Cars are some of the most expensive collector’s items in the world. While normal cars are a necessity, helping people travel from Point A to Point B, the rare cars on this list are not necessarily meant to be driven. A few of the newer high end cars on this list are definitely a status symbol made to be shown off, but the older cars are historical items displayed in museums around the world. All of the cars on this list are rare because very few were ever made and in the case of some of the older cars, only a few examples have survived.
- W Motors Lykan HyperSport
- McLaren F1 LM
- Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupe
- Aston Martin DBR1
- Packard Panther
- Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita
- Maybach Exelero
- Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire
- Icona Vulcano Titanium
- Rolls-Royce 15 HP
- Oldsmobile F-88
Current Value: Asking price $3.4 million
Manufacturer: W Motors
Year Produced: 2013 – 2017
Engine: 3.7 L twin-turbocharged flat-six
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via W Motors
The Lykan HyperSport was a limited run supercar produced by W Motors between 2013 – 2017. W Motors planned and produced only seven Lykan HyperSports and debuted the prototype at the Qatar Motor Show in 2013. At the time, the Lykan HyperSport was the third most expensive production car, priced at $3.4 million each. The Lykan HyperSport is the first sports car to be designed and manufactured completely in the Middle East.
Did You Know?
No one knows for sure if W Motors has sold all seven Lykan HyperSports, but one was purchased by the Abu Dhabi police force in 2015.
Current Value: $13.75 million at auction; prototype Est. value of $25 million
Manufacturer: McLaren Cars
Year Produced: 1995
Engine: 6.1 L BMW S70/2 V12
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via robad0b
The McLaren F1 LM was a special racing edition of the regular McLaren F1. Only six McLaren F1 LM cars were produced in honor of the five McLaren F1 GTRs that competed and finished the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans in first, third, fourth, fifth, and thirteenth places overall. McLaren sold five of the six F1 LMs and kept the Papaya orange prototype to use as the platform for the continued development of the F1 chassis.
Did You Know?
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis promised to give his driver, Lewis Hamilton, the Papaya orange McLaren F1 LM prototype if he Hamilton won two Formula One World Championship titles. However, Hamilton only won once and the prototype remains with McLaren.
Current Value: sold for $9.7 million; but current Est. value over $10 million
Manufacturer: Bugatti
Year Produced: 1927 – 1933
Engine: 12,763 cc (12.7 L) (779 cu in.), straight-8
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Thesupermat
The Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupe, simply known as the Bugatti Royale, was an ultra-luxurious car designed by Ettore Bugatti. Initially, Bugatti planned to make 25 Type 41 Royale cars and sell them to royalty as the most luxurious cars ever built. Unfortunately, Bugatti debuted the Royale during the Great Depression and only managed to sell three of the seven cars that were built. Today, only six Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupes exist, as Ettore Bugatti reportedly wrecked the seventh car.
Did You Know?
The Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupe is one of the largest cars ever made, weighing in at a whopping 3,175 kilograms (7,000 pounds) and having an overall length of 6.4 meters (21 feet).
Current Value: $22.5 million at auction
Manufacturer: Aston Martin
Year Produced: 1956 – 1959
Engine: Aston Martin, 2,493cc/2,922 cc, Straight six, FR Layout
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Thesupermat
The Aston Martin DBR1 was an ultra-exclusive sports car built by Aston Martin in the late 1950s. Only five Aston Martin DBR1 cars were built and each one was labeled with a number 1 – 5 (appearing as DBR1/1 and so on). The various Aston Martin DBR1 cars were driven by some of the most notable race car drivers of the time, including Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Reg Parnell, Les Leston, and Roy Salvadori.
Did You Know?
The Aston Martin DBR1 is one of only three cars in the 1950s to win both the World Sports Car Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year (the others being the Ferrari 375 Plus in 1954 and the Ferrari 250TR in 1958).
Current Value: $835,000 at auction
Manufacturer: Packard Motor Car Company
Year Produced: 1954
Engine: Supercharged 327 cu in (5.4 L) L-head (flathead) straight-eigh
photo source: Barrett-Jackson
The Packard Panther was a concept car introduced in 1954 by the Packard Motor Car Company. The newer car was meant to replace the Packard Pan American and there were plans to put in the company’s new overhead valve V8 engine, if it went into full production. Packard only ended up building four Panthers, and only two examples still exist today.
Did You Know?
Of the remaining Packard Panthers, the very first one made, was restored by original builders, the Mitchell Corporation, and sold in 2013 for $835,000.
