Can You Identify The World's Most Expensive Cars From A Photo?

By: Robin Tyler
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify The World's Most Expensive Cars From A Photo?
Image: RM Sotheby's via Youtube/Brian Snelson via Wiki Commons/TheTFJJ via Youtube/Jaguar via Youtube

About This Quiz

During our lifetimes, most of us will only get to drive an average car. One that we can afford to pay for, that is reliable and that costs as little as possible to keep on the road.

There are those people in life who not only have the same love of cars that we might have, but have the financial backing to be able to hunt down those classics, or even modern cars, and add them to their collection.

These cars are not only found on the showroom floor but many, because they are classics from a bygone era, change hands during special auto auctions. 

And they cost millions!

So in this quiz, we want to test your knowledge about some of the most expensive cars in the world. Almost all of them have changed ownership at auctions. while many of them have interesting backstories in terms of ownership or even some racing pedigree. 

Some are easier to identify than others, thanks to the fact that they are more modern. Others date back to the classic age of motoring, the 1930s, the '40s and '50s.

So put on your thinking cap or perhaps your racing helmet. One image is all you will see to base your answer on.

Good luck!


Rolls-Royce 10 hp Two-Seater
Wiki Commons via Terry Whalebone
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Rolls-Royce 10 hp two-seater
The most expensive veteran car ever sold at auction, a Rolls-Royce 10 hp two-seater sold for $7.2 million at auction in 2007. Produced between 1904 and 1906, only 16 were ever made.
Ford GT40
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
McLaren F1

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Ford GT40 1966
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Rolls-Royce 10 hp two-seater
Ford GT40
The first generation of the GT40 won the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour endurance race for four straight years from 1966 to 1969 which included filling out the top three positions in 1966. Only 105 were produced. One was recently sold for $11 million at auction.
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
McLaren F1

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Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Rolls-Royce 10 hp two-seater
Ford GT40
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
A Shelby Cobra that comes up for auction usually costs its new owner a pretty penny, and the Daytona Cobra Coupe model is no different. In 2009, one sold for $7.6 million.
McLaren F1

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McLaren F1
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Rolls-Royce 10 hp two-seater
Ford GT40
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe
McLaren F1
McLaren's first road-going supercar, the F1 was something to behold when first released in 1992. A 1995 model, with only a one-owner history, sold for $15.6 million in 2017 in the United States.

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Mercedes-Benz W196
Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Mercedes Benz W196
This classic F1 racer was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the 1954 and 1955 season, winning 9 out of 12 races. In 2013, an example of this thoroughbred sold for $29 million.
Ford GT40
Rolls Royce 10hp two-seater
McLaren F1

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1955 Jaguar D-Type
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
McLaren F1
Mercedes Benz W196
Ford GT40
Jaguar D-Type
This distinctive '50s British classic saw less than 80 models produced, of which just a little of 50 were for customers. In 2016, a Jaguar D-Type sold for $21 million in California.

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Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" 1955
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Jaguar D-Type
Rolls Royce 10hp two-seater
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
A true classic from the '50s, the 300 SL started life as a racing car in 1952 but soon became a production car in 1954 as a two-door coupe. The 300 SL became instantly recognizable thanks to its gullwing doors. Just over 3,200 of the coupe and roadster were built up until 1963. These vehicles are snapped up at auction whenever they are available, including one in 2012 for $4.620 million.
Mini Cooper

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Porsche 550
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Porsche 550
This racing sports car was produced by Porsche from 1953 to 1956. The 1.5-liter Type 547 engine produced 108 brake horsepower. Another popular car at auction time, a 550 sold as recently as 2016 for $5.4 million.
McLaren F1
Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe

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1928 Bentley 4 Litre Le Mans Sports 'Bobtail'
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports 'Bobtail'
In 2012, a Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports 'Bobtail' sold for $6.449 million at an auction in California. These cars set a number of records in the early '30s which just add to their attraction.
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Porsche 550
McLaren F1

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Ferrari 250 GTO
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports 'Bobtail'
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Porsche 550
Ferrari GTO
The most expensive car at auction is a Ferrari GTO, sold in California in 2014 for $38 million. It then changed hands a year later for $52 million in a private deal to an unnamed buyer. This GTO was the personal property of the legendary Stirling Moss.

