What is the most expensive car in the world?
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We all dream of a world where we can sort through vehicle classifieds with prices filtered high to low. But what is the most expensive car in the world?
It’s easy to think of a number of different car brands you’d deem the ‘most expensive’, a Bentley, perhaps a Rolls-Royce, or maybe even a Pagani.
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But the truth is, there is a whole other world for car buyers who see money as just an object and the prices for these cars are far beyond most people’s imagination.
We investigate all of the records regarding new prices in Australia and the world, as well as classic cars that have been sold at auction.
What is the most expensive car you can buy new in Australia?
Currently, the most expensive car you can buy in Australia is the 2025 Ferrari SF90 XX Spider. This gorgeous convertible carries a price tag of $1,730,100 (plus on-road costs), and that’s if you can even get your hands on one.
Only 1398 examples were available worldwide, split between 799 coupes and 599 ‘Spiders’, and we use the word ‘were’ because they’re already all sold out before they’ve even arrived.
The SF90 XX is the most powerful road-legal Ferrari ever made, producing a stunning 758kW from its twin-turbo hybrid V8.
However, historically speaking, the most expensive new vehicle to ever go on sale in Australia was also a Ferrari. The 2019 SP1 and SP2 Monza (the only difference is that the SP1 is a single-seater, and the SP2 has a passenger seat) carried a price tag of $3,295,947 (plus on-road costs).
One of the most unique and beautiful cars to ever come out of the Ferrari factory also came with a twin-turbo hybrid V8 putting out a stunning 586kW of power.
There were only 499 SP1 and SP2 Monzas combined, and it’s unclear how many made their way to Australia.
What is the most expensive new car in the world?
The most expensive car in the world currently is the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail, which costs $US32 million ($AUD49 million). For that price, you could buy around 2683 2024 Kia Picanto Sport manuals and still have money left over for lunch.
Only four were ever built, and they gained notoriety due to their price and originality.
The La Rose Noire (black rose) is the first two-seater vehicle ever built by Rolls-Royce, and is claimed to draw inspiration from early Rolls-Royce models – including the 1912 Silver Ghost ‘Sluggard’ and the 1925 Silver Ghost ‘Piccadilly’.
The La Rose Noire wears pomegranate-coloured paint, said to have been inspired by the Black Baccara rose, and offset by dark finishes on the exterior detailing.
Rather than a conventional fabric roof, the Droptail uses a solid, removable carbon-fibre hardtop roof that features an electrochromic glass section that can change opacity with the press of a button.
The cabin is decorated by an intricate parquetry design made up of 1603 triangular pieces of Black Sycamore veneer, claimed to have been arranged to mimic fallen rose petals. Made by hand by a single Rolls-Royce craftsperson, the piece took nine months to complete.
Rolls-Royce has used an aluminium chassis incorporating carbon fibre. The vehicle is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine producing 481kW and 840Nm.
While the British brand does not list the prices for its “coach-built” limited editions, the price was reportedly $AUD49 million if you wanted one of the four. This beats the previous most expensive car in the world, the 2021 Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, which carried a price tag of circa $AUD40 million.
What is the most a car has ever sold for?
Classic cars are a whole different ball game. The current auction world record belongs to the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut, which sold at a private auction in 2022 for an eye-watering 135 million euros ($AUD225 million).
It was one of just two in the world and was sold at a secret auction in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Germany.
It has never been confirmed who bought the car, but rumours are that Ineos CEO and stakeholder in the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team, Jim Ratcliffe, was the man behind the bid.
Not only was the 300 SLR the most expensive car to ever sell at auction, but it also ranks among the top 10 most expensive items ever sold this way, according to British-American broker Sotheby’s.
“The buyer has agreed that the [car] will remain accessible for public display on special occasions,” Marcus Breitschwerdt – the Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage – said in a media statement.
“Meanwhile, the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.”
The 1955 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes were road-legal variants of the 300 SLR race car, best known for a catastrophic accident at Le Mans that killed 83 spectators.
A 3.0-litre straight-eight petrol engine sends 228kW/317Nm to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, allowing the 0–100km/h sprint to be completed in a claimed 7.7 seconds.
Verified top speed comes at 290km/h, making it comfortably the fastest road-registrable vehicle to have ever been built at the time of its release.
But why would Mercedes-Benz sell such a rare car out of its collection? The brand released a statement saying the funds will be used to start a scholarship program for environmentally focused students.
“The proceeds from the auction of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe serve as seed capital for the global initiative. Mercedes-Benz is committed to investing additional resources in the coming years,” it said.
“The ‘Mercedes-Benz Fund’ will be divided into two sub-categories: University Scholarships in order to connect, educate and encourage students to realise/conduct research on environmental science projects, and School Scholarships focusing on pupils to realise local environmental projects in their communities.
“The program funds will be directed to individuals who otherwise do not have the financial means for their projects and career paths.”
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