The 10 Most Expensive Cars Sold at Auction During Monterey Car Week

A race car that had its initial purpose for existence eliminated, the Ferrari 288 GTO found a new raison d’être as a limited-edition milestone for Maranello’s production cars. Debuted in 1984 as a competitor in the Group B class of the World Rally Championship, the GTO was a massive hit with brand enthusiasts despite the fact that the category of motorsport it was to compete in had abruptly ended. Don’t be fooled by the fact that, according to Ferrari, only 272 examples were sold. The plan was to make just 200.

This is a Pininfarina-designed muscle car at full flex, brimming with bravado in aesthetics and performance. Its 400 hp, 2.8-liter twin-turbo V-8—with 366 ft lbs of torque—sends the GTO from zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds on its way to 189 mph. As cited in the Mecum profile for the car on offer, those figures made the 288 GTO “the fastest road car ever produced at the time.”

Mecum also mentions in its description that the car on the auction block, chassis No. 54789, spent most of its life to date as part of collections in Germany, but came to the U.S. in 2021 and has since had a mechanical restoration. It sold with approximately 958 miles on the odometer, which certainly factored into it reaching the $11.555 million mark.

This past Saturday, the Ferrari Enzo proved its enduring allure when it hammered for $12.1 million through Mecum Auctions. The successor to the 1990s-era F50, the Enzo debuted in 2002—a year that saw the Prancing Horse trample the rest of the Formula 1 field by winning both the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship titles. Fittingly, the Enzo had Formula 1–derived construction and engineering considerations fueling its development.

Designed by Pininfarina and featuring the use of carbon fiber and aluminum for structural integrity and weight reduction, the Enzo was given a 660 hp, 6.0-liter V-12 engine—with  485 ft lbs of torque—paired with a six-speed transmission managed by paddle shifters. As for performance, the Enzo leaps from zero to 62 mph in 3.65 seconds and lands at a top speed of just less than 217 mph. Keeping it all in control are Brembo’s carbon-ceramic brakes acting on 19-inch wheels wearing Bridgestone Potenza rubber. Adding to this particular Enzo’s enticement factor was the odometer showing only 595 miles on it.

Developed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ferrari, yet released two years prior, the F50 took more than a page from Scuderia Ferrari’s Formula 1 story, it seemingly borrowed volumes. Among the track-focused elements incorporated were aero ground-effect features,  push-rod suspension, and carbon-fiber-monocoque construction. The 520 hp droptop gets its output from a 4.7-liter V-12 mated to a six-speed synchromesh gearbox, enabling the 2,711-pound (dry weight) F50 to fire from zero to 62 mph in 3.87 seconds and top out at 202 mph.

Giving this example’s level of exclusivity more punch is the fact its provenance includes ownership by boxing legend Mike Tyson, and it’s also one of just 55 examples that were intended specifically for export to the United States. As for its originality, Ferrari Classiche certification attests to that, as does the winning bid of $12.105 million.

Not to be outdone, Mecum Auctions also had a Ferrari F50, which ended up being its highest selling lot. This example, another of the 349 made, was one of only 31 to be dressed in the Giallo Modena exterior color scheme. According to Mecum’s profile on the car, it initially left the factory for Switzerland and eventually was sent stateside. As with the F50 represented by RM Sotheby’s, the one from Mecum also has the power-train components and body it was born with.

At the time of sale, there were 7,253 kilometers (4,506 miles) that came with it. Also included were a bespoke luggage set and a size 7.5 pair of Ferrari F50 driving boots. Considering the price of $14.575 million, we would certainly hope those extras were part of the package.

Part of Ferrari’s Icona line, the Daytona SP3 is an 829 hp tribute to Maranello’s sports prototypes of the 1960s. Named in honor of Ferrari’s sweep of podium positions at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona—a decisive response to Ford’s similar victory at Le Mans the previous year—the Daytona SP3 was limited to 600 examples. Soon after the model’s introduction, Robb Report spent time behind its wheel and noted in our coverage: “The most visceral transport back to the days of old-school road racing is the bruising, 6.5-liter V-12, the most powerful naturally aspirated production engine in Ferrari’s history, thundering away a mere hand width or two behind you.”

That power plant, generating 514 ft lbs of torque and with a redline at 9,500 rpm, allows the 3,240-pound (dry weight) Daytona to cover zero to 62 mph in 2.85 seconds on its way to a top speed of 211 mph. The example at the RM Sotheby’s auction, with its litany of extras, had only two owners since it left the factory, and they only put a combined 227 miles on it. Still, the return on that initial investment is staggering when you consider the original model started at $2.2 million. Three years later, this one changed hands for $17.825 million.  

Enzo Ferrari was a long-standing fan of front-engined racers. After all, they had served him well in the 1950s-era of motorsport, but mid-engine configurations were the future. Integral to the transition was Ferrari’s 250 P (prototipo). Largely the brainchild of engineer Mauro Forghieri, it was designed by Pininfarina and bodied by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi. Chassis No. 0810, the one sold through Gooding Christie’s for $18.705 million, was the first on the scene, making its static premiere at Monza and its subsequent racing debut stateside at the 12 Hours of Sebring. There, it was piloted by Lorenzo Bandini, Nino Vacarella, and Willie Mairesse to a second-place finish behind the other only 250 P entered. Later that same year, chassis No. 0810 finished third at Le Mans.

