The 10 Most Expensive Cars to Sell During Monterey Car Week
Gooding Christie’s
From August 13 through 17, Northern California’s Monterey Peninsula once again became the annual bellwether for the collector-car market, as the world’s leading auction houses presented masterworks through the automotive ages. The annual sales events also shine the light on emerging trends while reflecting any economic vagaries.
“On the whole, Monterey saw $432.8 million in total sales, good for the second-highest Car Week result of all time,” says Brian Rabold, vice president of Vehicle Intelligence at Hagerty, the classic-car insurer and motoring-lifestyle consortium. “While the top 10 cars sold in Monterey have gotten younger, Ferrari remains on top. The marque continues to be the gold standard for collectors, with eight of the top 10 cars sold coming from Maranello.”
As for the auction houses, RM Sotheby’s represented all but four of the cars on this list, with three being offered through Gooding Christie’s and one from Bonhams. Interestingly, Hagerty reports that the 10 costliest cars spanned the largest swath of time ever represented for that pinnacle group at the Monterey Auctions.
“The overall results and the evolving eras of buyer focus show a healthy, though changing market,” says Rabold. Here are the apex automobiles and how they made out.
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10: 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari—$5.23 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: Karissa Hosek, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s At the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show, Ferrari threw down the gauntlet when it came to exclusivity in output, performance, and price with a model so definitive that it was made the marque’s namesake—the Ferrari LaFerrari. The hypercar boasts 949 hp and 663 ft lbs of torque from the innovative combination of a 6.3-liter V-12 and an electric motor based on the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) from Formula 1. The hybrid power train makes possible a zero-to-60 mph time of 2.4 seconds and a top speed of more than 217 mph.
Only a claimed 499 examples, each starting at $1.3 million, were made and allocated on an invitation-only basis to the automaker’s most important customers. RM Sotheby’s reported in its lot description that the car auctioned in Monterey “was delivered new to the Ming Collection in July 2015,” noting that it “remains in ‘time-capsule’ condition.” And it’s no wonder, as only 54 miles had been put on it.
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9: 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Special Roadster—$5.34 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s One of only two cars on this list to not wear the badge of the Prancing Horse, this prewar machine defines fluidity of form and grace in motion. A blue-chip collectible, the Mercedes-Benz 540 K model line is exemplified by the Special Roadster, bodied by the marque’s own artisans in Sindelfingen and presenting what the auction house mentions is often referred to as that period’s “short-tail, low-door” configuration. It’s propelled by a supercharged 180 hp eight-cylinder engine.
Chassis No. 123702 originally belonged to Arthur Gore, the Viscount of Sudley, and was soon in South Africa. It would eventually find its home in the U.S., where it had a succession of stewards and a place in notable collections. During that time, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1965, again in 1982, when it won the top honor at the world’s most prestigious concours, and another turn at Pebble in 2000 for an exhibition reuniting past Best of Show recipients. Often trumping beauty, rarity is arguably the true calling card of a collectible automobile, and this is among the seven examples of this specifically bodied 500 K Special Roadster to still exist.
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8: 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta—$6.715 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: Abdulla Jaafari, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s Anniversaries are indeed cause for celebration, and Ferrari went all out to commemorate its 70th year as an automaker when it took the wrapping off its LaFerrari Aperta of 2017, the convertible version of its LaFerrari coupe which debuted in 2013. As with its sibling, the 963 hp Aperta—fit with a 6.3-liter V-12 and KERS-based hybridization—was built on a monocoque chassis and, according to Ferrari’s own website, impressively offered “the same drag coefficient, torsional rigidity, and beam stiffness figures” as its fixed-roof counterpart. And if eyebrows raised at the fact that only 499 LaFerarri examples were being made for the marque’s most valued clients, imagine how jaws dropped when that number was reduced to 210 for the Aperta.
In the lot description from RM Sotheby’s, it points out that the car offered in Monterey, chassis No. 232856, “is believed to be one of the final examples constructed,” and, with $113,000 in options, it cost close to $2.3 million when new. After this week’s result, it certainly has yielded a tidy return on that initial investment.
