THE RAREST SPORTS CARS IN THE WORLD

In this high-tech age of social media, content about rare cars is quick and easy to find. Deceptively so in many cases, but because owners and collectors love to share and sometimes show off, it is lucky to have access to rare and expensive cars through online content that we may never get a chance to see in real life.

It's easy to log onto YouTube or Instagram and search for the rare cars we want to see and learn about, so it's just as easy to forget how rare some of these sports cars actually are. 992 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, only about 2,500 were made. Ferrari F40 has only about 1,300 examples. Putting that into perspective, Toyota sold 295,201 units of their 2022 Camry. Meanwhile, Koenigsegg has only ever made an estimated 215 cars in the entirety of the Swedish brand's existence.

Even with the endless amount of online car content about rare and unique examples, there are still some that are elusive due to the plain and simple fact that there were only a handful of them ever made. In some cases, “handful” takes a literal meaning. Spanning decades from the 1950s to the 1980s, there are sports cars so rare, that you may have not known there were so few.

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1960 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider

Production Numbers: 106 units

Starting this list with the car made in the most numbers, the 250 California was built using the same chassis and drivetrain as the race-bred 250 GT Tour de France. Commissioned by Jon Von Neumann and Luigi Chinetti for the Ferrari’s local market namesake, it was already a rare car even back in the period. Its curvaceous body was designed by Pininfarina and was then shaped by Carrozzeria Scaglietti and paired with the competition Colombo V-12 engine, the 250 California is just as fast as it is beautiful.

Specifications And Price

That was actually what Jon Von Neumann had in mind when he brought up his idea to Chinetti, Ferrari’s agent for the U.S.A., who then brought the idea up to the “Il Commendatore” himself who luckily, liked the idea. Neumann wanted a Ferrari that was beautiful enough to be taken to a dinner date out in town and be competitive on the racetrack on the weekends. And win it did, at Sebring and even finishing fifth overall at Le Mans.

1955 Porsche 550 Spyder

Production Numbers: 90 units

What might be the most popular car on this list, the 1955 550 Spyder is the first purpose-built production sports racing car that Porsche ever produced. Designed from day one and from the ground up to be a race car, the small and lightweight roadster proved to be just what the young automaker needed to stay competitive against other manufacturers who were equally eager to showcase their engineering and the capabilities of their creations.

Specifications And Price

While the 356 did start the motorsports' heritage of Porsche, it was the 550 Spyder that showed the world that they needed to be taken seriously and were a force to be reckoned with. By winning the first race event it participated in at the Nürburgring Eifel Race in 1953, Porsche demonstrated that large displacement engines were not the only way to win races. After 95 overall victories, 75 class wins and a total of 370 race events participated in, the 550 Spyder rightly deserved its moniker “the giant killer”.

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1951 Jaguar XK-120-C

Production Numbers: 53 units

The Jaguar XK120-C came as an evolution of the standard XK120 that the British manufacturer entered in Le Mans in 1950. With a twelfth-place finish, Jaguar engineers were inspired to rework the XK120 which, at that time, was the fastest car in the world, to be more suited to the rigors of the 24-hour race before it returned a year later to successfully secure an overall win with Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead at the wheel.

Specifications And Price

C- standing for “competition” represented Jaguar’s intent for the car, making the C-Type a very different car from the XK120 it was based on. Built around a completely different tubular chassis and a more aerodynamic-conscious body, the C-Type maximized the performance out of the same straight-six-cylinder engine that powered the XK120. All in all, Jaguar made a total of only 53 examples for clients who were willing to pay the price for the best sports racing car Jaguar had to offer. The most famous example is one that was previously owned by the great Juan Manuel Fangio.

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

Production Numbers: 33 units

The golden age of sports car racing definitely inspired unique shapes, and the aluminum body that clothed the 250 Testa Rossa was definitely of a unique design. Styled and formed by Carrozzeria Scaglietti over the 1956 Ferrari 500 TR chassis and around the successful 250 Tour de France Colombo V-12 engine, the 250 Testa Rossa was designed with reliability in mind rather than outright speed due to Ferrari’s focus on winning the 24-Hours of Le Mans.

Specifications And Price

Known as one of Ferrari’s most successful sports racing cars, the 250 Testa Rossa was intended to be campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari as well as privateer teams. The factory Ferrari team would focus on the longer and bigger races, while privateers took care of the smaller SCCA and European events. With its racing pedigree, gorgeous body, and rarity; it is no wonder the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa trades hands for as much as it does. Famously, Ralph Lauren owns chassis number 0734 which is number fourteen of the thirty-three ever made.

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1957 Jaguar XKSS

Production Numbers: 25 units

If there ever was a “race car for the street” as the line claims, the Jaguar XKSS would be it. Originally built as a sports racing car, the Jaguar XKSS started life as a D-Type the automaker had left-over after deciding to step back from racing. Soon after, the surplus D-Types would be converted to road-going versions of the successful D-Type racers and would be sold to the public with additional creature comforts that were installed during the conversion.