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Aston Martin DBR1
RM Sotheby's via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari GTO
Mercedes Benz W196
Ford GT40
Aston Martin DBR1
In 2017, a rare Aston Martin DBR1 sold for $22.5 million in California. The DBR1 is one of only three cars to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Sports Car Championship in the 1950s.

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Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider
Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider
Another expensive Ferrari! A 1967 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider, built between 1967 and 1968 sold for $27.5 million at auction in 2013. It had been owned by Eddie Smith for a period of 45 years.
Ford GT 40
Rolls Royce 10 hp two-seater
McLaren F1

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Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe
Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Aston Martin DBR1
Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe
With only 7 examples of the Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe produced, this is a rare car indeed. Made between 1927 and 1933, the Kellner Coupe is a luxury roadster. One sold for $9.1 million in 2013 in California.
Jaguar D-Type
Mercedes-Benz 300SL

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1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
A cool $21.8 million is what it would have cost you to buy the last Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider to go on auction. This Italian thoroughbred was built between 1935 and 1939.
Volkswagen Beetle
McLaren F1

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Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupé $4.8 million copy
Youtube via SUPERCARCLASSICS
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider
Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe
Jaguar D-Type
Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupé
There is no denying that this vehicle, produced in the 1930s, is one of the best-looking cars ever made. Those lines simply do not age. A few have been up for auction over the past 20 years, including one that went for $4.8 million.

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1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
McLaren F1
Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupé
Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
Designed by Friedrich Geiger, it is easy to see why someone paid $11.7 million for the Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster in 2012. It is truly beautiful.
Ford GT40

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Ferrari 335S
Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Mini Cooper
Ferrari 335S
Produced between 1957 and 1958, only four examples of this Ferrari sportscar were ever made. In 2016, a 335S was sold at an auction in Paris for an incredible $35 million.
Ford GT 40
Rolls Royce 10 hp two-seater

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Ferrari 250 GT California LWB California Spider Competizione
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
This classic Ferrari from the 1950s is still in demand today. Powered by a 3.0-liter V12, a Spider sold for $5.74 million at auction in 2012.
McLaren P1
Mercedes Benz W196

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Horch 853A Special Roadster
Youtube via CNN Money
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
Rolls Royce 10 hp two-seater
Aston Martin DBR1
Horch 853A Special Roadster
Built in 1939, the Horch Special Roadster is a vehicle of rare beauty and shows off those classic lines of a pre-World War II car. One recently sold for $5.1 million in California.

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1960 Jaguar E2A
Auto reviews via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ford GT40
Horch 853A Special Roadster
Jaguar E2A
In 2008, a Jaguar E2A sold for $5.6 million at an auction in California. This vehicle is considered a prototype, as it was the model that linked the E-Type and the D-Type Jaguar.
Mercedes-Benz 300SL

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Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Pinin Farina Cabriolet
Youtube via ConcoursDates
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Jaguar E2A
McLaren F1
Ferrari GTO
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Pinin Farina Cabriolet
Built between 1937 and 1939, this Italian classic sold at auction for $5.983 million in 1999. Imagine how much it would go for now? Essentially, this was a road-going version of the famous 8C 2900A race car.

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1960s - Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake 1966
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Porsche 550
Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Pinin Farina Cabriolet
Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster
Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake
Always in demand, Shelby Cobras regularly sell for big money at auctions. In 2007, one sold for $6.5 million at an auto auction in Arizona. At the time, this was a record for a vehicle made in the United States. The car in question was the personal Cobra of Carrol Shelby.

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1930 Bentley Speed Six
Youtube via Roma Praga
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake
Bentley Speed Six Tourer
Christie's sold one of only 182 Bentley Speed Six Tourers ever made in 2004 for $5.1 million. It's not difficult to see why, as this Bentley from the early 1930s is a beauty.
Rolls-Royce 10 hp Two-Seater
Ford GT40

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1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Bentley Speed Six Tourer
Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe
710 units of this stunning-looking car were produced from 1934 to 1940. This is a true classic and a vehicle of rare beauty. That would explain the price of $7.9 million at auction in 2008.
McLaren F1

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Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe
Mini Cooper
Volkswagen Beetle
Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
A Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for $19.1 million at auction in Paris in 2015. Only 55 models of this incredible machine were built.

