Vintage Cars

Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz have always been an expensive acquaintance. But when it comes to rare and vintage cars, prices can skyrocket. For many years, Ferrari has topped the list of the most expensive Vintage Cars. But in 2022, an American collector paid more than one billion kroner for a 1955 Mercedes-Benz prototype. By Laurids Bertelsen, Photo: Courtesy Of Various Producers

MERCEDES-BENZ

It is simply beautiful. Its lines are soft. And yet it exudes power and strength: Under the long hood lies an engine that delivers 222 horsepower and a top speed close to 300 kilometers per hour. Quite unheard of for the time it was created. Just as unheard of is that it was born with a transmission featuring five forward gears. And just as remarkable is that this nearly 70-year-old car was sold in 2022 for a staggering €135,000,000 – or 1,007,250,500 kroner at today's exchange rate.

But the car – a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe – embodies everything that makes it worth its weight in gold: It is one of only two that Mercedes’ motorsport division created 69 years ago in 1955. A prototype named after chief designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut. And not least, a car that was technically far ahead of its time, also in terms of design. For it was equipped with the legendary gullwing doors that open vertically.

An American collector laid down over a billion kroner for this beautiful car. Although it will undoubtedly primarily reside in a highly secured garage, he has promised that it will occasionally be showcased to the public.

FERRARI

Until Uhlenhaut's coupe snatched the top spot, it was Ferrari that had firmly placed itself in the top ten list of the world's most expensive vintage cars. The Italian thoroughbred brand had five cars on the list of the most expensive and desirable vehicles.

The most expensive hammer price was achieved by a seller in November 2023 at Sotheby’s auctions, when a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Scaglietti was sold for nearly $52 million or about 360 million kroner.

This is indeed a true racing car that has actually raced for the Italian Scuderia Ferrari team, including winning the 1,000-kilometer race at Nürburgring in 1962. The same year, the car also participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The previous owner was even the chairman of the American club for Ferrari owners and had cared for the car meticulously during his 38 years of ownership.

On a Top Gear list of the most expensive vintage cars, Ferrari is represented with a total of nine cars. Among them is another Ferrari 250 GTO, which was sold at auction in 2014 for just over $38 million. The list also includes a 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti and a ten-year-younger Ferrari 412P, as well as a rare 1967 Ferrari 275 Spider. It fetched a hammer price of $27.5 million, but it was also one of only ten NART spiders that Ferrari built.

MCLAREN

Racing First. This has always been McLaren's motto. But the experiences from the racetracks were eventually also used to produce supercars that were legal on regular roads. This applies to the F1 model, which came into being in 1992.

Only 64 copies were built in the years leading up to 2000. This specific example is virtually as good as new. The 12-cylinder engine, which delivers over 600 horsepower, has not seen much action. It has only 390 km on the clock. Perhaps one reason why it fetched a hammer price at Gooding & Company of over $20 million.