After it left the factory team, this Prancing Horse entered Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) stable, adding an outright victory at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport to its résumé. When its time competing in period had passed, it had a series of collectors take stewardship, the most recent (prior to the new buyer) having carefully maintained the car for the last 38 years.  

The enduring and ever-growing legacy of the Chevrolet Corvette finds few parallels, from its first production car in 1953—delivering 150 hp and selling new for about $3,500—to the 1,064 hp Corvette ZR1 of today, starting at almost $198,000. Along the way, there have been numerous examples of note, but among the most important and prized is the Corvette Grand Sport offered this past week through RM Sotheby’s—one of only five made. The model variant was a proof of concept that surprised even parent company General Motors at the time.

The Grand Sport was conceived to allow the Corvette to be more of a threat to the Shelby Cobra on track, and engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov made that happen. The handful of prototypes went through extreme lightweighting and performance enhancing measures that eventually shaved 1,300 pounds from the weight of a base model ‘Vette, leaving it to tip the scales at 1,900 pounds. It initially competed at Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) races in 1963 while carrying a 377-cubic-inch V-8. That same year, at the Nassau Trophy contest, the car sold by RM Sotheby’s—chassis No. 003—finished second in class, followed by another second-in-class finish at the 1964 12 Hours of Sebring. For the latter, it was piloted by A.J. Foyt and John Cannon.

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Prior to its sale a few days ago, the most recent owner had the car for 23 years, in which time it had a four-year restoration that RM Sotheby’s mentions in its lot description as “well in excess of 4,000 labor hours, and representing an investment approaching $1 million.” That attentive stewardship alone factors into this Corvette’s selling price of $18.705 million.

While automotive visionary Gordon Murray was busy attending Monterey Car Week to globally debut his new S1 from Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, one of his earlier masterworks, a McLaren F1 GTR, was making its own headlines as a star car at auction. The research team at RM Sotheby’s describes this example in the lot description as “the very first 1996-specification McLaren F1 GTR to be built,” and goes on to explain that “only one other Short-Tail “XP” prototype was ever made,” which it mentions was the McLaren F1 that took first overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

Already in the most rarefied of air by its very nature, the car gave bidders even more reason to feel lightheaded. Its bold “96 GTR” livery was also designed by Murray and the vehicle was formerly owned by musician Nick Mason of Pink Floyd fame. Although the final sale price came in under the expected range of more than $35 Million, we’re sure that when the gavel finally dropped, the new owner must have been, at the very least, comfortably numb.

Was it poetic justice? A silencing thunderclap back at the critics? Or just an example of philanthropy at full throttle? Regardless of what can be read into it, an example of Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle shocked the auction market when it sold through RM Sotheby’s for $40 million. And while all proceeds go to the non-profit Ferrari Foundation for education, it’s still a shining moment for a model that received almost nothing but shade when publicly revealed nearly three months ago.

“Ferrari has never been defined by what powers it. It has always been defined by what it makes you feel—that thrill, that sound, that sense of wonder—and that has never changed,” stated Ferrari’s executive chairman, John Elkann, in his opening remarks at the Luce’s global reveal, as Robb Report reported on in May.

At the time, we also quoted Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s chief design officer, who told us: “A well-known technology inevitably evolves towards existing stylistic solutions, while innovations always cause a challenge from the aesthetic point of view of the product.” Indeed its introduction has challenged the perception and acceptance of many, though it’s hard not to be taken by this 1,035 hp four-door EV’s unique Madreperla Semi-Gloss exterior and Perla Le Mans interior, provided by Tailor Made, Ferrari’s customization division. Love it or hate it, the Ferrari Luce has, in this case, proved itself a force for good.

There are cars that carry value based on a provenance rich with motorsport success, and others that serve as milestones for the marque. Occasionally, though, one crosses the auction block presenting both. This 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe is one such car, and the fact that it was the most expensive automobile sold as part of this year’s Monterey Car Week puts an exclamation point on its pedigree.

Carroll Shelby wanted a Ferrari killer, specifically one targeted at the Prancing Horse’s 250 GTO introduced in 1962. Designer Peter Brock penned just the weapon with what became the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, which fired its first shot across Maranello’s bow in 1964. According to Gooding Christie’s, which represented this example, chassis No. CSX2300 was the third of six built, and played a pivotal role in Shelby winning the FIA World Manufacturers’ Championship in 1965. It was later raced in Japan, securing a couple of outright wins, then spent time as a road car before eventually belonging to Carroll Shelby himself for 23 years.

After four other subsequent owners, and participating at such renowned events as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it entered Monterey Car Week with a Gooding Christie’s approximation that it would garner “in excess of $25 million.” Much as the model in general did during its competitive career, chassis No. CSX2300 surpassed expectations. When the hammer fell, it had fetched $42.905 million.