, on the 30th lap, Hawthorn broke the record for the average lap speed on the 24H Le Mans circuit, the first time anyone had exceeded 200 km/h (203.015 km/h to be exact).
This car was also in Pierre Bardinon's collection since 1970 and was sold by Artcurial in 2016 for €32,100,000 (£24,428,100).
3 - 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO - $48,405,000 (£37,678,038)
This was the third of the 36 GTOs that were built. This car looks different to the previous GTO you've seen - it has the more aggressive Series II bodywork on it.
It dominated in period with over 15 class and overall wins during the 1962–1965 seasons, including multiple 1st in class wins at the Targa Florio.
2 - 1962 Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO - $51,705,000 (£41,483,390)
This is the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction. It's also the most expensive car sold in 2023. And the second most expensive car of all time when it sold for $51,705,000 by RM Sotheby's in New York in 2023.
It may seem weird to see the car labelled as two different, albeit closely related, models.
The brief explanation is this car started life as a 330 LM, it carried a 4 litre engine, rather than the 3 litre the 250 GTO did. It also had a four speed gearbox, rather than the five speed of the GTO.
This car was then brought back to Ferrari who agreed to have the car converted by the factory to 250 GTO spec, with a prototype three litre engine and GTO gearbox which are still in the car today.
In other words, it began life as a 330 LM in 1962 and then effectively became a 250 GTO from May 1963.
So, does it count as one of the 36 GTOs? Well, it doesn't have one of the 36 250 GTO chassis numbers but its about as damn near as your gonna get to a GTO until the next one comes to the market.
1 - 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut - €135,000,000 (£115m)
While the story of this car is fascinating and we've written in detail about it here, the bigger question it prompts is what its sibling known as 722 would sell for?
722 was the 1955 Mille Miglia winning 300 SLR driven 1000 miles across Italy by Stirling Moss in a time never to be beaten. It's THE car in the Mercedes-Benz museum. It's THE car in racing folklore. It's THE car to have in the world.
If the Uhlenhaut is €135,000,000, don’t be surprised if the €200,000,000 barrier is breached if the car ever sold. Not that Mercedes would, would they?
There we have it, the top 10 most expensive cars to ever sell at auction.
It's remarkable the dominance of two brands. Ferrari and RM Sotheby's.
RM have sold 6 of the top 10 cars.
Ferrari makes up 8 out of the top 10 slots.
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Notes: the order presented is based on currency conversion to GBP on the day of sale.