The fastest and most expensive production car in the world is the Bugatti Veyron, whose "cheap" version goes for as little as 1.65 million euros.

When it comes to the most expensive cars of all time, however, nothing quite compares to the classics. Here is a list of the most people have paid for a car, at least on the books.

6th place: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, $8,252,000

The flagship of the pre-war German automotive class is this Mercedes-Benz, developed by outstanding engineer Hans Gustav Rohr and issued only for special orders.

Only 26 of these cars were produced. Among the buyers were such distinguished people as: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering and Hollywood film magnate Jack Warner.

Prior to 2007, this particular car was owned by the boss, "Formula 1" Bernie Ecclestone and was put up for auction by him. The new owner’s name was never disclosed.

5th place: 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Kellner Coupe, $9.7 million

One of the six most luxurious cars of all time is the Bugatti Royale series, first released in 1930.

The car was a whopping 6.4 m long and weighed 3.1 tons. This car came equipped with a giant 12.7-liter eight-cylinder aviation engine producing 300 hp. This behemoth has been said to top out at 160 km/h.

At the time of production, Bugatti could not find a buyer, and during the Second World War the Bugatti family immured the car in the wall of a private house of theirs, so it will not to be found and confiscated by the Nazis. In 1950 it was bought by the famous American racer Briggs Cunningham – for the equivalent of $3,000. Up until 1986 the car was in his own personal museum. After the museum closed (for financial reasons), Cunningham put the car up for auction at Christie’s, where it sold for $9.8 million.

The buyer, Swedish "Real Estate King" Hans Thulin, went broke just three years after the purchase. In 1990, he sold the car, reportedly for $15.7 million, to the Japanese conglomerate Meitec Corporation, which owned it for the next ten years. It is known that in 2001 that the car was sold, and again the price is suspected to be around £10 million. The car was sold at a private auction auction, where it was bought by Bonhams & Brooks, but who now owns Kellner Coupe is unknown.

4th place: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, $10,890,000

In total, there were only 50 Ferrari 250 GTs built with a short wheelbase (SWB) and another 50 built with a long-wheelbase (LWB).

This Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder was put up for auction in May 2008. It was once owned by the American film actor James Coburn, the star of "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape." It was sold to the British radio and TV presenter Chris Evans for almost $11 million.

3rd place: 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, $ 12million

The 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is a legendary racing car. There were only 22 of these models built. The car comes equipped with three-liter V12 engine which is capable of speeds up to 270 km/h.

This car was the top lot of the RM Auctions, held in May 2009 in the small Italian town of Maranello – sacred for any fan of Ferrari. Maranello is the headquarters of the Italian supercar maker.

The auctions final price exceeded all expectations of the organizers: the Testa Rossa was sold for $12.2 million, a record amount at the time in the history of car trading. The names of the seller and the buyer were not disclosed. We only know that the buyer has participated in various international competitions and finished first many times.

2nd place: 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, $17.7 million

Ferrari only issued 36 sports cars titled "250 GTO" from 1962-1963.

The car sports a three-liter V12 engine that is capable of a speeds up to 280 km/h.

This specific car was purchased in May 2010 at the Canadian branch of RM Auctions by famous British radio and TV presenter Chris Evans (remember #4?), the owner of a solid collection of rare cars of this Italian company.

1st place: 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, $38 million

Legendary French company Bugatti, the peak of luxury in the global automotive industry’s 20s and 30s of the last century, was established by Italian Ettore Bugatti – so the right of the French to consider the cars of this brand "theirs" is in dispute between two countries to this day.

Bugatti Type 57SC cars has a 210 hp engine with a maximum speed of 200 km/h. The avant-garde design of Ettore’s son, Jean Bugatti, were made in the workshops of Bugatti in the 30’s of last century.

Only ​​three of the series Type 57SC Atlantic were made. Currently, only two of them have survived with their original equipment. This Sky Blue Bugatti as seen in the photo was made ​​in 1936 by order of the third Baron Victor Rothschild.

Penultimate owner, the famous car collector Peter Williamson, acquired the car in 1971 for $ 59,000. In May 2010 at the Gooding and Company auction, it was sold for $ 38 million – the largest amount ever paid for a car.

The buyer, American businessman and collector of French automobiles, Peter Mullin, put it on public display in the "Mullin Automotive Museum" in Oxnard, California. The second surviving Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, which is black, is in the collection of the famous American fashion designer and fanatical collector of Bugatti cars, Ralph Lauren.