The most expensive muscle car ever sold at auction is Steve McQueen’s 1968 Bullitt Mustang GT, which made $3.74 million including fees at Mecum Kissimmee in January 2020. Two Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles, a Hemi Daytona and a Shelby GT350R follow, with the newest result a $3.3 million Hemi ‘Cuda in January 2026. This list ranks the ten highest verified muscle car sales we found, as of October 2026.
We count American V8 muscle and pony cars, including Shelby Mustangs. We leave out Cobras and Corvettes, which most collectors file as sports cars.
| Rank | Car | Price (USD) | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1968 Ford Mustang GT, the Bullitt car | $3,740,000 | January 2020 | Mecum, Kissimmee, Florida |
| 2 | The 2014 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible | $3,500,000 | June 2014 | Mecum |
| 3 | 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi | $3,360,000 | August 2024 | Mecum, Monterey |
| 4 | Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible, Kissimmee 2026 | $3,300,000 | January 2026 | Mecum, Kissimmee |
| 5 | 1965 Shelby GT350R | $2,750,000 | May 2026 | Mecum, Indianapolis |
| 6 | 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible, Lemon Twist | $2,530,000 | August 2024 | Mecum, Monterey |
| 7 | 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake | $2,200,000 | January 2019 | Mecum, Kissimmee |
| 8 | 1969 Yenko Camaro prototype | $1,815,000 | January 2026 | Mecum, Kissimmee |
| 9 | 1970 Plymouth Superbird 426 Hemi | $1,650,000 | 2022 | Barrett-Jackson |
| 10 | 1969 Chevrolet Camaro COPO ZL1 | $1,430,000 | May 2026 | Mecum, Indianapolis |
1. 1968 Ford Mustang GT, the Bullitt car: $3,740,000
The Highland Green Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt, consigned by the family that had owned it since 1974. It sold for $3.74 million including fees, on a hammer price of about $3.4 million, and beat the previous Mustang auction high, a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake at $2.2 million the year before.
Basis: total with fees, as the auction house reported it.
2. The 2014 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible: $3,500,000
A matching-numbers car with the original 426 Hemi V8 and a four-speed manual, billed then as the most expensive Plymouth convertible sold at auction. Very few Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles were built for 1971, which is most of the story of the price.
The 2014 figure is as reported, and sources do not say whether fees are included.
3. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi: $3,360,000
The most highly optioned Hemi Daytona known. Dodge built 503 Daytonas for NASCAR homologation, but only 70 got the 426 Hemi, and 22 of those had a four-speed. It was the first Daytona past both $2 million and $3 million.
Basis: $3.3 million hammer, about $3.36 million with fees.
4. Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible, Kissimmee 2026: $3,300,000
A fully restored, numbers-matching 426 Street Hemi car that sold in January 2026, the top muscle car result we found for the year. Sources disagree on its transmission, so we leave it out.
Reported January 2026 figure, with no fee detail.
5. 1965 Shelby GT350R: $2,750,000
A race-spec R model, one of 34 built, owned and raced by the same man for 21 years and fitted with a 289 V8 rated at 325 hp. It sold for $2.75 million without setting a record for its type.
The Indy 2026 result is as reported, fees not stated.
6. 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda convertible, Lemon Twist: $2,530,000
One of 14 Hemi convertibles built for 1970. It sold for $2.14 million in January 2024, then fetched $2.53 million in August of the same year, an increase of about $400,000 in seven months.
Basis: hammer price, about $2.58 million with fees.
7. 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake: $2,200,000
A one-off test mule for Goodyear’s Thunderbolt tire with a 520 hp engine. It had sold for $1.3 million in 2013, so the 2019 price was a rise of about 70 percent in six years.
Reported figure from the January 2019 sale.
8. 1969 Yenko Camaro prototype: $1,815,000
The pilot test car for Don Yenko’s Camaro program, with a factory 427 L72 V8. It set a new auction benchmark for a 1969 Camaro.
Mecum Kissimmee result, January 2026.
9. 1970 Plymouth Superbird 426 Hemi: $1,650,000
An all-original Superbird with the 426 Hemi, the rarest configuration of the winged car. The date and venue come from one source, so treat them as approximate.
Reported by a single source, so treat it as approximate.
10. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro COPO ZL1: $1,430,000
Dusk Blue, one of 69 with the all-aluminium 427, and one of two delivered to Fred Gibb Chevrolet on New Year’s Eve 1968. It broke the previous Camaro ZL1 record of $1.09 million set in 2020.
Indy 2026 result as reported.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
- May 2025: a 1970 Boss 429 Mustang in Calypso Coral made $627,000 at Mecum Indianapolis.
- January 2026: a 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible sold for $3.3 million and the Yenko Camaro prototype for $1.815 million at Mecum Kissimmee. A 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi convertible made $770,000 there.
- May 2026, Mecum Indianapolis: a 1969 Camaro ZL1 at $1.43 million beat the 2020 ZL1 record of $1.09 million. A 1965 Shelby GT350 made $1.1 million, the first regular GT350 past a million dollars, and Boss 429 Mustangs reached $660,000 for both the 1969 and 1970 models. A 1971 Hemi GTX made $539,000, the most for a GTX.
What drives these prices
- Tiny production. Almost every car here is one of a few dozen, such as 69 ZL1s or 14 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles of 1970.
- Hemi and big-block engines. The factory engine option decides which of two identical bodies is worth ten times more.
- Documentation. Build sheets, original window stickers and matching numbers can move a price by hundreds of thousands.
- Celebrity and story. The Bullitt car’s film history made it the one exception that is worth more than its spec sheet.
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What is the most expensive muscle car ever sold at auction?
The 1968 Mustang GT from Bullitt, which sold for $3.74 million including fees at Mecum Kissimmee in January 2020. We count American V8 muscle and pony cars, not Cobras or Corvettes.
What about the Shelby Cobra that sold for $13.75 million?
The 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX2000 sold at RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in August 2016 for $13.75 million, but we treat it as a sports car, not a muscle car.
What is the most expensive Hemi ‘Cuda?
A 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible sold for a reported $3.5 million in 2014, and another made $3.3 million at Mecum Kissimmee in January 2026.
What is the most expensive Camaro?
The 1969 Yenko Camaro prototype at $1.815 million in January 2026 is the highest we found, and a ZL1 made $1.43 million at Indy in May 2026.
What did a Boss 429 Mustang sell for recently?
At Mecum Indy 2026, two Boss 429 Mustangs sold for $660,000 each, and a 1970 example made $627,000 at Indy in May 2025.
How much do muscle cars sell for at normal auctions?
Most mainstream results are well under $200,000. At Mecum Monterey 2026 the top Mustang Boss 429 made $506,000, while a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Six Pack made $137,500.
How we put this list together
We ranked cars by reported sale price, noting hammer versus total with fees where the auction house stated it, using results from Mecum and Barrett-Jackson compiled in an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate and change over time.
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Last updated: October 2026.
