The 12 Most Expensive Ferraris Of All Time

The brand with the Prancing Horse has captured the imaginations of enthusiasts in a way that no other automaker has managed to do since Enzo Ferrari created his very first car in 1947. Its enviable racing history has created generations of iconic race cars that the world's wealthiest collectors clamor to get their hands on, and its road cars are just as exceptional (and costly). It's no exaggeration to say that Ferrari is quite possibly the most revered car brand on Earth, and as a result, its most desirable cars fetch huge sums at auction.

Data from auction tracking site Glenmarch shows dozens of examples of the brand's rarest models selling for eight-figure sums, with the priciest of those being among the most expensive cars ever sold. Of course, it's always possible that a different Ferrari has sold in a private sale for an even more ludicrous figure, but in public auctions at least, these are the most expensive Ferraris to ever go under the hammer.

When it comes to racing provenance, very few Ferraris boast quite such a record as the F2003-GA Formula 1 car that crossed the auction block at RM Sotheby's in November 2022. Driven by none other than Michael Schumacher, chassis number 229 saw five victories in total, taking wins at the Spanish, Austrian, Canadian, Italian, and United States Grand Prix in 2003. That makes it one of only four Schumacher-era Ferrari Formula 1 cars with five or more wins in a season, and the most successful out of the six F2003-GA cars by a long margin.

At the time it came up for auction, chassis 229 had recently undergone a full overhaul at the hands of Ferrari's Formula 1 Clienti department in Maranello. Since its rebuild, it only had 148 miles on the clock, meaning it was ready to race should its new owner choose to. At an auction in Geneva, Switzerland, the car sold for 14,630,000 Swiss Francs, roughly $14.87 million at 2022 conversion rates.

Built to showcase the might of Ferrari's V12 engine, the 375 Plus quickly gained a reputation as a tricky car to drive. It took the 4.5L unit of the series-production 375 MM and bored it out to 4.9L, giving it a significant power boost over the "standard" car. It could catch almost any other car on the circuit in a straight line, but it became notorious for being tricky in the corners, with plenty of cars ending up meeting an unfortunate fate after careening off track. One of the surviving units that always remained intact through its racing days was chassis 0384 AM, which sold at a Bonhams auction in 2014.

Unusually for an ultra-high value Ferrari, 0384 AM had spent some time languishing in disrepair after being purchased by a collector in Ohio. That collector, Mr. Karl Kleve, had removed the car's famous V12 engine, apparently with the intention of replacing it. Kleve also removed several other original parts, but never finished the project, leaving the car outside to rot on a trailer. A tree even ended up growing through the empty engine bay before the car was eventually taken off the property and sold to another collector for $50,000 in 1989. Kleve later reported the car stolen, triggering a legal dispute that took several decades to resolve. Eventually, the car and the remaining parts from Kleve's land were sold at Bonhams for a staggering $17.72 million.

The 250 California Spider is a consistently high-value car even by classic Ferrari standards, and the most expensive of the short-wheelbase (SWB) variants was sold at Artcurial's 2015 auction at the Rétromobile expo in Paris. The reason for its record-breaking price was its originality — unlike many other classics of its kind, the car on offer had never been restored, and so was presented in completely original condition.

It had been under the same ownership since 1971, with its previous owner being the movie star Alain Delon. After short stints in both Monaco and California, the car was shipped back to France, where it remained until its sale. It was found in a barn covered by stacks of magazines and newspapers, and the weight of the paper had dented its trunk. However, the car was extracted and preserved exactly as it was found, and its unique history saw it fetch $18.16 million after bidding closed.

The 250 GTO might be the Ferrari model best known for setting exceptional prices at auction, but it's actually not as rare as the 275 GTB/C that it often raced alongside. The priciest example of the 275 GTB/C didn't quite reach the heights of the 250 GTO, but it's still one of the most expensive Ferraris ever nonetheless. Sold at an RM Sotheby's auction in 2014, chassis 06701 fetched $26,400,000, a fitting price for what was one of only three Works "Berlinetta competizione" cars ever built.

Originality is almost always a vital component of any high-value Ferrari, and the 275 GTB/C in question boasted a matching numbers engine and mostly original parts. Ensuring its history was 100% accurate was a report by leading Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, who had traced back every race entry, owner, and service record to confirm even the smallest details of its past. Described by the auction listing as "an historic, unique, and unrepeatable opportunity to acquire such an important automobile," chassis 06701 was very much a one-of-a-kind car. With its extraordinary sale price, collectors clearly agreed with that sentiment.

The RM Sotheby's listing for the Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0626, describes Ferrari's Works cars as being "on the frontline, the weapons of choice—the sharpest in the armory." The car on offer was very much on the sharp end of Ferrari's development program, being driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 Mille Miglia. Fangio achieved fourth place overall in that race, and shortly after, the car had its second outing at the Nürburgring International ADAC 1000 KM. There, it was driven by future Formula 1 World Champion Phil Hill, who shared the drive with four other teammates. The team achieved third overall.

The car was eventually sold to Temple Buell, another friend of Enzo Ferrari, who continued to race the car over the following years. It was eventually purchased by Pierre Bardinon, a renowned collector who exhibited the car in conjunction with French jewelry giant Cartier at the 1987 Cartier Hommage à Ferrari event in Paris. The car then disappeared from the public eye for several decades before emerging for sale at auction in 2015, fetching $28.05 million.

The Ferrari 250 GTO became famous for its record-breaking auction prices and held the record for the most expensive car ever sold until the jaw-dropping sale of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe in 2022. That car sold for around $142.5 million, dwarfing the record price of the 250 GTO, which had previously been achieved at an RM Sotheby's auction in 2018. The 250 GTO in question was one of only 36 ever built, and one of seven to receive upgraded Scaglietti coachwork.

It achieved first-in-class finishes at the 1963 and '64 Targa Florio, and took a total of 15 class and overall wins between 1962 and 1965. Chassis 3413, as it's also known, was in remarkably original condition when it was sold, with matching-numbers components that had been verified by Ferrari Classiche. Ferrari historian Marcel Massini also inspected the car and called it one of the finest examples of the 250 GTO, cementing its legacy as the holiest (and priciest) of grails for Ferrari collectors.