The 13 Rarest Vintage Rides Still Out There Today

Most car enthusiasts have dreamed about owning a rare and precious classic car at some point in their lives.

There’s no denying that these vehicles have a certain allure, but unfortunately, their age, rarity, and legend status mean they are far out of reach to the average gearhead.

Only multi-millionaires with the right connections have a tiny chance of ever getting their hands on any of the automotive unicorns on this list of ultra-rare classics.

1970 Porsche 917K — 3 Built

Porsche’s 917K marks the beginning of the German sports car brand’s rise to Le Mans greatness. Porsche didn’t compromise when they built the 917 — it was a race car, built to win, and that’s exactly what it did.

Three of the Porsche 917s were converted for road use, and their prices are estimated to be in the $20 million region. Steve McQueen famously drove a 917 in his movie Le Mans, and that car sold for $14 million in 2017, making it the most expensive Porsche ever.

1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1 — 2 Built

During the 1960s, Chevrolet churned out many amazing Corvettes, but only two 1969 ZL1 ‘Vettes were made, making them some of the rarest Corvettes ever.

Under its long hood, the ZL-1 had a 427 V8 that officially sent 430 horsepower (hp) to the rear wheels. Many gearheads believe that number is a bit off and that it really produces between 500 and 550 horses. It was the top-spec model, and while it wasn’t cheap when it was new, prices are just plain ridiculous these days, as the white car was estimated to be worth more than $3 million a few years ago.

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake — 2 Built

In 1966, Carroll Shelby built two very special Cobras. He kept one, and his friend, Bill Cosby, got the other. Using the CSX 3015 S/C as the base for his own car, it was essentially a barely road-legal race car fitted with twin Paxton superchargers.

Cosby’s car was based on a street version, but it was still too much for the comedian to handle, so he returned it to Shelby. It was later sold, and the owner lost control and drove it off a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean. Only Shelby’s own Super Snake still exists, and it was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2007 for $5 million.

1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special — 2 Built

The 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special was a hand-built fiberglass grand touring sports coupé with a Plexiglas canopy and gull-wing windows. The Bonneville name was chosen as it had a whiff of high performance about it, hinting at the speed trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Pontiac only built two Bonneville Specials — one was painted emerald green, and the other metallic bronze. They were powered by a 268 cubic-inch straight-eight that produced 230 wild stallions. Both cars were unveiled simultaneously in 1954 — one at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf in New York and the other at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. One of the cars sold for $3.3 million at the Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in 2015.

Bocar XP-5 — 15 Built

You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of Bocar, as most people haven’t. It was an American sports car manufacturer that built some excellent models between 1957 and 1961. The XP-5 was Bocar’s most popular model, and its glass-reinforced polyester body covered a space-frame chassis.

It looks like a European car from the 1950s and 60s and even uses some parts from cars made on the Old Continent. However, its engine was as American as apple pie and came from the Chevy Corvette. Unfortunately, Bocar’s headquarters was destroyed in a fire in 1962, and only a handful of XP-5s still exist today.

1948-1950 Aston Martin 2-Liter Sports DB1 — 14 Built

The Aston Martin DB1 was the first model in the manufacturer’s DB series. It was named after Sir David Brown, who took ownership of Aston Martin in 1947. It had a 2.0-liter engine producing 90 hp, which was enough for a top speed of 93 mph.

Aston Martin only built the 2-liter Sports from 1948 to 1950. During that time, they assembled 14 DB1s. One of the cars won the 1948 Spa 24-hour race and subsequently spent decades in Belgian and Dutch car museums. These days, it lives in the United Kingdom with its new owner.

Gaylord Gladiator — 2 Exist

Brothers James and Edward Gaylord were sons of the inventor of the bobby pin, so they had plenty of money to start their own business and wanted to create their own legacy. They decided to build the most luxurious car the world had ever seen — the Gaylord Gladiator.

As innovative and luxurious as their creation was, it was never meant to be. Between 1955 and 1957, four Gaylord Gladiators, including prototypes, were made. It’s believed that only two examples built by Zeppelin survived. One can be seen at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and the other is privately owned in the States.

1970 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi Convertible — 2 Built

There were 2,319 1970 Coronet R/Ts built, 296 of which were convertibles. Only two of those convertibles were powered by the legendary 426 Hemi V8 engine.

Both 1970 Coronet R/T 426 Hemi convertibles V8 had a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, heavy-duty suspension, and six-way adjustable vinyl bucket seats. While they’re not the most expensive cars on this list, the two 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi convertibles are still valued at around $385,000 each.

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale — 18 Built

Alfa Romeo only built 18 units of the stylish 33 Stradale, and since these cars rarely come up for sale, it’s hard to estimate their value. Experts say they can sell for anywhere between $3 million to $10 million, or maybe more.

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is easily one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous cars to ever emerge from the Turin-based manufacturer. It also had the power and speed to match its looks, as the 2.0-liter V8 produces 227 hp, which is plenty for a 1,543 lb car. It would sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and on to a 160 mph top speed.

Pegaso Z-102 — 71/84 Built

Seeing as most gearheads have never heard of the Pegaso Z-102, it might be surprising to find out that it was the world’s fastest car in 1951, capable of a top speed of 151 mph. Perhaps even more shocking is the fact that a Spanish bus and truck manufacturer built this Ferrari-slayer.

The Pegaso Z-102 was produced from 1951 to 1958, but the experts can’t agree on the number of cars built—it’s either 71 or 84. Either way, they were assembled on a cost-no-object basis and should easily fetch over $1 million today.

Jaguar XKSS — 25 Built

The original Jaguar XKSS was a limited-production model that rolled off the assembly line in 1957. It was based on the D-Type race car, which won the Le Mans 24-hour race. Jaguar built 25 units of the XKSS, but nine were destroyed in a fire, leaving only 16 in existence.

In 2017, Jaguar built nine “continuation cars” to replace the ones lost in the fire. Each sold for more than $1.2 million and was built to the exact same specifications as the original cars.

Rolls-Royce 15 Hp — 1 Exists

Charles Rolls and Henry Royce reached an agreement in 1904 that resulted in the production of four cars, one of which was the Rolls-Royce 15 hp. They only built six of them, and today, only one is left.

As its name suggests, it had 15 horsepower, giving it a top speed close to 40 mph. Since there’s only one car, it’s impossible to say what the 15 hp is worth today. However, in 2007, a Rolls-Royce 10 hp sold for $4.3 million. That was the oldest Rolls-Royce in the world, but there were also three more 10 hp cars — the 15 hp is unique.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupe — 6 Exist

Bugatti built seven Type 41 Royales, but they only sold three. That’s not a big surprise, seeing as a Type 41 Royale chassis alone cost £30,000, and it was during the Great Depression.

Bugatti intended to build 25 Type 41 Royales and marketed them almost exclusively to royalty. Ettore Bugatti crashed one of the seven they built, so only six exist now. The last time one sold at an auction was in 1987, and it went for $9.7 million.