Tuesday, August 23, 2016

All the Money: The Top 25 Most Expensive Cars Sold at the 2016 Monterey Auctions

It’s impossible to quantify the billions of dollars' worth of cars that are on display during Monterey Car Week, what with the 228 cars featured at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the roughly 550 cars competing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and the assortment of vehicles at various events across the peninsula during the week, whether they be the swanky selection at The Quail, Italian gems, autobahn-going Germans, or even beaters. --The total value of the 719 cars sold in the five live auctions over the course of four days can be calculated, however—$344.9 million. That total is according to Hagerty Insurance, which carefully tracked the sales at each auction house as they happened. Seven cars sold for more than $10 million apiece, greatly skewing the $479,642 average; the median price was a much more palatable $93,500. RM Sotheby’s brought in the most money, tallying up $123.1 million for 85 cars, also besting other auction houses with a $1.45 million average sale price and a $572,000 median. Bonhams had the highest sell-through rate, at 87 percent. Mecum Auctions sold the most cars—306—at an average of $153,880 and a median of $51,975. Gooding & Company only sold 43 cars, but they were choice—Gooding sales make up 11 of the 25 cars on this list. Meanwhile, Russo and Steele only sold one car for more than $1 million, and none of the firm's auction results made this list. See, you don’t necessarily have to have a two-comma checkbook to buy a car at a Monterey auction. But it certainly helps. --These heavy sales totals are actually lower than the totals from the past two years. By Hagerty’s count, the auction houses brought in $428 million with 765 cars in 2014, and in 2015 the total was $397 million for 870 cars. (Here’s a rundown of the top sellers from 2014 and from 2015.) This year’s figures are sure to climb a bit higher, as auction companies close out some deals that couldn’t be completed under the big lights during auction days. In fact, three of the cars on this list—a Ferrari Daytona Spider, a Ferrari 500 Superfast, and a Ford GT40—weren’t included when we recounted the top 10 sellers from each sales day in Monterey—Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Here we bundle the top 25 overall sales from the week.This is the third Ferrari 288GTO sold at Pebble Beach, a bewilderment all to itself. Enzo Ferrari authorized just 200 cars and then added 72 more to serve customers begging to drive his homologated special. Ferrari hand-picked each one, a selection process the company has maintained for all of its top models well after Il Commendatore’s death in 1988. By then, the 288GTO had been out of production for two years and was already well past its $85,000 list. Some things, like the mid-mounted twin-turbo V-8 and the first composite materials on a Ferrari road car, never change.Due to California’s draconian emissions laws, the 288GTO can’t be driven within the state (only 1975 and earlier models skirt the rules). But any other of the 49 states would be happy to register this 288GTO, and not only because this one sold for $2.42 million. Gooding claims this car was serviced exclusively at an independent New York shop since it was new and that even the factory inspection marks are visible. Given the 7938 miles on this 288’s odometer and its relatively low value among classic Ferraris, we hope this car has many thorough workouts in its future. —Cliff AtiyehDesigned by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, the Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona’s good looks and powerful 352-hp 4.4-liter V-12 engine made the 170-mph supercoupe an instant legend. In spite of the coupe’s performance benefits, the 365 Daytona that collectors truly seek is the droptop GTS/4 Spider. Credit the model’s undeniable beauty and extreme rarity. While Ferrari produced just over 1400 365GTB/4 Daytona coupes, it signed off on a mere 121 365GTS/4 Daytona spiders.Originally painted silver with a black interior, chassis no. 16847 is a U.S.-spec car that was initially shipped to Nevada and factory fitted with an air-conditioning system. Over the past 43 years, the droptop Daytona has lived a well-documented, drama-free life. It's equipped with its original powertrain, too. This car's biggest offense is arguably its non-factory red-and-tan color scheme, added in the 1990s. The seller chose to keep the color combination despite recently restoring the rare roadster. Regardless, the car’s rarity appears to have overcome this faux pas, as its sale price of nearly $2.5 million proved to be on the high side of RM Sotheby’s pre-auction estimate.