Here’s a rundown of the top five cars sold at auction in 2009, with final selling prices ranging from $4.4 million all the way up to $12.2 million.

1. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – Price: $12.2 million

This vintage beauty was sold at the RM Auctions in Maranello, Italy on May 17, 2009 and beat the previous record which was set by the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California, which sold for $9.5 million one year prior at the same auction. This car is one of only 22 Sergio Scaglietti-designed.  The car’s first  owner was privateer racer Piero Drogo, who raced it in Argentina, Cuba, and Portugal.

2. 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe – Price: $7.25 million

This car was sold at Mecum Auctions in Pebble Beach, CA , on August 15, 2009 and set the record for an American car sold at a public auction. The person who made the winning bid also received lessons from Bob Bondurant on how to drive it with technical advice from its designer, Peter Brock.

3 – 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – Price: $5,115,000

Sold at Gooding & Co in Pebble Beach, CA, on August 16, 2009, the V12 runner was restored to like-new condition with a little age and came with an exceedingly rare-yet-unrestored hardtop.

4 – 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – Price: $4,950,000

This Ferrari was sold at Gooding & Co in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 17, 2009 and has matching numbers and factory-installed covered headlights. The winning bid was the highest paid for any car during the entire week of auctions, the second-highest price paid at an individual auction in Arizona history.

5 – 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante – Price: $4,408,575

The final car in this luxury line up was sold at Bonham’s in Paris, France, on February 7, 2009. The car features numerous custom details and in 1955 it was purchased by Dr. Harold Carr for a mere $2,520 prior to enjoying it for a while and then storing it away in a bar for more than fifty long years. Eventually, it was restored and brought to auction where it successfully sold for an incredibly higher amount than he paid for it in 1955.

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