10 most expensive cars sold at auction in 2020

Even though 2020 was an unusual year-even in the world of classic-car auctions, as travel restrictions pushed many events to move online-the final tally still gave us a clear list of the 10 most expensive cars sold at auction in 2020.

Unlike previous years, there were no record-breaking sale prices, despite several of the models below achieving huge eight-figure sums. Even so, those figures were not high enough to place any of them in the all-time Top 10 most expensive cars ever sold at auction.

Online auctions and the only “global” record

The only “global” record that appears to have been set was for the most expensive car ever sold via an online auction. Midway through 2020 we reported that this title belonged to a Ferrari Enzo, but two months later it changed hands to the Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive included in this list.

Bugatti dominates the top five

What 2020 did underline was Bugatti’s dominance. The marque took the first five positions among the 10 most expensive cars sold at auction in 2020-an outstanding showing.

Ferrari, which still leads the all-time Top 10 most expensive cars ever sold at auction, managed to place just one car in the 2020 Top 10: the aforementioned 550 GT1 Prodrive.

Two “modest” Mustangs with blockbuster prices

Another major talking point in 2020 was the hammer price achieved by two “modest” Ford Mustangs at auction. OK… they are not just any Mustangs.

One is the very first prototype of the Shelby GT350R, the circuit-focused, competition-bound version of the Mustang. The other could hardly be more famous: the genuine Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in the film “Bullit”, used in one of cinema’s most celebrated chase sequences.

The 10 most expensive cars sold at auction in 2020

Position	Year	Car	Price (dollars)	Auction house	Auction
1	1934	Bugatti Type 59 Sports	$12 681 550	Gooding	London
2	1937	Bugatti Type 57S Atalante	$10 447 150	Gooding	London
3	1932	Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster	$7 100 000	Bonhams	Amelia Island
4	1928	Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix	$5 233 550	Gooding	London
5	1931	Bugatti Type 55 Two-Seat Supersport by Figoni	$5 061 380	Bonhams	Paris
6	2001	Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive	$4 290 000	RM Sotheby’s	Shift/Monterey
7	1971	Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Speciale	$4 265 310	Gooding	London
8	1955	Aston Martin DB3S	$4 004 360	Gooding	London
9	1965	Shelby GT350R Prototype	$3 850 000	Mecum	Indianapolis
10	1968	Ford Mustang GT “Bullit”	$3 740 000	Mecum	Kissimmee
*	1950s	Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 5, B.A.T. 7, B.A.T. 9	$14 840 000	RM Sotheby’s	New York

Beyond individual lots, it is also worth mentioning the three Alfa Romeo B.A.T. (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica) cars, which could only be sold as a single group. Together, the trio achieved the highest overall auction figure recorded in 2020, but not on an individual basis.