—Greg FinkFerrari’s numbering on its signature V-12 models got lost in the haze of the 1960s. The 1966–1968 330GTS roadster and GTC coupe had nothing to do with the 1963 330 America, itself a renamed 250GTE with the larger 4.0-liter Colombo engine. They also had no relation to the longer, plusher 330GT two-plus-two in 1964. Instead, the 330GTS was a replacement for the 275GTS, as both were based on the shorter-wheelbase 275GTB and were considered to be more comfortable than the GTB yet sportier than the two-plus-two.This silver 1968 model belonged to casino magnate William F. Harrah, who retrofitted a Porsche-style targa roof in the hope that Ferrari would build 20 more. It even appeared on the December 1969 cover of Road & Track, but the factory declined Harrah’s proposal. A collector in Los Angeles restored the convertible roof a couple of years ago. Gooding says the red leather, Borrani wheels, glass, engine, and transmission on this 27,000-mile example are all original.—Cliff AtiyehFerrari’s Superfast series of the 1960s came to include only 36 cars. This is one of them. (An earlier edition of the Superfast was the quickest car we tested in the 1950s.) The car originally was displayed at the 1965 Chicago auto show. After quickly passing through two owners, by 1966 the car found its way into the possession of a Detroit-area doctor, with whom it stayed (including more than 20 years of storage) until recently.It has just 14,075 miles on the odometer and retains its factory-installed 400-hp 5.0-liter V-12. The car was recently repainted in its original Blu Scuro, and its Arancia leather interior is beautifully original. —Rusty BlackwellThis huge Brass Era Mercedes features an appropriately gargantuan 5.3-liter four-cylinder engine making 32 horsepower—and with brakes fitted only at the rear (and drums at that), we’re not sure we’d want much more power. Despite its size, it was remarkably light for its time thanks to the efforts of chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach, and these cars were constructed using the finest materials available. This explains the roughly $7500 asking price in 1904, which would have purchased eight (!) equivalent contemporary Cadillacs.This particular car was certified for delivery by Emil Jellinek—for whose daughter Mercedes the brand was named—on July 24, 1903, and sent on to a buyer in England. It was donated during World War I to the government and ended up being used, likely with different bodywork than original, on the Western Front before retiring to farm use after the war. It stayed on the farm until it was rescued in the 1970s by a fan of Brass Era cars, who then fully restored the car with period-style coachwork. It’s one of the few cars of this vintage with a history that is completely known, and it sold in the middle of its pre-auction estimate range. —Erik JohnsonThis is said to be one of the most original and correct Ford GT40s in existence, having been found left in storage in the mid-1970s with minor body damage and carefully restored to factory spec—a task made easier by the car’s incredibly original condition when it was found.Just one of 31 road-spec cars built, the GT40 was sold with multiple sets of period wheels and a load of original parts, making this quite the buy. Given Ford’s successful return to Le Mans this year, it’s little wonder that Ford GT40s sold well. As if the cars were undesirable before . . .In 1953, North American automobile distributor Stanley H. Arnolt bought five Aston Martin DB2/4 chassis. All were shipped to coachbuilder Carrozzeria Bertone, where three were fitted with a stunning open-topped body penned by Franco Scaglione. Of the trio, two were built to racing specifications, while one was made for roadgoing use—this is that lone car.Equipped with a windshield, bumpers, and a detachable soft top, this vehicle was taken to the 1954 New York auto show in an attempt to convince Aston Martin to produce the two-place Spider. Sadly, Aston didn’t bite, although a show goer did, as the car’s first owner reportedly purchased it directly off the show floor. Over its 60-plus-year life, the one-of-a-kind Aston changed hands a modicum of times. --Last restored in 2004, the car won first in class at the 2004 Aston Martin Owners Club’s Spring Concours in Woburn Abbey, England, and third in class at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.—Greg FinkWho wouldn’t want this slinky Pininfarina-penned gem in their garage? In a sea of red Ferraris, this Nocciola (copper metallic) 275GTB/4 stands out like a Charlie Brown cymbidium orchid in a poppy field. Over the years, only five owners have called this car their own—and only three since 1975—racking up a mere 28,000 miles. ---Experts believe this example to be number 231 of 330 produced in a rather short production window running from 1966 to 1968. As with most of the Ferraris that entered the U.S. during that era, this car was imported by Luigi Chinetti Motors; it was then placed with Bill Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors in Reno, Nevada. Gooding’s pre-auction evaluation drives revealed a particularly well-sorted powertrain, a 3285-cc four-cam V-12 with six Weber 40 DCN carbs and a five-speed manual transaxle.The engine is original, like the rare paint color, the black leather interior, and just about everything else on the car. Last year, this Ferrari was treated to a full service and new Michelin tires on its Borrani wire wheels. It sold