Hundreds of people around the world are into collecting. Some collect works of art, others collect artifacts of bygone centuries, utensils, household items. And there is a special category of collectors, whose passion is rare, unique things, long ago for someone real treasure. It’s hard to believe, but there are individuals who can shell out $1.2 million for a decorative vase for the living room or bathroom window! This is how trade began in antiquity, with a passion for rare and outlandish things – if someone else has a similar rare thing, it can be exchanged for something. And it is human nature to hoard rare things, because they set him apart from the crowd. Human desire and need will never diminish-they have ruled the world from the beginning of history to the present day.
Cars! Men’s greatest passion. So it was in the last century, so it will be in the distant future. Some models, especially vintage bodies of the first half of the twentieth century, have become very popular with the richest collectors of the world, who devoted every free minute to the hunt for a new rare specimen. In order not to drown in the thousands of different models, appearing during the decades of production cars, we decided to select from them 3 of the rarest cars in the world, of which you may never have heard.
Ferrari 250 Gt Spyder Convertible
La Bella Italia! Which means beautiful Italy. Beautiful women, beautiful landscapes, interesting people of all kinds and inimitable style, world-famous cuisine and endless romance. Oh, I almost forgot to mention their magnificent cars, representing the example of quality build throughout the history of their production. You can often see Ferrari cars on the streets of Italian cities, and outside the country, too. And they sell for pounding millions of dollars! But not this model; it does not drive on the same streets as a mere mortal.
The Ferrari 250 GT Spider Convertible was made in the ONLY copy, since all the others were in coupe body after the release of this model. This single production car was purchased by car collector Bob Lee, and is still in his collection to this day. The cost of this unique car today is estimated at $10 million. So, if your last name is Trump or Gates, you have a chance to add the Italian steel stallion to your garage!
1921 Helica De Leyat
Jesus, it’s not a car, is it?! If you pull yourself together and try to look at it technically, you can see that this marvel stands on four cookies. Okay, not cookies, but rims. No, cut the crap, I wouldn’t call those wheels! They have bicycle tires on them. It’s got a decent-sized klaxon that looks more like a horn, sticking out like a horn. In general, its front looks like rear, and from behind the car looks like standing in front. It’s all mixed up in this Frankenstein! It has a huge propeller in the front, like the ones on hovercrafts.
The thing is, it was made in the ’20s. In the very early ’20s. In fact, it is one of the oldest cars surviving, and certainly one of the rarest. Only 30 pieces were produced. These cars were produced in France, and French engineers in those years tried to find a new approach to automobile construction. One of the areas of development was the concept of “airplane without wings”, that is, a car with a propeller engine. A huge rotor propeller at the front was supposed to give the passenger sitting behind the driver the feeling of flying in an airplane. This gigantic propeller pulled the car with it, and people flew along the road as if they were in the sky.
Rolls-Royce 15 Hp
The Rolls-Royce 15 HP is by far the rarest and unique car in the world. Realizing that their car would revolutionize the idea of transportation, Charles Rolls and Hendry Royce launched production of the model that became their pride and the starting point of their brand’s success. Production began in 1904, at the dawn of the twentieth century, when the first sidecars appeared, making a real revolution in transportation since the last century.
Since ancient times, mankind knew no other means of transport than the horse. The maximum of technology was concentrated in the carriage, where the horse was harnessed.
And now, at the dawn of the new century there is a real miracle of technological progress – a carriage that moves itself. Without a horse, contrary to centuries of experience! Can you imagine how exciting it was to organize the production of something like that in that era? Only six Rolls-Royce 15 HPs were produced, and only ONE has survived to this day. The name of the car is formed from the engine power of 15 hp, which by today’s standards looks very modest, if not to say ridiculous. But in those years, such an engine was perceived very differently.
A real beast! Although its design doesn’t look very stylish compared to today’s cars, in those years all cars looked like this. The “last of the Mohicans” Rolls-Royce 15 HP can be seen at car shows around the world. Because of its venerable age, the Rolls-Royce 15 HP no longer has the sales price as previous cars on our list, and is already valuable as a museum piece. But the insurance companies that guard it estimate its value at $35 million.
