What are the most expensive cars ever sold in Australia?
The biggest story in car news last year? An Australian manufactured Holden Commodore sold at auction for $750,000.
The big price was reserved for the car described as a piece of Australian history; the last car produced at Holden Australia. But, seeing the final Commodore go under the hammer got us thinking: what is the most expensive car ever sold in Australia?
Unsurprisingly, Holden and Ford top the list with motor enthusiasts paying up for the two iconic brands.
Holden Special Vehicles Maloo GTSR W1 — sold for $1.05 million
Taking the title of one of the most expensive Australian-made road cars is not the Holden Commodore but the extremely rare Holden Special Vehicle Maloo GTSR W1, one of just four built.
The HSV Maloo GTSR W1 was not available for the public to buy, but was instead a special order amongst HSV’s inner circle of members and longstanding customers in the lead-up to the car manufacturer’s shut down in late 2017.
Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III — sold for $1.15 million
Only weeks later, the price of the Maloo was eclipsed by a fully-restored 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, sold in February this year for $1.15 million.
Auction house Lloyds described the car as in “better condition than when it rolled off the production line” which explains the high price offered for the vehicle.
1972 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase IV AU — (not) sold for $2 million
The 1972 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase IV remains one of the most expensive Australian-built cars ever sold at auction. However it doesn’t take a record-breaking title as the deal is believed to have fallen through afterwards.
During the famous ‘Ford vs Holden’ Bathurst days, this vehicle was specifically built to win the great race, with the car manufacturer producing just four 300kW V8 vehicles.
With one of the cars known to be destroyed, the remaining three have become part of Australia’s racing history, with fans paying top dollar to secure one.
1982 HDT VH Commodore Group C AU — sold for $2.1 million
Just pipping the Ford was the Marlboro-branded VH Commodore which delivered back-to-back Bathurst 1000 victories for Brock in 1982 and 1983.
A motoring enthusiast picked up the car for a little over $2 million when it was last in auction.
With legendary driver Peter Brock passing away in 2006, car collectors pushed the price to an at-the-time Australian auction record.
While Australian vehicles continue to sell for eye-watering amounts, it remains very little compared with collectors overseas.
1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta — sold for AU$28 million
An incredibly rare Alfa Romeo that was made pre-World War II was recently sold for $28 million.
The Alfa Romeo is just one of five that were created bearing Berlinetta bodywork from Carrozeria Touring.
While the vehicle has been repainted and restored various times (but never being fully restored) it still remained a collector’s dream buy.
1994 McLaren F1 LM Specification — sold for AU$AU$28.8 million
One of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction set one collector back nearly $30 million.
The one-of-two McLaren F1s converted by the factory to ‘LM Specification’ shattered records as it sold for US$19.8 million at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale.
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO — $AUD62 million
It will come as little surprise to car enthusiasts that a Ferrari has topped the list for the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO number 3413GT sold for $US 48,405,000 in August 2018, breaking the previous record held by another 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold for $38,115,000.
While collectible cars have sold privately for more than the Ferraris, it remains the highest price ever paid for a car at a public auction.
Suddenly, that $750,000 Holden Commodore doesn’t seem so expensive anymore.
Now, if you’re like the rest of us and are not ready to pay that much (or get an extremely large loan) for a vehicle, there is another way to get that prestige car feeling. We can help make your car feel shiny again with a car paint repair in Sydney.
If you want to restore your car to showroom condition, Bumpertek is here to help.