on the low end of its presale estimate of $3.2 to $3.6 million, and while that’s still a lot of dough, the chance to get a piece of the finest artisan bruschetta ever baked doesn’t come along every day. We encourage the new owner to follow through on Gooding’s observation that “the minimally used berlinetta is . . . well-suited for vintage tours like the Copperstate 1000.” —Rusty Blackwell and Andrew WendlerThis breathtaking Maserati was the priciest of the seven-figure cars sold on Gooding’s second day. The A6, which officially hit the market in 1947, was Maserati’s first proper roadgoing car. The model line eventually climaxed in the A6G/54 grand tourer, which borrowed many mechanical components from the A6GCS race car. Coachbuilder Frua created bodies for only ten A6G/54 Spiders, and this well-documented beauty is one of them. It has an aluminum-block, twin-cam 2.0-liter inline-six topped by a twin-spark-plug aluminum cylinder head and three Weber carburetors, a combination said to be good for 160 horsepower.The original owner, who had a furniture business in Northern California, enjoyed the car for 12 years before trading it in on a new Oldsmobile or Cadillac in 1969. After sitting in storage for many years, this Maserati was cosmetically restored in the 1980s and was featured at the 1988 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance; it was fully restored in the mid-1990s and today appears to be a phenomenal alternative to those amazing red 1950s Ferraris you may have seen in Monterey. —Rusty BlackwellHow can you tell this Ferrari Enzo apart from the others? We aren’t quite sure, since it’s finished in in classic Ferrari red over a black leather and carbon-fiber interior. Predictably, it also has very few miles—just 2050—and is meticulously documented. So rest easy, Enzo-less masses, since you can at least pooh-pooh this Ferrari’s new owner for having one of the least-distinguished iterations of the most epic road car of all time.Now that we’ve gotten our jealousy out of our systems, let’s analyze the price. At $3.3 million, this Enzo cedes some value ground to its successor, the LaFerrari, one of which sold on Sunday at Monterey for $5,170,000. We’d take either, of course, so who wants to loan us a couple mil?—Alex StoklosaWith a limited production run of just 499 examples and its self-referential moniker, the LaFerrari was born with a carbon-fiber spoon in its mouth. The 963-hp V-12 hybrid powertrain located behind the cabin only reinforced its irreproachable station. It was introduced at the 2013 Geneva auto show, and the entire run was sold out by the time the show came to a close. One of only 120 units officially imported to the United States, this example is claimed to be the first offered up for a public sale.With only 230 miles on its odometer, barely more than the typical Ferrari factory test and pre-delivery miles, this LaFerrari essentially crossed the block as a brand-new vehicle and still carries the balance of its warranty. Given its provenance and the fact that “they are,” as auctioneers are fond of saying, “not making any more,” we wouldn’t have been surprised if the winning bid had gone even higher. —Andrew WendlerThe Bugatti Type 51 is one of the most famous Grand Prix racers of all time, and this is one of the most famous Type 51s. Raced in period by the fifth Earl Howe—who didn’t start competing until 1928, at the age of 44, yet won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years later—this car features the characteristic supercharged, dual-overhead-cam inline-eight engine making between 160 and 180 horsepower. The car initially didn’t hammer as sold, with bids reaching as high as $4.2 million, but it changed hands at its final price after crossing the block.This particular car was raced for four seasons on the GP circuit from 1931 to 1934 before the Earl sold it on; it was involved in a fatal racing accident in 1937 and changed hands just a few times to present (the seller had the car since 1983). The Bugatti has its original chassis and matching-numbers crankcase and rear axle, while the transmission is a period-correct replacement. All that plus the fact that driving luminaries of the time such as Piero Taruffi and Tazio Nuvolari also drove this car, and you begin to understand its seven-figure hammer price. —Erik JohnsonFlorida is known for many things: its crazy, face-eating populace; its Lex Luthor–like governor; and its man-eating wildlife (see: alligators). Due to this, it’s easy to forget that the 27th state is also a bastion for racing. Take Porsche 935 chassis 009 0030, one of the most famous 935s of all with its Hawaiian Tropic livery—it took the checkered flag at both the famed 1981 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1983 12 Hours of Sebring. ---Impressive as those two victories are, arguably this 935’s greatest accomplishment was its second-overall (and first-in-class) finish at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Rolf Stommelen, Dick Barbour, and acting legend Paul Newman each pulled stints behind the 750-hp Porsche’s wheel.After being retired in the late 1980s, chassis 009 0030 was restored to its 1979 Le Mans specifications and livery in the mid-2000s. Since then, it has sat pretty on the lawn of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (where it won “Most Historically Significant Racing Car” in 2007), appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2015, and more.