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Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was essentially a DB4 but with some Italian input, specifically from Ercole Spada of the Zagata design factory. One such model sold in New York in 2015 for $14.3 million in 2016.
Jaguar E-Type
Mercedes SLK McLaren

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Porsche_917K_
Brian Snelson via Wiki Commons
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
Rolls Royce 10 hp two-seater
Porsche 917K
Based on the 917, only 12 examples of the 917K were ever built. This Porsche racer competed in the World Sportscar Championship for three seasons from 1969 to 1971.
Bentley Speed Six Tourer

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1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari GTO
Mercedes SLK 500
Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight
Only three of the Works LIghtweight version of the Jaguar C-Type were ever built. In 2015, one sold for $13.2 million in California.
Porsche 917K

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1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
This early 1930's car is the two-seater racing version of the 8C 2300 road car from Alfa Romeo. The Monza name was given to these models after victory at the 1931 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Ford GT40
McLaren P1

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1931 Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Jaguar E-Type
Mini Cooper
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza
Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe
Available in the early 1930s, the Duesenberg Model J was a machine of rare beauty. In 2011, a long-wheelbase coupe sold for $10.3 million in California.

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1932 Bugatti Type 55
n/a
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bugatti Type 55
The Type 55 was produced by Bugatti in the early 1930s. This was a road version of their Type 51 race car. In 2016, a Type 55 Roadster sold for $10.4 million at auction in the United States.
Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe
Rolls Royce 10 hp two-seater
Bentley Speed Six Tourer

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1982 Porsche 956
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Jaguar E Type
Bugatti Type 55
Ferrari GTO
Porsche 956
The Porsche 956 was a Group C race car from the early 1980s. It still holds the record for the fastest circuit of the famed Nurburgring, which it set in 1983. In 2015, a 956 was sold in the United States for $10.1 million.

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LaFerrari Aperta
TheTFJJ via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bugatti Type 55
Porsche 956
LaFerrari Aperta
Although the LaFerrari Aperta is a relatively new hypercar, one fetched $9.9 million at auction in 2017. This was the 210th Aperta made by Ferrari and included a livery to celebrate the 70th year of the company.
Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe

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1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer
In 2016, a Sports Tourer version of the Bugatti Type 57SC sold at auction for $9.7 million. This 1935 vehicle was once a Vanden Plas coachwork model.
LaFerrari Aperta
Ford GT40
Mini Cooper

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Ferrari 250 GT
THE DRIVE via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta 'Tour de France'
A 'Tour de France' variant of the 250 GT Berlinetta sold for $9.4 million in 2014. This vehicle even had race pedigree with a 4th overall in the 1957 Coppa Inter-Europa. Only 9 were ever made, of which 8 remain.
Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer
Ford GT40
Rolls Royce 10hp two-seater

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Bugatti - Type 57 SC Atalante.
CarMasterz via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta 'Tour de France'
Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante
In 2013, a Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante sold for $8.7 million at auction in California. With the classic Type 57 teardrop shape and in the finest condition, it's not difficult to see why. It also helps it was the 10th Type 57SC ever produced.
Mini Cooper
Volkswagen Beetle

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Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster
YouTube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Porsche 911
Jaguar E Type
Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster
In 2013, a Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster sold for a cool $8.2 million at auction in the United States. This 1928 model was once displayed at a New York dealership in 1929, and was one of only three models with a short windshield.
McLaren P1

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1951 Ferrari 340 America Barchetta
Wiki commons
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 340 America Barchetta
This 1951 Ferrari was raced at both the 1951 and 1952 Le Mans 24 hour race. Only eight of this chassis type were ever built. In 2016, it sold for $8.2 million at auction.
Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster
Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight
Porsche 917 K

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Jaguar E-Type Lightweight
Jaguar via Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 340 America Barchetta
Jaguar E-Type Lightweight
A 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight model, specially set up for racing and having raced in a 24-hour event at Le Mans in the '60s, was sold for $8 million in 2017. This model was driven by legendary racing drivers Walt Hansgen and Augie Pabst.
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
Duesenberg Model J Long-Wheelbase Coupe

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Ferrari 290 MM
Youtube
What expensive car is shown in this image?
Ferrari 290 MM
With just four Ferrari 290 MM models built in the late '50s, when one comes up for auction, it will take a lot of money to secure one. In fact, one sold for $28 million at Sotheby's in New York in 2016.
Jaguar E-Type Lightweight
Aston Martin DBR1
Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe

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You Got:
/40
RM Sotheby's via Youtube/Brian Snelson via Wiki Commons/TheTFJJ via Youtube/Jaguar via Youtube