This List Is Ford Heavy

The 11 most expensive American cars ever

Forget Ferrari, We've Got A Batmobile

1. 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Lightweight Racing Car – $11,000,000

One of the most iconic racing cars of all time, wearing perhaps the most geekily celebrated racing livery of all time, driven by a slew of famous racers to winning result, and with near-perfect rarity and condition. That's the formula for an $11M-sale, folks.

This lovely blue and orange GT40 won its debut race at Spa in 1967, driven by Jacky Ickx and Dick Thompson. One of only two surviving lightweight GT40s from the orginal production run of three cars, it also happens to have "carbon fiber pioneer" on its impressive list of bona fides. As if having the likes of David Hobbs and Brian Redman as wheelmen weren't enough, this Gulf-spec wonder was also the true star of the film Le Mans. The value-adding factor of Steve McQueen is pretty remarkable, you'll have to admit.

That's a pretty satisfying capper to our list, then – a Hollywood-worthy GT40 with kudos from the King of Cool with an $11M sticker price. The top dog for now, we fully expect this list to be one in a state of flux as long as this new golden age for auction records steams forward. Save your pennies. 

3. 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe – $7,685,000

The Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe was a purpose-built racecar, invented and deployed with the mission to take down Ferrari in GT road racing. In 1965, that's exactly what this stunning example did, time and time again. Chassis #CSX2602 raced at (ready for this?) Daytona, Sebring, Monza, Spa, the Nürburgring, Reims, Enna and Le Mans during that season, winning four of its eight races. The car crossed the finish line to score the points that won Shelby the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship. Bob Bondurant was one of the Cobra Coupe's winning pilots that season, and eventually bought the car, selling it just a few decades too early, in 1969.

Bob did okay though, even without that particular $7.685M-feather in his cap.


4. 1964 Ford GT40 Prototype – $7,000,000

One of the first GT40s built, car GT/104 was a lightweight version with a 4.7-liter V8 mounted amidships (more potent than the original-recipe 4.2L engine), and a Le Mans pedigree. This particular example was forced to retire from that 1964 endurance race, but it saw a podium finish at the 1965 Daytona Continental 2,000 Kilometers, where no less than Bob Bondurant and Ritchie Ginther piloted it to third place.

Boasting its original engine and gearbox in running form, this amazing piece of US racing history killed it a Mecum auction in Houston this year, racking up and incredible $7-million total sale price. The scary thing is that, at that rate, it's only the second-most expensive GT40 on this list.

5. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake – $5,500,000

At the halfway turn of our expensive American cars list, values start to really jump, with almost a million dollars separating the Batmobile from one stunning Shelby Cobra 427 – that feels right to us.

The ultra rare Super Snake competition models were stunningly powerful and difficult to tame. So much so that the 427 inspired Carroll Shelby-friend Bill Cosby to create the hilarious 200 MPH bit (kids, if you haven't heard the man's pre-Cosby Show-era standup, do yourselves a favor and buy the record).

Anyway . . . car CSX3015 was Shelby's personal vehicle for years, and offered more than enough provenance to sky-rocket up to $5.5M in a 2007 Barrett-Jackson action (a record-setting sum for an American-made car at the time.) 

Complete list (AutoBlog.com)