Ultimate Collector Cars shows the most coveted classic cars of all time

A new two-volume anthology presents 100 of the most collectible cars in history. In an exclusive Dezeen, the authors Charlotte and Peter Fiell select seven cars that are at the top of the list, including a Mercedes Benz, which is considered to be the most valuable car in the world.

Ultimate Collector Cars, published by Taschen, showcases some of the most innovative examples of automotive design ever made, down to the finest detail.

“There are 100 of the rarest, most sought-after, most extraordinary and most collectible cars of all time,” said Peter Fiell. “The total value of the cars in the book is over $ 1.2 billion.”

“At the forefront of technical possibilities”

The cars featured were chosen for their rarity and exclusivity – most were either used as racing cars or “homologated” by racing cars – meaning they were made as part of the motorsport sanctioning body regulatory process.

In both cases, only a limited number would have been produced.

Eight houses that are supposed to present the car collections of their owners

“These weren’t human cars, they were cars that were state-of-the-art,” said Charlotte Fiell. “Every single car in the book was groundbreaking in its time.”

Light into the darkness of the secret world of collecting cars

For the most part, the car featured in the book is the ultimate example of its type in known existence.

However, the authors point out that the locations of many historic cars are unknown, as sales are often behind closed doors and many private collectors keep the contents of their collections a secret.

“We hope to shed new light on this whole world of car collecting,” said Peter Fiell. “We really wanted to bring the beauty and stories of these wonderful vehicles to a wider audience,” added Charlotte Fiell.

Read on for Charlotte and Peter Fiell’s pick of the seven ultimate collector’s cars:

Photos are by Michael Furman

Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B MM Spider, 1938

1938 was an important season for the Italian car company Alfa Romeo as it marked the company’s return to motorsport after several years of dissolution and the start of the Alfa Corse team. It was also the last year Ferrari headed the internal works team.

The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B MM Spider was the racing car developed for this season. Five of them were produced for the Mille Miglia event.

“It is widely considered to be the most collectable sports racing car of all time from the pre-war era,” said Peter.

This particular example is the car that was driven by race winner Clemente Biondetti. It belongs to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.

Photo courtesy of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Classic

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupé”, 1955

The Uhlenhaut Coupé, the fastest road car of its time, was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut as a coupé version of the 300 SLR racing car that Stirling Moss drove to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia.

The car was developed for the track but never competed as Mercedes Benz withdrew from the race for the remainder of the season after the Le Mans disaster that year, in which the 300 SLR racing car was involved. As a result, only two copies of the coupé were ever made.

Both collector cars in the Mercedes-Benz Museum are characterized by their gullwing doors that open upwards and outwards.

“This is arguably the most valuable car in the world, and it is certainly the most valuable car in the book,” said Peter.

Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s by Tim Scott

Ferrari 290 MM, 1956

“This is not only one of the most beautiful Ferraris of all time, but also one of the rarest,” said Peter, describing the 290 MM.

Only four of these cars were ever built. This particular example was driven by the Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1956 Mille Miglia, where the Scuderia Ferrari racing team scored a 1-2-3-4 finish. However, this car finished fourth when it was expected to win.

“Fangio, who is considered the greatest racing driver of all time, failed to deliver on his promise and probably felt like he was abandoning Enzo Ferrari,” said Peter.

Fortunately for Fangio, it and the 290 MM won the World Sports Car Championship later that year.

Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s by Darin Schnabel

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, 1957

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was a controversial car with its deep-seated aerodynamic shape. This lightweight body, however, was key to the car’s competitiveness – it not only reduced drag, but also channeled air to vents that cooled the brakes.

It retained the excellent handling and reliability of the very first Testa Rossa, built the year before, but was fitted with a more powerful V12 engine.

34 of these cars were produced. This particular example was the winner of the “1,000 Kilometers from Buenos Aires” event in 1958, but it is also distinctive for another reason.

“It’s a competitive Testa Rossa, but it’s also the only black one,” revealed Peter. “All Ferraris are red, so it was particularly desirable to include this car in the book because it is unusual in its color.”

Photo by Michael Furman, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Shelby 427 Cobra S / C, 1966

Carroll Shelby had originally planned to drive his 427 Cobra in the 1965 season, but since production was slow, it did not meet the homologation rules that required 100 cars to be built.

As a result, production was discontinued and 29 of the unused competition chassis were repurposed for the 427 Cobra S / C (semi-competition). These road racers retained many of the racing car features including the riveted hood scoop, oil cooler, roll bar, and side exhaust systems.

“If I could have a car in the book, it would probably be this one,” said Peter.

“It’s one of the most powerful, dangerous, visceral street cars you can ever imagine. If you heard this thing, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s a beast.”

This example is one of the few that are still in good shape. According to the authors, most of them were “hammered into the ground” by their owners.

Photo is from Kidston SA

Lamborghini Miura P400 SVJ, 1971

The Miura P400 hit the headlines when it first hit the market in 1965 because of its cross-center-mounted 60 ° V12 engine, which was a huge innovation at the time. It later received a curvaceous body designed by Carrozzeria Bertone.

“There are a lot of people who think that the Lamborghini Miura is the most beautiful supercar ever designed,” said Peter.

The model proved so successful that engineer Bob Wallace was able to convince company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, who is known to be reluctant to produce racing cars, to develop a competition version of the car, the SV.

Although the car never made it onto the track, it caught the attention of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran and avid car collector. Lamborghini built a modified version for Pahlavi, known as the SVJ, which performed better and had a more classy appearance. Another three were also produced, but this one remains the most collectable.

“You can say without a doubt that this is the ultimate Miura,” said Peter.

Photo courtesy of McLaren Automotive by Tim Scott

McLaren F1 LM, 1995

The McLaren F1 is a real super sports car and combines high-tech materials such as carbon fiber and titanium with a central driving position in front of the engine and fuel tank as well as striking butterfly doors.

“The McLaren F1 is still considered to be one of the most important automotive designs in history because of what it represents,” said Peter. “It has set all possible precedents in terms of design and engineering.”

After a racing version of the F1 had occupied four of the five best places at Le Mans in 1995, McLaren developed the LM variant, a road car that, thanks to racing engines and a lighter interior, was more similar to the track car than the original F1.

Only five of these F1 LMs were created, along with a single prototype known as the XP1 LM. This is the example shown here. It has a “Papaya Orange” finish dedicated to Bruce McLaren’s original racing colors.