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The world's most expensive car was built by Boeing and had a top speed of 8mph

  • This is the world’s most expensive car
  • It was built for a specific purpose, on a specific type of surface
  • It costs the same as 100 Bugatti Veyrons

Published on May 19, 2025 at 12:12 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis

Last updated on May 19, 2025 at 12:12 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

The world’s most expensive car is not a Bugatti or a Koenigsegg, it was actually built by Boeing.

It’s electric, it has a top speed of just eight miles per hour, and only four were ever built.

Yet, it costs the same as 10 Bugatti Veyrons.

Of course, there’s a reason for that.

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Technically, this car has done at least 238,855 miles, because according to NASA, that’s the distance between Earth and the Moon.

This is because the world’s most expensive car is a lunar rover built in the 1970s.

Its official name was LRV (Lunar Roving Vehicle), but everyone calls it Moon Buggy

Some might argue that a lunar vehicle can’t be the world’s most expensive car but, after all, it has an engine and four wheels and you sort of drive it like a car.

world's most expensive car Bugatti NASA Moon Buggy Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV
NASA

Several LRVs have been used through the years, but this one is the most expensive.

It’s also quite rare, considering only four units were built, one of which will remain stranded somewhere on the Moon’s surface for the rest of time, along with a photograph one of the astronauts left behind.

world's most expensive car Bugatti NASA Moon Buggy Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV
NASA/J.L.Pickering/Wikipedia Commons

It was made by General Motors and Boeing for NASA’s Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions between 1971 and 1972.

The LRV was designed to withstand reduced gravity in space, wild temperature swings and rough terrain, which is why it was also fitted with bespoke tires (bespoke moon tires are still being today).

But, even so, it still only weighs less than 500 pounds, a lot lighter than a Caterham or a Lotus Elise.

Interestingly, this Moon Buggy used a similar layout as several EVs in 2025.

It was powered by four independent electric motors – one for each wheel, and this is a solution adopted by many EV manufacturers today.

Boeing NASA Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV
NASA

The price of the Lunar Roving Vehicle is truly shocking.

The Moon Buggy cost around $38 million to build.

That’s $280+ million in today’s money when adjusted for inflation.

You could buy quite a supercar collection with that kind of cash – although they wouldn’t be much use to you on the moon.

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Experienced content creator with a strong focus on cars and watches. Alessandro penned the first-ever post on the Supercar Blondie website and covers cars, watches, yachts, real estate and crypto. Former DriveTribe writer, fixed gear bike owner, obsessed with ducks for some reason.