The World's Most Expensive Car... Wrecks

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Apr 1st 2010 at 8:01AM

Here at Luxist we write a lot about the world's most expensive cars. Now the London Telegraph has compiled a list of the world's most expensive car wrecks, following Jackie Stewart's trashing of a Pagani Zonda supercar in Scotland, which my colleague Noah Joseph reported on last week. Here's the paper's list of flaming Ferraris, burned-out Bugattis and other smashed-up supercars. The values given are those at the time the crashes occurred as calculated by the Telegraph. Let's hope all the insurance was in order:

1. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO: $28.5 million

The car's British owner, who has never been named, was participating in an historic car race when he crashed into the back of another car in slow traffic. He had bought the car at auction in 2008 for $28.5 million.

2. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder: $10 million.

The 1961 car was bought at auction in 2008 for $10 million. But the unfortunate owner, who has not been named, stored the car near a beach in California and it was wrecked in a hurricane and literally buried in the sand.

3. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT TDF: $1.65 million

The unnamed owner of this $1.65 million car, nicknamed "Tour de France", crashed into a wall during the Shell Ferrari-Maserati Historic Challenge in 2003 at the infamous Lime Rock race track in, Connecticut, United States.

4. Ferrari Enzo: $1.3 million

Swedish businessman Bo Stefan "Fat Steven" Eriksson was involved in the spectacular accident in 2006, when he lost control of his $1.3 million Ferrari at 196 mph on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed into a pole. He later pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge in connection with the crash and embezzling two other fancy cars and illegally possessing a gun.

5. Bugatti Veyron: $1.25 million

Away Soni, 39, was driving his millionaire older brother's brand new rare car at 100 mph in the pouring rain along a 40 mph stretch of the B375 near Chertsey, Surrey, UK in March 2007 when he collided with a Vauxhall Astra.

6. Jaguar XJ220: $1 million

The unnamed owner crashed this car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the world's biggest historic motorsport event. The front bonnet crumpled in the crash.

7. Pagani Zonda: $1 million

The car's owner crashed his vehicle in Hong Kong in December last year when an out of control truck forced him into a row of parked cars. He had been driving back from racing track event.

8. McLaren F1: $960,000

Rowan Atkinson, the actor, in October 1999 crashed his 240 mph machine, one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time.The former star of Blackadder and Mr Bean collided with the rear of a Metro driven by Margaret Greenhalgh, 62, as he was driving north on the A6 near Lancaster, UK.

9. Pagani Zonda S: $790,000

The unnamed driver crashed the supercar after spinning out of control on a test run down a country lane near Aberdeen. The final insurance bill could be more than £300,000 once all the repairs are completed, Aviva said, making it one of the highest ever payouts in the UK.

10. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing": $700,000

An unnamed owner of the beautiful classic car was involved in a crash with a Seattle council landscape truck, which appropriately enough had the name "impact landscaping" on the side.

Tags: Bugatti, Bugatti Veyron, car crash, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari Enzo, McLaren F1, Pagani, supercars

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

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Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)

elvis Apr 4th 2010 10:47PM

you is a jerk,also a hater what the heck does car racing have to do with the president of the usa. you need to grow up,stop hating and move on or go back into the cave you crawl out of.

Rob Apr 5th 2010 7:21PM

Every single car shown here is worthy of respect, and that means not being an idiot behind the wheel. Super Cars are wonderful things, but they will get you over-confidant and in a serious wreck as a result. The biggest offenders are the classic Ferrari's and the Gull wing Benz. Shame on all of you and my sincere hope that you never drive a car again. You too, Mr. Bean!
I have seen people at the dealership I work for, tear up Porsche's, Vipers, Corvettes and other high power cars because they didn't know what the cars could do, and driving their Accords and Camry's to work aren't the same.

Frank Crisci Apr 4th 2010 10:46PM

CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI CALI

Simon Apr 4th 2010 10:49PM

I f you own the car its yours to do with as you wish, if you want to be a prat and wreck it then its fine, money and a fool are quickly parted.

eddiegamble Apr 4th 2010 10:54PM

Don Johnson used to blow up a classic Ferrari every episode of Miami Vice.

Alika Apr 4th 2010 10:56PM

Well only a rich idiot speeds in dangerous weather conditions!

stutzdriver Apr 4th 2010 10:59PM

You could fix any one of these exotic cars back to original condition for much less than $1 mil. "Totalled" to the owner and "totalled" to the insurance company are two completely different things.

irvisbunkie Apr 4th 2010 11:10PM

wow what a shame

dlcrismore Apr 4th 2010 11:11PM

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO worth $28.5 million? Get real! Maybe $2.8 million, but damn sure not $28.5 million! But then...maybe 28.5 million pesos...what do you think?

Gerard Apr 4th 2010 11:21PM

Sorry Derrel, but we on the East Coast do NOT call it Cali. We believe in calling a spade, a spade. Therefore we refer to it as "The Land of Fruits and Nuts." Now you can consider yourself informed.

Ericsons news Apr 5th 2010 10:51AM

Who C A R E S???!

lcook91 Apr 5th 2010 12:17PM

What about the Bugatti Veyron that was driven into a marsh in Galveston County a few months back? It looked like it was totaled.

Gerard Apr 4th 2010 11:46PM

The yellow car with the #54 on it, looks more like an Alpine Sunbeam or the faster version called an Alpine Tiger. I may be mistaken but I can recall NO FERRARI that sported tail fins. Although I am NOT AN EXPERT.

isaurodz Apr 6th 2010 1:27AM

HolidaySin, you are the ignorant idiot and not Mr. Rogers. Hurricanes do not hit the State of California. We get rain storms from hurricanes going south of the grand state, but no hurricanes actually hit the golden state. We are not spared the occasional earth quake, as the several that hit today, April 4, 2010.

sleepind Apr 4th 2010 11:51PM

Most of the people that make comments here have so much hate in them it spills out in a conversation about car wreck's and money. What is wrong with you all? This isnt a political arena, get a grip. On the topic I think one of the funniest things i have ever seen was Eddie Murphy destroy a ferrari going all of 60 mph. He didnt even make it 100 yards and smashed into a rail during some kind of promotion or stunt. Look it up on you tube its a riot.

dawdi Apr 5th 2010 2:52PM

What a SHAME a big shame ppl like those have cars like that with such prices ,
and i was asking myself why ppl die of hunger in the world what a shame ..
there are some ppl they want just water,or bread,...to stop death..and some others stupid riches ppl spend bilions in cars ..
what a shame...what a world are we living in now.

vette1979350 Apr 4th 2010 11:56PM

They left out the most expensive crash ever............Tiger Woods Escalade, that will cost him billions! lol

jdo52tex Apr 4th 2010 11:57PM

That's the reason we should biild the fence around California instead putting one up between the U.S. and Mexico. That way we can keep an eye on all the fruit-loops and wetback's.

thony L. Milano Apr 5th 2010 12:01AM

When people have more money than brains, they tend to do stupid things. I have a Dodge Mini-Van and would never park it near a beach. As for the hurricane in Cal., I doubt it very much, Pacific storms I thought were Typhoons; the East coast usually gets Hurricanes. Oh Well. Stupid is as stupid is.