Pebble Beach once again proves why its the premier location for collector car auctions.
Pebble Beach has long been the setting where collector car legends are made, and this year Gooding Christie’s delivered one for the history books. The 21st annual Pebble Beach Auctions wrapped with more than $128 million in sales, a leap from last year and proof that demand for rare classics is only getting stronger. The moment that had everyone talking was the sale of a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione, which sold for a whopping $25.3 million. That figure not only made it the most expensive Ferrari 250 GT California Spider ever sold at auction but also the most valuable car ever handled by Gooding Christie’s. For anyone following the market, it was one of those sales that set a new benchmark for how high blue-chip Ferraris can soar in value.
New World Auction Records
- Lot 26 – 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione, sold for $25,305,000 (a world record for the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider model, the most valuable car to ever be auctioned by Gooding Christie’s)
- Lot 38 – 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione Series III, sold for $8,145,000 (a world record for the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 model)
- Lot 17 – 2021 RUF CTR Anniversary, sold for $3,140,000 (the first RUF CTR Anniversary to sell at auction)
- Lot 154 – 1898 Panhard-Levassor M4E ‘Course’/Racing Type Paris-Amsterdam ‘Americaine’ Four-Seater, sold for $1,380,000 (a world record for the Panhard-Levassor marque)
- Lot 77 – 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, sold for $1,028,000 (a world record for the Ferrari Dino model)
Ferrari naturally dominated the weekend, with six out of the top ten results bearing the Prancing Horse badge. Beyond the record-setting California Spider Competizione, another 1961 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for $7.55 million, and the very first California Spider ever built, a 1957 Prototipo, went for $7.26 million. A 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione with Le Mans history hit $8.14 million, a new record for the model, while even the Dino joined the million-dollar club thanks to a rare “Chairs and Flares” 246 GTS that sold for just over $1 million. The sale also saw modern icons like a Ferrari F40 that brought $3.8 million and a Bugatti EB110 Super Sport that achieved $2.75 million. Porsche also had strong showings, with a 2017 911 RSR-17 race car at $2.26 million and a Carrera GT selling for $1.65 million.
Adding personality to the mix were cars from well-known collections, including Francis Ford Coppola’s 1948 Tucker 48, which sold for $1.54 million and came with a magnum of Inglenook Rubicon plus an invite to his Napa estate. With 153 lots sold and an 85% sell-through rate, the weekend felt like a celebration of both record-breaking sales and the diversity of automotive history. And with more auctions on the horizon, including the Stan Lucas Collection in September and Paris during Rétromobile in early 2026, this year’s results will likely be the starting point for even more headlines to come.
Photos copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company, LLC