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7: 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototipo—$7.265 Million (Gooding Christie’s)
Image Credit: Gooding Christie’s Gooding Christie’s presented the opportunity to acquire the genesis of greatness when this car from 1957 came up for auction, as it was the initial prototype for the automotive manifestation of la dolce vita—the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider. The model was the collective brainchild of stateside Ferrari importers Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, who both new a refined droptop grand tourer would seduce the Golden State’s glitterati.
Chassis No. 0769 GT was given a 2,953 cc tipo 128C V-12, making about 217 hp, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox—all covered in coachwork by Scaglietti. Per the research done by the auction house and included in its lot description, the car was “completed on December 16, 1957, six months before the first production California Spiders.” It ended up being used as the poster-car of sorts, featuring prominently in Ferrari’s marketing materials. Gooding Christie’s cites eight owners in its history, two race wins (the Puerto Rico Festival Race and Antilles de Diego Trophy, both in 1961), and numerous concours accolades. The latter include a class win at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an honorable mention at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and class win at the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Concours that same year. It ended up selling for $235,000 below its low-end estimate.
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6: 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione—$8.145 Million (Gooding Christie’s)
Image Credit: Gooding Christie’s Given its nickname in honor of Ferrari’s podium sweep at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, payback for the marque’s crushing defeat in the same fashion by Ford at Le Mans earlier that year, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona was a motorsport tour de force in its heyday. “It won the Tour de France outright in 1972, took first in class at Le Mans from 1972 to 1974—with top-10 finishes overall—and was successfully campaigned at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring through the late 1970s,” David Brynan, senior specialist at Gooding Christie’s, stated to Robb Report for our preview coverage of the car last month.
One of only 15 produced by Ferrari, and among the five examples of the Series III, chassis No. 16407 was entered by Ferrari’s North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) in the 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans, but was forced to retire from the race. It did however, go on to compete in three other editions of Le Mans, and three different outings at the 24 Hours of Daytona. It was at the latter that it took second place overall in 1979.
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5: 2020 Bugatti Divo—$8,557,500 (Bonhams)
Image Credit: Bonhams|Cars When the Bugatti Divo debuted in at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering in 2018, it was presented as the more agile sibling to the Chiron. Fittingly, it was also the more elusive, as only 40 examples were made. Although its emphasis is more on lateral dynamics than straight-line bravado, the 1,500 hp Divo—with its 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16 engine delivering 1,118 ft lbs of torque—can still dart to 236 mph. Yet it also has 1,005 pounds of downforce and lateral acceleration producing 1.6 g. Such fine-tuning helped the Divo dominate the Chiron by eight seconds at the Nardò circuit in Italy.
This example had previously been showcased in the “Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme” exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum from December of 2021 until May of 2023. When it appeared at auction on August 15, it was the only time the model had been offered publicly to date. And despite having a high-end estimate of $9 million, it surprisingly had no reserve.
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4: 1995 Ferrari F50—$9.245 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: Jorge Guasso, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s Robb Report was privileged to help break the news that this special machine would be offered through RM Sotheby’s during this year’s Monterey Car Week. And what a lot it was; a 1995 Ferrari F50 originally purchased by fashion-house titan Ralph Lauren, one of the 349 production examples made. As we mentioned previously, “The removable-hardtop convertible took more than inspiration from Scuderia Ferrari’s winning legacy in motorsport, it integrated tech from those same race cars of the period.”
Under Pininfarina’s composite body is a monocoque chassis and a 520 hp, naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V-12 mated to a six-speed synchromesh gearbox. With that setup, the 2,711-pound (dry weight) F50 fires from zero to 62 mph in 3.87 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 mph. In the eight years that Lauren owned this vehicle, which is one of only two stateside specifications appearing in Giallo Modena, a total of 3,300 miles were put on it. It had been with the consigning couple since 2003, and reported to have last been seen publicly in 2009. With 5,400 miles on the odometer at the time of sale, this already exclusive F50 has provenance to match, as evidenced by the fact that it fetched $1.745 million over its high-end estimate.