Current Value: One sold for $4.8 million
Manufacturer: Koenigsegg Automotive AB
Year Produced: 2009
Engine: 4.7–4.8 L Koenigsegg twin supercharged V8
photo source: Koenigsegg
The Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita was a special edition of the Koenigsegg CCXR featuring a diamond weave carbon fiber finish. The car’s name, “Trevita” is a Swedish abbreviation that translates into “three whites.” Since carbon fiber only comes in black, Koenigsegg developed a unique coating that turned the fibers from black to a sparkling, silvery white. Due to the extensive process, Koenigsegg only produced two CCXR Trevita cars.
Did You Know?
While there were two Koenigsegg CCXR Trevitas made, only one – which was purchased by boxer Floyd Mayweather for $4.8 million – was made with U.S. specifications, making it truly unique.
Current Value: Unknown for sure, but reportedly purchased for around $8 million
Manufacturer: Stola and DaimlerChrysler
Year Produced: 2004
Engine: 5.9 L 5,908 cc (361 cu in) Twin-turbocharged V12
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Simon Davison
The Maybach Exelero was produced in 2004 in a joint collaboration by Stola (now part of Blutec) and DaimlerChrysler. Stola and DaimlerChrysler unveiled the Maybach Exelero in 2005 after it was commissioned by Fulda, a German subsidiary of Goodyear, to test their new Carat Exelero tire range.
Only one Maybach Exelero was ever made and the car is currently owned by Frank Rickert, the founder of Mercedes-Benz tuner, Mechatronik – there were reports that American rapper Birdman had purchased the car for $8 million, but he never actually paid up.
Did You Know?
In a bold move, the design (styling) of the Maybach Exelero was left up to four students from the Pforzheim Design Academy, and one student, Fredrik Burchhardt’s, design was eventually chosen.
Current Value: Unknown for sure – price paid never made public, but pricing started at €1.35 million (about $1.5 million)
Manufacturer: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Year Produced: March 2009
Engine: 8.0 L (488 cu in) quad-turbocharged W16
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via David Villarreal Fernández
In 2009, legendary French car company Bugatti celebrated its 100th anniversary by building the Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire. The one-of-a-kind car features Bugatti’s signature two-toned design, but in two shades of blue: “Sprint Blue Matte” and “Sprint Blue Gloss.” The details of the Veyron Bleu Centenaire have been kept from the public, but starting price was listed at €1.35 million (about $1.5 million).
Did You Know?
The Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire was put up for sale in Japan in 2015 and reportedly had only been driven 775 kilometers (481.56 miles).
Current Value: Starting price set at €2.5 million (about $2.78 million)
Manufacturer: Icona Design Group
Year Produced: 2015
Engine: Supercharged 6.2L V8
photo source: Icona Design Group
The Icona Vulcano Titanium is another truly unique car and is the world’s first titanium car. As its name implies, the Vulcano Titanium has a lightweight, yet strong, titanium and carbon fiber body. According to Icona, the car’s titanium body took 10,000 hours of hand-crafted work, which is why the Vulcano Titanium is one-of-a-kind – Icona says that it can never replicate this exact car again.
Did You Know?
The design of the Icona Vulcano Titanium was inspired by the titanium Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft.
Current Value: Est. value $35 million
Manufacturer: Royce Limited
Year Produced: 1905
Engine: 3000 cc 3-cylinder
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Malcolma
The only surviving Rolls-Royce 15 HP is one of the most historic cars on this list and dates back to the early days of partnership between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. This Rolls-Royce 15 HP, registered SD 661, is the only one of six of these cars manufactured by Rolls and Royce in 1905. It is reportedly the world’s second oldest Rolls-Royce car and has an estimated value of at least $35 million.
Did You Know?
The reason for the sole Rolls-Royce 15 HP’s survival is that the car was owned by the Dick family in Kilmarnock, Scotland for more than 60 years before it was gifted to the Royal Scottish Automobile Club in 1974. The car has been mostly on display in Scotland since then (its occasionally loaned to other museums).
Current Value: $3.24 million at auction
Manufacturer: Oldsmobile (used a Chevrolet Corvette chassis)
Year Produced: 1954
Engine: 324 cubic inch (5.3 litre) Super 88 V8
photo source: Wallpapers High Quality
While there are a few other cars on this list that are one-of-a-kind, the Oldsmobile F-88 takes the top spot for its age and being a truly unique concept car. The Oldsmobile F-88 was never actually put into production and is our pick for the rarest car ever made.
There are unfounded rumors that General Motors built two other Oldsmobile F-88 show cars, but there is no public evidence that these cars ever existed. The only confirmed Oldsmobile F-88 was sold in 2005 $3.24 million.
Did You Know?
The sole Oldsmobile F-88 is on display in its own showroom at the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum.
