By JOHN MAYHEAD
Updated: 19:24 AEDT, 1 January 2025
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Although live auctions account for a small percentage of classic car transactions every year, they tend to include the very top cars and therefore garner the most attention.
A combination of glamour, glitz and the lure of exotic models all being sold at once often makes these irresistible events for the super rich and collectors of the most desirable vehicles on the planet.
And 2024 has seen plenty of high value sales well into seven and eight figures.
The US once again dominated proceedings with seven of the ten most expensive cars sold there.
Unfortunately, none of the highest-value transactions took place at UK sales.
Classic car expert and editor of the Hagerty Price Guide UK John Mayhead counts down the biggest value classic car sales of the previous 12 months for This is Money.
Date: August 2024
Location: Monterey, California
Sale company: Mecum
This supremely rare example of the legendary Ford GT40 is one of just ten factory 'Lightweight' cars produced. It sold in August for a staggering $7.9million (£6.1million)
The Monterey auction hosted by Mecum in August saw this car become the third-most expensive GT40 ever to change hands at auction
One of just ten factory Ford GT40 lightweights produced went under the hammer in August. The car is an original chassis and body with a rebuilt original Gurney Weslake engine as is about as good as it gets for American GT racers.
Bidders agreed, and the hammer fell at a point making this the third-most expensive GT40 ever sold at auction.
Built in 1969, it was one of the last GT40s completed by Ford Advanced Vehicles before the programme was cancelled and although the car lacked its own top-flight race history, it was of the same spec as the famous Gulf Oil cars.
Date: May 2024
Location: Monaco
Sale company: RM Sotheby's
This 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 was piloted by one-time South African F1 champion Jody Scheckter. In May, it became the fourth most valuable F1 car ever sold at auction
It's also arguably one of the greatest designs in F1 history, Ferrari's first full ground-effect car and has been owned by Scheckter since new
List the most expensive F1 cars every sold at live auction, and it's a 'who's who' of the greatest drivers ever: the top ten includes Fangio, Schumacher, Hamilton, Mansell, Senna and… Scheckter.
Yes, this car, driven by one-time South African F1 champion Jody Scheckter is currently the fourth most valuable F1 car ever sold at auction.
Although Scheckter is undoubtedly a top driver and this car was used in all three of his race victories in his championship-winning year, it's another connection that may well have pushed this value skywards: this was Enzo Ferrari's last F1 Drivers' World Championship-winning car.
It's also arguably one of the greatest designs in F1 history, Ferrari's first full ground-effect car and has been owned by Scheckter since new.
Date: October 2024
Location: Los Angeles, California
Sale company: RM Sotheby's
The price paid for this 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Alloy' Gullwing in October was extraordinary, given it is in need of total restoration. It sold for well over Hagerty's top price of $8.2million for a pristine example, let alone one as dilapidated as this
Just one of 29 examples created, it was the star lot in an amazing auction of 'junkyard' cars owned by Rudi Klein, who collected rare and exceptional cars over decades
Mecum's Kissimmee 2024 sale didn't just top the list of most expensive cars, but also once again secured the title of the world's biggest collector car auction.
The 130-day mega sale offered over 4,000 cars and sales totalled a reported £275million.
This California Spider wasn't even the most valuable car on offer, but a 1964 Ferrari GTB/LM Competizione was a no-sale despite a $23million bid, and a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider went as high as $23.5milion but again didn't meet the required reserve price. There were rumours of a post-auction deal, but as the price wasn't confirmed or achieved during the live event, it didn't top our list.
But this 1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider did change hands at the sale.
Like the number two entry above, it wears the most beautiful bodywork of all California Spiders with the desirable covered headlamps, and is another book-end car, reportedly the very last California Spider made.
Buyers weren't put off by the 20-year-old restoration and the change to its interior colour from original black to tan.
Its $17.875million sale price was the global public live auction record for 2024.
None of the top ten public live auction sales were recorded in the UK in 2024, but one very special car was offered with a pre-sale estimate that put it in contention.
The Jaguar XKSS is one of the rarest British sports cars, effectively a D-Type racing car built for road use.
A top bid of £8million wasn't enough to break the reserve price for this one-of-sixteen Jaguar XKSS classics that went under the hammer in London in November
Just 16 were built, based on unsold D-Type chassis, and one was owned by Steve McQueen, cementing the model into its position at the very top of collectors' dream sheets.
This one reportedly is one of just two that retained its own D-Type chassis number and had what was described as 'impeccable provenance.'
Potential buyers didn't respond though – the XKSS may not have quite the following it once did, and this example didn't have any famous owners to draw attention to it.
The top bid was £8million, not enough to sell the car on the day.
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