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3: 1993 Ferrari F40 LM GTC—$11.005 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: RM Sotheby’s What began as an homage to Ferrari’s four-decades of existence as a marque, the F40 supercar has gone on to become one of the most coveted models from not just Maranello but any manufacturer, ever. Initially produced with a 478 hp, twin-turbo V-8, a competition version was created by Giuliano Michelotto and his independent team of race-focused experts. Michelotto had entry in Le Mans as the goal (hence the “LM” moniker) and, at first, boosted the engine to 720 hp. This was accompanied by modifications that included a reduced ride height, larger disc brakes, an adjustable rear wing, and enhancements for improved cooling.
Among the 19 LM examples made, the “GTC” variant upped the ante with a 760 hp mill, which brings us to the car sold through RM Sotheby’s. The 14th F40 LM made, it first was sold to collector Walter Hagmann in Switzerland, and has subsequently changed hands numerous times. This year, the current consignor entered the Ferrari Classiche–certified F40 LM at ModaMiami, where it took top honors in its class.
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2: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Competizione Alloy Spider—$25.305 Million (Gooding Christie’s)
Image Credit: Gooding Christie’s Proving to be benchmarks in both motorsport and recreational touring during the middle of last century, Maranello’s 250 model line comprises among the most coveted cars on the planet to this day. Introduced at the 1959 Paris Salon de l’Automobile, the short-wheelbase (SWB) version of the 250 GT also debuted the model’s use of disc brakes and tubular shocks, among other refinements.
In 1961, Ferrari built 56 examples of what has become, for many, the definitive convertible—the 250 GT California Spider. Of those, three were dressed in aluminum, two of which left the factory in race-spec, including chassis No. 2383 GT. It’s hard to take your eyes off this roadster—with a removable hardtop roof—bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti and featuring an exterior painted Grigio Argento complemented by blue leather inside. With its muscle coming from a 280 hp, 2,953 cc tipo 168 V-12 engine, the car was initially owned and raced by businessman Ernst Lautenschlager, who competed with it throughout Germany. According to the Gooding Christie’s lot description, it has been “in three major Ferrari collections since 1968.” Boasting the same chassis, engine, body, and gearbox it had when built, it’s character and condition are reflected in the $23.305 million it garnered through Gooding Christie’s.
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1: 2025 Ferrari Daytona SP3 ‘Tailor Made’—$26 Million (RM Sotheby’s)
Image Credit: RM Sotheby’s A visceral time machine back to “the golden age of Maranello” was how we felt about the Ferrari Daytona SP3 when Robb Report was invited to drive it through Belgium in 2022. The third model release in the marque’s extremely limited-edition Icona series, the Daytona SP3 pays tribute to Ferrari’s 1960s-era motorsport prototypes, especially the 330 P3/P4, the Can-Am, and 512 S. The model is fit with a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 delivering 828 hp and 514 ft lbs of torque. With that output managed by a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the car covers zero to 62 mph in 2.85 seconds and tops out at 211 mph.
The example that crossed the auction block through RM Sotheby’s was not part of the original 599 produced and spoken for, each starting at $2.2 million. This one showcases the artistry of Ferrari’s Tailor Made customization division, and presents a split personality in its color scheme—one side of the car in Giallo Modena and the other dressed in exposed carbon fiber. Total proceeds of the sale have been earmarked for the Ferrari Foundation, which is devoted to “educational initiatives,” according to the auction house. Regarding Ferrari’s charity, RM Sotheby’s mentioned: “Their most recent project has been a collaboration with Save the Children, whereby Ferrari made a significant contribution to help rebuild the Aveson Charter School in Altadena, California, whose campus was tragically destroyed by the Eaton Wildfire earlier this year.” The philanthropic component helped drive bidding to the $26 million mark, the most any car was hammered for this year in Monterey.
Authors
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Viju Mathew
