The most expensive Audi we can verify at auction is a 1988 Audi Sport quattro S1 that sold for €2,016,600 (about $2.4 million) at Artcurial in Paris on 5 February 2021. The newest entries are a Sport quattro that made $758,500 in January 2025 and a nearly new R8 that reportedly fetched $283,000 in May 2026. This list ranks individual Audi cars by what buyers paid.
| Rank | Car | Price | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 Sport quattro S1 | €2,016,600 (about $2.4M) | Feb 2021 | Artcurial, Paris |
| 2 | 1985 Sport quattro S1 E2 (RE10) | £1,805,000 (about $2.0M) | Nov 2022 | RM Sotheby’s, London |
| 3 | 1984 Sport quattro | $758,500 | Jan 2025 | RM Sotheby’s, Arizona |
| 4 | 1985 Sport quattro S1 E2 (chassis 018) | €635,000 (about $690,000) | May 2024 | RM Sotheby’s, Monaco |
| 5 | 2018 R8 V10 Plus Competition Package | $283,000 | May 2026 | Online auction (platform not named) |
The top of the list belongs to the rally cars Audi built in the mid-1980s. After that the gap is large: the road-going Sport quattro and a handful of tightly limited R8s. Tuned specials, which headlined our older version of this article, are priced by their builders and not by buyers, so they no longer rank.
1. 1988 Artcurial S1: €2,016,600
This S1 sold at Artcurial’s Group B sale in Paris on 5 February 2021 and set what was then the auction record for a rally car. The estimate was €1.0 to €1.3 million, so it cleared the top figure by a wide margin. It came from the Manoir de l’Automobile museum in France, which received it directly from Audi in 1989. Its closest brush with competition was the first Race of Champions in 1988.
How we valued it: we took the reported price in euros; sources differ slightly on whether fees are included, and the dollar figure is the one commonly reported at the time.
2. 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 (RE10): £1,805,000
RM Sotheby’s sold this works car in London on 5 November 2022, offered from The Gran Turismo Collection. Hannu Mikkola drove it on the 1985 Lombard RAC Rally, where he led from stage 14 until an engine problem ended his rally on stage 22. The listing describes it as highly original and fully restored, with about 550 hp.
How we valued it: we used the sold price shown on the auction house’s lot page; the dollar figure is our rough conversion at the 2022 exchange rate.
3. 1984 Audi Sport quattro: $758,500
RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale, held at the Arizona Biltmore in January 2025, produced the highest recent price for a road-going Sport quattro. The estimate was $375,000 to $475,000. The car was ordered new by Audi Club of North America founder Frank Beddor Jr., his son Steve raced it and set records at the Virginia City Hill Climb, and the family kept it from new until the sale. Nicknamed “The F40 Killer”, it is a short-wheelbase homologation special.
How we valued it: this is the sold price in the auction house’s results release, including buyer’s premium as reported.
4. 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 (chassis 018): €635,000
The 18th of 20 S1 E2 cars built sold at RM Sotheby’s Monaco in May 2024. It was registered in Ingolstadt in February 1986, entered in the 1986 Rallye de Portugal with Walter Röhrl, then sold to Sweden, where it ran in rallycross. It appeared in the Race of Champions in 1989 and 1990 and stayed with a co-founder of that event from 1991 until the sale. Note that the lot page flags that the last digit of the bulkhead chassis stamping was partly altered during rallycross preparation, and the engine block was replaced in 2021.
How we valued it: we used the lot page result; the dollar figure is our rough conversion.
5. 2018 Audi R8 V10 Plus Coupe, Competition Package: $283,000
Our newest entry sold in May 2026, according to a car-news report dated 27 May 2026. It is one of 10 US cars fitted with the factory Competition Package, which added three-way adjustable coilovers, an Alcantara wheel, carbon shift paddles and milled 20-inch wheels. It had 43 miles on the odometer. The window sticker showed $239,900, of which $34,175 was the package, so the sale price sits about $43,000 above original sticker.
How we valued it: we took the reported sale price; the report did not name the auction platform, so we treat it as a single-source figure.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
- January 2025: a 1984 Sport quattro made $758,500 at RM Sotheby’s Arizona, well above its $375,000 to $475,000 estimate.
- May 2026: the 43-mile R8 V10 Plus Competition Package car reportedly made $283,000.
- We found no 2025 or 2026 Audi sale above the 2021 Artcurial result. The 2021 sale remains our top.
Not sold, or result unconfirmed
RE10, the car in entry 2, was previewed again for Bonhams|Cars at Quail in August 2025 with an estimate of £1.3 to £1.7 million. We could not confirm the result, so it does not rank. A 1985 Sport quattro at the Oldtimer Galerie sale in Gstaad in December 2025 carried a CHF 600,000 estimate, and we found no confirmed price.
The most expensive Audi you can order new
Among current Audis, the RS 6 Avant GT is the standout. It was announced with a US starting price of $200,195 including destination, a build of 660 cars worldwide, 85 for the US, and 621 hp. That price comes from reports at its late 2024 launch, so check an Audi dealer for today’s figure.
What drives these prices
- Works history beats condition. Group B cars with a driver and a rally attached outsell better-kept road cars.
- Tiny production. Only 20 S1 E2 cars were built.
- One owner from new. The Arizona car’s continuous family ownership pushed it past its estimate.
- Modern limited editions follow the same rule. The R8 earned about $43,000 over sticker because only 10 exist.
FAQ
What is the most expensive Audi ever sold?
A 1988 Audi Sport quattro S1 sold for €2,016,600, about $2.4 million, at Artcurial in Paris on 5 February 2021.
What is the most expensive Audi road car sold at auction?
Among verified results, a 1984 Sport quattro at $758,500 at RM Sotheby’s Arizona in January 2025.
What was the latest Audi record?
The newest sale on this list is a 2018 R8 V10 Plus Competition Package at a reported $283,000 in May 2026.
What is the most expensive new Audi?
The RS 6 Avant GT, announced at $200,195 in the US.
How many S1 E2 cars were built?
Twenty, according to the auction house’s descriptions of the cars.
Why did the older tuned Audis drop off?
They were builder price tags, not sales, so we no longer rank them.
How we put this list together
We ranked individual Audi cars by verified sale price, using auction results and dated reports of single sales compiled in an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate, conversions are ours unless noted, and they change over time.
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Last updated: October 2026.
