Car Week Special - Auctions

2025 was the year of re-writing the record books. One of the best ways to escape the busy crowds of 17-mile and Ocean Ave, while still surrounding yourself with hundreds of collector vehicles, the Car Week auction houses are a must-see for anyone. It is a universal feeling of excitement when cars are being sold for millions of dollars right in front of you.

RM Sotheby's

Held at the Monterey Conference Center, the leading auctioneer for collector cars was no exception to large sales. With fourteen new auction highs, this was headlined with a one-off Ferrari Daytona SP3 'Tailor-Made' becoming the most valuable new car ever sold at auction ($26 million). Ferrari lead the way: the F40 LM reaching $11 million, Ralph Lauren's old one-of-two US Spec 1995 Ferrari F50 finished in Giallo Modena selling at $9.2 million, and new records for the 599 GTO, 512 TR, and F512 M. Porsche and RUF enthusiasts also saw the CTR Anniversary, GT3 RS 4.0, and the Lanzante TAG Turbo set new peaks.

RM Sotheby's $165.3 million in sales, on an 87% sell-through rate, were the largest totals for auction houses this Car Week. 37 cars surpassed the million-dollar mark, six reached $5 million, and two sold for over $10 million. The two nights of excitement amounted 1,411 total bidders from across 46 different countries - a prime example of the worldwide love for the automobile. Even in the biggest of crowds, you can run into hometown friends. It's a small world indeed.

Gooding Christie's

The official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Gooding Christie's hosted another esteemed display at this year's Pebble Beach auctions. With the highest-grossing auction to date, $128 million in total sales were made with a sell-through rate of 85%. 27 lots were sold for over $1 million. The average sale per lot was $847,262 and a 17% increase from the year prior.

The largest of these sales was the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione ($25,305,000). This was followed by a handful of other collector Ferraris, including a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione Series III ($8,145,000), 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider ($7,550,000), 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototipo ($7,265,000), 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta ($4,850,000), and a 1990 Ferrari F40 ($3,800,000).

Bonhams

The Quail Auction, set across from one of the most anticipated events of the week, always draws a large crowd on Friday when the preview ends and the sales begin. More than 700 attendees filled the salesroom for fierce bidding wars, amounting to $44.7 million at a 96% sell-through rate.

This year’s no-reserve collection of 24 modern supercars was the headline of excitement for the auction house. The 2020 Bugatti Divo was the largest sale at $8,557,500. This was followed by a 2023 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport ($4,460,000), 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport ($3,965,000), and a 2022 Apollo Intensa Emozione “Ocean Dragon” ($3,442,500).

Broad Arrow

Set aside the sold-out Motorlux party at the Monterey Jet Center, the Broad Arrow auction house broke eight records, amounted a total of $57.4 million in total sales, and closed out 80% of all lots. This was largely attributed to highest bidder registration to date - do you think the party had anything to do with that?

The star of the show was the most valuable modern Maserati sold at auction, the 2005 Maserati MC12 Stradale ($5,202,500). This was followed with the largest sale of the 2008 Koenigsegg CCXR ($3,222,500), 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Prototype "Stealth" ($1,022,500) - the largest sale for any non-Stirling Moss Edition SLR, and a 2017 Dodge Viper GTC ACR Extreme Aero Package ($406,500).

Mecum

After starting Car Week with a net 66 at the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi, our team member was ready to return and view the available lots for this year's auction at the Hyatt on Del Monte.

Top honors went to a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, crossing the block at $1.98M. Not far behind, a Mercedes 300SL duo brought classic heat — $1.65M for the Gullwing and $1.48M for the Roadster. Rounding out the leaderboard: a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight at $1.045M, and a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition at $891K.

A display was made for one of the most-valuable vehicles on the entire peninsula. Seeing a 250GTO - even during car week - is always a treat. Chassis 3729GT was on display, standing apart as the only factory-delivered white GTO out of the 36 examples built from 1962–64. Raced by icons like Graham Hill, Jack Sears, and Mike Parkes, this car carries serious weight in both provenance and presence. Stay tuned for the Kissimmee, FL auction in January and the huge sale to kick off the New Year!

Making art and showing our perspective to the world is far more than a job, but a deep passion. We are just as grateful for the car owners at the weekend cars & coffee events, as any inquiries you send. The media allows us to constantly reminisce of peaceful, petrol-filled mornings. We hope that you can join us and see where the road leads.