Editor’s Note
Gooding Christie’s 21st Pebble Beach auction has set a new benchmark, with total sales exceeding $128 million. The event was highlighted by a record-breaking $25.3 million sale of a 1961 Ferrari, underscoring the enduring strength and prestige of the high-end collector car market.
Gooding Christie’s has rewritten the history of classic car auctions at its 21st Pebble Beach edition, surpassing $128 million (nearly €110 million) in sales and shattering all expectations with a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione that reached a record-breaking $25.3 million (€21.7 million). A weekend of luxury, impressive records, and generous charitable donations solidifies the robustness of the collector car market.
Gooding Christie’s is at a peak moment. Its latest auction has achieved a record revenue and highlights that the classic car collecting sector is experiencing a golden era. The elite of classic motoring and the world’s wealthiest collectors gathered last weekend in Pebble Beach, where five of the year’s most important auctions converged, hosted by RM Sotheby’s, Bonham’s, Mecum, Broad Arrow, and Gooding Christie’s.
The official auction house of the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance closed its 21st edition with astronomical figures, with nearly €110 million in total sales. The undisputed star, a dazzling 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione, not only set a new record for the house by selling for €21.7 million but also crowned itself as the most expensive Ferrari California Spider ever auctioned.
This year, the pulse of the collector car market beats stronger than ever, with Gooding Christie’s experiencing a 19% increase in its sales compared to the 2024 season. A catalog full of automotive jewels allowed 27 lots to surpass one million dollars, with an average price per sold lot climbing to $847,262 (nearly €728,000), 17% more than in 2024. Of the 153 lots presented during the two-day auction, 85% found a new owner, reaffirming the strength of the market and the good health of the Santa Monica, California-based auction house, which since 2024 has belonged to the British Christie’s.
It is no surprise that Ferrari was the undisputed protagonist of the weekend, claiming six of the ten most expensive lots. Alongside the California Spider Competizione, two other Ferrari California Spiders also changed hands for considerable sums: an elegant 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider in Nocciola over Tobacco sold for $7.55 million (nearly €6.5 million), and the pioneering 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototype, the first California Spider ever built, reached $7,265,000 (€6.24 million).
The legendary brand of the prancing horse also saw other of its models become record pieces. A 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione Series III ex-Le Mans soared to $8,145,000 (€7 million), exceeding all expectations and setting a world record for the model. And what about the 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, which at $1,028,000 (€883,000) became the first Dino in history to surpass one million dollars at auction.
But diversity was also key. The auction not only looked to the glorious past but also to the future with a solid offering of modern supercars. Icons like a low-mileage 1990 Ferrari F40 (which sold for the equivalent of €3,263,934) or a 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport (which reached €2,366,352) demonstrated that buyers increasingly value models from the 90s, which are now the cars whose posters they hung on their bedroom walls.
Naturally, more contemporary but hardly accessible automobiles also enjoy the fervor of collectors. A 2021 RUF CTR Anniversary, the first of its kind to be auctioned, reached $3.14 million (€2.7 million), consolidating Gooding Christie’s idyll with the Alois RUF brand.
This does not prevent pre-war gems from also having their moment of glory. The oldest vehicle of the sale, a 1898 Panhard-Levassor M4E Course/Racing Type Paris-Amsterdam Americaine four-seater sold for €1.19 million, setting a new world record for the Panhard-Levassor brand. Furthermore, a 1952 Jaguar C-Type managed to reach $3,635,000 (€2.9 million), while a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT surpassed €2.74 million.
David Gooding, President of Gooding Christie’s, did not hide his enthusiasm:
Regarding the Ferrari California Spider Competizione, the President of Gooding Christie’s added: