Editor’s Note
The classic car market shows no signs of cooling, as evidenced by a record-breaking auction in Florida where a single Ferrari 288 GTO fetched nearly €8 million. This explosive start to the season suggests collector demand remains at a fever pitch.
The classic car auction season kicked off with a bang on January 17th: in just two hours, the “five Ferraris” (288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari) shattered records at a sale in Florida. The atmosphere left no doubt: the market is hot. Very hot.
The first shockwave: the Ferrari 288 GTO soared to the equivalent of €7.82 million (compared to a previous record of around €4.05 million in 2022). And as if that wasn’t enough, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for the equivalent of €35.42 million. A rolling museum piece: only 36 were produced, and this was the only one to leave the factory in white (“Bianco Speciale”). It was purchased by David Lee, a Ferrari collector and executive at a major Los Angeles jewelry house. His summary was simple:
In total, the sale reached the equivalent of €405.72 million, nearly double last year’s figure… with fewer lots. Analysts are clear: this is not a fluke. It’s a trend. And it’s moving fast—driven by both highly motivated enthusiasts and frankly aggressive investors.
Across three major auction events in January, the total value of classic cars sold surged by approximately 80%, while the volume of listings remained broadly stable. The contrast with the new car market is stark: sales declined at the end of 2025, with modest prospects for 2026, as a cocktail of factors cools buyers (high interest rates, waning confidence, slower job growth, and fading electric vehicle hype). Meanwhile, in the collector market, wallets remain open.
For Lee, the logic is clear:
The US classic car market is projected to reach €25 billion by 2032 (compared to about €6.62 billion in 2018 and €11.59 billion in 2024). Behind the rise: the search for long-term tangible assets and the entire ecosystem professionalizing around it (insurance, storage, restoration, sales platforms).
Another fuel: some high-net-worth individuals are reducing their exposure to assets deemed too volatile (crypto, etc.) and repositioning themselves on ultra-high-end cars. The idea is scarcity + tangibility + the “trophy” effect.
And today, buying, tracking prices, bidding… it’s all in your pocket. Apps, value-tracking tools, and overexposure via social media, streaming, TV, and major events (like F1) continuously fuel the desire for “cool vintage.”
Platforms are benefiting: Bring a Trailer announced the equivalent of €1.56 billion in sales last year (+14.3% over 2024). The message is clear: there is flow, bidding, friction… and therefore, prices.
The push doesn’t just come from buyer attention: auction houses are accelerating their digital shift, optimizing customer journeys, and inventing new approaches to attract and retain clients. Restoration/secondary sale partnerships, clubs with benefits (assistance, early access, insurance discounts): everything is designed for loyalty.
The numbers set the pace: some houses exceed a billion euros annually, others post double-digit growth, and newer players have nearly doubled their volume year-on-year. The market is strengthening, industrializing… but retains a competitive soul.
A 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was sold for the equivalent of €2.88 million at an auction in Arizona.
Growth is primarily driven by “modern classics”: post-1990 supercars from Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren, Bugatti… and even relatively recent Porsches. Radical design, scarcity, a perfect story for YouTube/Instagram/TikTok: supply is limited, attention is infinite, and the auction does the rest.
The market now pays a massive premium for: unique configuration, low mileage, concours condition—especially on modern cars.
Another shift: new blood is arriving. A large portion of bidders and buyers at some sales were first-time participants. And requests for collector car insurance are rising among those under 60. Translation: the average age of the collector is dropping.
Why? Because nostalgia is both an engine and a wallet. People in their 40s and 50s are buying the cars that were on their posters: Ferrari F40, Porsche 959, the “Miami Vice” aesthetic, icons seen in music videos and magazines. It’s emotional… and it ends with a bank transfer.
But there is a second, colder category: those who buy for the curve. A form of “clinical” purchase: the goal is future appreciation, period. And when public sales display stratospheric amounts, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) does the rest.
Following the same logic, specialized investment funds focused on classic cars are also multiplying: the investor doesn’t have the car in their garage, but they can capture part of the upside through a financial structure. Fewer constraints, more “paper,” and exposure to the asset.
