In reality, the price of most new cars has pretty much risen in line with inflation if you look at them on a like-for-like basis. That’s because even the most basic cars on sale today offer far more in terms of performance, safety and technology features than the equivalent from 20 years ago.
But inflation doesn’t matter to the super-rich. Estimates suggest that there are no fewer than 58 million millionaires in the world today, and nearly 2,800 billionaires – with both figures growing each year.
When your bank account looks like the GDP of a small country, your common-or-garden luxury or sports cars just won’t cut it. This top 10 list of the world’s most expensive cars contains the most extravagant expressions of wealth on four wheels.
Top 10 most expensive cars in the world
- Bugatti Divo
- Pagani Huayra Imola Roadster
- Pagani Huayra Codalunga
- Mercedes-Maybach Exelero
- Bugatti Centodieci
- Bugatti Chiron Profilée
- Rolls Royce Sweptail
- Bugatti La Voiture Noire
- Rolls Royce Boat Tail
- Rolls Royce La Rose Noire Droptail
10: Bugatti Divo
Price: £4.4 million
The Divo is the car to have if the Bugatti Chiron is deemed too common and accessible. Its bespoke nature appeals to the super-rich, with only 40 ever produced and buyers given free reign over customisation options. From bespoke paint and leather to custom components, the sky (well, your bank account) is the limit.
Named after former air force pilot and Bugatti works driver Albert Divo, the Chiron-based Divo uses the same 1479bhp quad turbo W16 engine as its sibling, but with a bespoke body designed to boost downforce and improve handling.
9: Pagani Huayra Imola Roadster
Price: £4.7 million
Even ‘regular’ Paganis (if you can call them that) are some of the most exclusive and head-turning cars on the road. But its wealthiest clientele are drawn to Pagani’s ‘Grandi Complicazioni’ division where special projects are produced.
The Huayra Imola Roadster is a prime example of the bespoke division. Based on the already outlandish Huayra, the Imola Roadster sees power soar to 838bhp, exotic weight-saving components to keep weight down and a serious aero package to generate 900kg of downforce. Only eight will ever be produced.
8: Pagani Huayra Codalunga
Price: £5.9 million
The second Pagani in this list makes the Imola Roadster look downright common. Only five Huayra Codalungas have been built after a request from a pair of wealthy collectors to build a ‘long-tail’ version of the existing Huayra, inspired by 1960s Le Mans racers.
The Codalunga has a rear end that’s 36cm longer than the base car, improving aerodynamics. Further features include matte paint, woven leather upholstery and a titanium exhaust with unique ceramic coating. The uprated twin-turbo V12 puts out 830bhp, too. The five examples are all homologated for road use, so if you’re incredibly lucky you might stand a chance of seeing one.
7: Mercedes-Maybach Exelero
Price: £6.2 million
Unlike most of the other cars in this list the, vast Mercedes-Maybach Exelero was not commissioned to be a billionaire’s plaything. It was built at the request of Fulda – the German arm of tyre giant Goodyear – as a tyre testing rig back in 2004. It needed to be heavy (to put the tyres under serious load) and capable of exceeding 217mph.
The one-off Exelero was the result. Built on the existing Maybach 57 platform and designed by four students from a German university, the 690bhp Exelero lead a storied life after its tyre testing regime. It featured on TV shows and a Jay-Z music video, and now resides in the Dietzhölztal automobile museum as part of the Friedhelm Loh collection.
6: Bugatti Centodieci
Price: £7 million
What would you do on your 110th birthday? Bugatti went for something outlandish when that big milestone came in 2019. The Centodieci is another Chiron-based creation, but with design inspiration taken from a nineties Bugatti icon – the EB110 Supersport.
The body is entirely new and was designed using the latest VR technology in just six months, while like the Divo the chassis is tuned for a sportier feel. The hand-built model gets a 1578bhp version of the Chiron’s W16 engine for a top speed of nearly 240mph. Ten were produced for well-heeled customers.
5: Bugatti Chiron Profilée
Price: £8.4 million
You might consider the Bugatti Divo or the Centodieci to be ultra-exclusive. But when you’re seriously rich, the idea of somebody rocking up at a prestigious car show in an identical car is a real faux pas. That’s where the Chiron Profilée comes in.
The Profilée came about when the extreme Chiron Pur Sport was introduced back in 2020. While that sold out quickly, some of Bugatti’s best customers asked for a car combining the Pur Sport’s handling-focused alterations but with a more classically elegant body. Work started on such a car soon after, but by the time pre-production models were launched the Chiron’s build slots were all sold out. Rather than hide it away in its collection, Bugatti auctioned a single finished model with RM Sotheby’s. The one-of-one Profilée is also the fastest accelerating Chiron ever built.
4: Rolls-Royce Sweptail
Price: £10 million
When one of your most valued and wealthiest customers makes a request, you can’t exactly ignore it. That’s why Rolls-Royce found itself building a stunning one-off version of the Phantom Coupe said to be inspired by both luxury yachts and the most lavish Rollers of the 1920s and 30s.
Revealed in 2017 after an arduous four-year creation, the Sweptail features the largest grille ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce, a host of bespoke materials and a long, tapering tail topped by one of the most complex panoramic roofs ever fitted to a production car. Even the ‘08’ number plate is milled from a single piece of aluminium and hand-polished. It was the world’s most expensive car in 2017, but only makes it to fourth in this list.
3: Bugatti La Voiture Noire
Price: £10.4 million
The fourth Bugatti in this list breaches the £10 million barrier in style, being the most expensive model the brand has ever produced. It’s a tribute to one of the greatest automotive mysteries of all time: the missing all-black Type 57 Atlantic owned by the son of the company’s founder, Jean Bugatti.
Mysteriously lost during WWII after being moved by train for its safety, experts reckon the one-of-four car (the only black example) will be worth well over £100 million if it’s ever found again. The La Voiture Noire is another Chiron-based one-off, this time designed as a grand tourer, with a unique body design as well as a 25cm longer wheelbase and 45cm longer overall body.
2: Rolls-Royce Boat Tail
Price: £22 million
Rolls-Royce is arguably the king of the bespoke customer requests, as illustrated by the jaw-dropping Boat Tail. It was commissioned by a long-standing Rolls-Royce client with inspiration from classic racing yachts and the client’s own 1932 Boat Tail restored for his collection.
The near six-metre long Boat Tail isn’t just a “money-no object” styling job, it’s also chock full of unique features including a removable canopy roof, custom-made timepieces and something called a “hosting suite” at the rear.
A butterfly-style electric rear deck opens up to reveal a double fridge for Champagne and snacks, while an in-built parasol, tables and chairs also feature, With five ECUs and bespoke wiring just to power the hosting suite itself, the Boat Tail was an engineering nightmare. Three have been produced, with one reportedly bought by power couple musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
1: Rolls-Royce Droptail
Price: £23 million
It should come as no surprise that the most expensive new car ever produced has rolled out of Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood HQ. No other car brand is so synonymous with luxury, and the insane price of its most elaborate creation reflects this.
Rolls-Royce claims the Droptail was built for the wishes of ‘the marque’s most ambitious clients’. Four examples of the dramatic-looking two-seat roadster will be produced, each with an intensely unique specification. Inspiration is taking from American Rolls-Royce coachbuilders of the 1930s.
Lashings of carbon fibre (including a carbon hardtop roof that must be lifted into place) blends with the finest leather and wood. The first commission – named the La Roise Noire – is inspired by the rare Black Baccara rose and comes complete with wood veneers formed from 1603 pieces of Black Sycamore appearing to resemble fallen rose petals – that alone took craftspeople nine months to create.
Like the Boat Tail there’s also a custom timepiece, while the 6.75-litre V12 has been tuned to suit. At £23 million, it’s the least you’d expect.
Most expensive cars in the world FAQs
What is the most expensive car in the world?
The Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail claims the title as the most expensive car ever produced and sold to a member of the public, priced at an astonishing £23 million.
What is the most expensive car ever sold at auction?
The most valuable car to ever change hands is the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. It sold at an exclusive Mercedes-Benz auction in Stuttgart for an astonishing £113 million ($146 million) back in 2022.
Who owns the most expensive car in the world?
The owner of the £113 million Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, sold at auction in 2022, has never been officially disclosed. However it is widely rumoured to have been bought by Sir James Ratcliffe, owner of Ineos.
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