Specifications And Price

The idea of a race car for the road wasn’t lost on the King of Cool, Steve McQueen, as he famously owned one, frequently spotted speeding around Los Angeles in his British Racing Green example. Only twenty-five were ever made, which was further lessened to sixteen when the 1957 fire broke out in Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory increasing its desirability even more. So desirable in fact, that back in 2016, Jaguar announced that it would be hand-building the remaining nine as “continuation cars” exactly how the originals were built back in their day.

1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

Production Numbers: 19 units

Aston Martin and Zagato. These two names, when put together, guarantee beautiful styling, limited production numbers, and unbelievable values. This specific Zagato-styled Brit started off as an already rare Aston Martin; the DB4GT. Lighter and shorter than the regular DB4, the Zagato was the competition version of which the majority landed in the ownership of gentleman racers who used them as daily transport from Monday to Friday, and as a track tool on Saturdays and Sundays.

Specifications And Price

Styled by the famous Italian design house, the DB4GT Zagato was lighter than the regular model by nearly 300-pounds so, even with an untouched 3.7-liter straight-six engine, the Zagato raced against the Ferrari 250 GTs of the period. Sadly, it was never as competitive as Aston Martin would have liked, but with the help of Carrozzeria Zagato, and gentleman racers of the period like Sir Sterling Moss and Roy Salvadori, it remains one of the most desirable sports cars from the British automaker.

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1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale

Production Numbers: 18 units

Drawn by Franco Scaglione and built by Autodelta, Alfa Romeo’s then-racing division, the Tipo 33 Stradale is the homologation version of its sports prototype racer siblings. Recognized not only as the most beautiful Alfa Romeo but as one of the most beautiful Italian cars ever made, the Tipo 33 Stradale isn’t all for show. Sharing its chassis and engine with its five racing siblings, the 33 Stradale was also fast. Topping out at 162 miles per hour and doing away with sixty in 5.7 seconds.

Specifications And Price

With its racing heritage, achingly beautiful bodywork, and its high-strung small-displacement V-8, the 33 Stradale is as exotic as it is desirable. And it seems like Alfa Romeo knew this even back in 1968, pricing it at $17,000 which made it the most expensive production car of the period. Made in such small numbers, its value has definitely increased today. But because of its rarity and beauty, examples very rarely change hands leaving us to only speculate on its market value today.

1956 Aston Martin DBR1

Production Numbers: 5 units

The first single-digit rarity in the list is another Aston Martin. The DBR1 is pivotal to Caroll Shelby’s career as a driver and a race car builder. Being the car that brought him his Le Mans win, it can be argued that the Aston Martin DBR1 led to Ford approaching him for help to achieve a success of their own in the grueling 24-hour race.

Specifications And Price

Built over a tubular frame chassis, the DBR1 was 50 pounds lighter than the DB3S that came before it. Eventually competing with a 3.0-iter straight-six engine, the DBR1 secured Aston Martin’s first and, to date, only outright Le Mans win in 1959. The car that earned the $22 million sale price is also the only DBR1 to ever go on public sale. With such an evocative body shape, and a racing history with such names as Caroll Shelby, Sir Sterling Moss, and Jack Brabham, this one-of-five David Brown-era Aston makes a compelling case for its current estimated value

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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe

Production Numbers: 2 units

As production numbers get smaller, values and sale prices get higher. And the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe is proof of that. Breaking auction records several times over, the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was Mercedes-Benz’s W196 Formula 1 car cross-dressing as a 300 SL Gullwing. Designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut, from whom the car got its nickname, the designer was responsible for a lot of Mercedes’ racing victories in the 1950s, including Sir Sterling Moss’ open-top 722 300 SLR.

Specifications And Price

From Formula 1 to sports car racing, Mercedes had won it all until the 1955 Le Mans tragedy. Which luckily, spared the two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes that the successful designer had by then developed into road-going sports cars. Having been used only as development cars, the two Uhlenhaut Coupes have always been under the ownership of Mercedes-Benz, until last year, when luxury automotive broker Simon Kidston convinced them to sell one of the only two ever made.

1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider

Production Numbers: 1 unit

The second Testa Rossa in our list isn’t as storied as the first when it comes to racing history, but it doesn’t mean it is any less special. The 1986 Testarossa is no doubt the Ferrari that comes to mind when “Testarossa” is mentioned. The cheese grater side strakes on the V-12 sports tourer from Ferrari unmistakably date-stamps it as an icon of the eighties. Made even more popular by the hit TV show Miami Vice and with 9,930 units made between 1984 and 1996, the '80s Testarossa is not quite rare…except for one.

Specifications And Price

Built for Giovanni Agnelli, the Chairman of Fiat who by then owned Ferrari and Lancia. The Testarossa Spider was commissioned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his chairmanship of Fiat. While there were subsequent Spiders built by Pininfarina and Straman on special order, the silver Testarossa Spider is the only example ever built by Ferrari. Finished in Argento Nürburgring and decorated with its "Cavalino Rampante" Ferrari logo cast in pure silver as a nod to the “AG” letters in the big boss' surname which coincidentally, is also the periodic table symbol for silver.

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