---Between its victories, celebrity connection, and long documented history, it’s no surprise that this rear-engined race car commanded such a high price. —Greg FinkThe first GT40 road car delivered to North America, this Mark I Ford supercar briefly served as a test and validation car for the automaker in Dearborn, Michigan, before being pressed into service as a PR vehicle. (We got a thrill out of testing a later Mark III example in June 1967.)As the face of all things GT40 in the U.S., this model came lavishly equipped; despite being essentially a racing car, it came with air conditioning, luggage boxes, a leather interior, and chassis undercoating. Mecum doesn’t specify whether the family that came to own the car (and keep it for more than 40 years) was upcharged at the dealer for the rustproofing but does note that the sealant did its job, keeping the car fresh and clean for its recent restoration. —Alexander StoklosaThere are a finite number of Ferrari LaFerraris in LaWorld, and despite its being only two years old, it would appear as though the breed has appreciated. A lot, actually, and we’d say a 50 percent gain in value ain’t bad. Then again, Ferraris have never quite been victimized by typical depreciation. Either that, or there’s a lesson here in “having money begets having more money.”In any case, the buyer will get one of only three LaFerraris painted this striking matte-black color (“Nero DS Opaco”) and one that’s practically brand-new with only 211 miles on the odometer. They may also be buying into an appreciating asset, if this auction serves as a template. —Alexander StoklosaThis car was the winner of the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring—for a few hours. Driven by Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby, it eventually was reclassified second after it was determined that the Jaguar D-type of Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters had actually won by some 25 seconds. With Phil Hill at the wheel, it won its next race at the Pebble Beach Road Races and then finished second at Palm Springs before being sold to future racing icon Jim Hall, who was just 20 years old or so at the time. It was then campaigned in 1956 by Shelby and Hall, and it racked up several wins—including Hall’s first-ever victory.The Monza and its 260-hp 3.0-liter four-cylinder raced in a few events the next two years before being put into storage by Hall for nearly 40 years; it was hauled out in the 1990s and restored to racing condition. The car’s new owner also gets some personal proof of its provenance: letters written by Hill and the late Shelby detailing their experiences with Ferrari chassis number 0510 M. —Erik JohnsonColor us surprised by this Ferrari 166MM Berlinetta’s sale price. Not that nearly $5.5 million is chump change, but it’s a good $500,000 less than the minimum sale price Gooding & Company had estimated for this Ferrari with a unique history—and a patina to match.--Starting life as an open-top barchetta, this 166MM was loaned to Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone of the Bertone design family, who raced the car in the 1950 Mille Miglia. There it finished 14th overall and third in class. By 1953, the 2.0-liter V-12 Ferrari gained a closed roof—becoming a berlinetta—designed and installed by Zagato. Sadly, the car eventually found itself at a Detroit used-car lot, where it was traded for a Triumph TR2 and some cash in 1957.It wasn’t long until the original V-12 bit the dust and, as was common for old, tired sports cars, a Chevy small-block was installed under its long hood. By the mid-’60s, the old race car and its dead engine fell into the hands of a University of Alabama student who used the 166MM as a daily driver.--With its original engine brought back to life and once again powering this former race winner, this unrestored Ferrari is a true time capsule—not to mention a great conversation starter. —Greg FinkWith stunning coachwork by Scaglietti, this car was special even when it was new, and it’s the second of just nine in the first run of TdFs. It wears the Tour de France moniker to celebrate the 250GT chassis’s three-year run of dominance at the grueling six-day TdF competition, but it in fact was built before Ferrari won its first such event in 1956.This car ran in the Mille Miglia just five days after being delivered to a Milanese doctor, but it didn’t finish. The doctor kept the car until late 1958, at which point the new owner hired famed rally driver René Trautman to pilot the car, and he secured three first-place finishes (one overall, two in-class) within a week in May 1959. It underwent a few cosmetic updates in period, likely due to some minor crashes, but was restored to its original look after the sellers acquired the car in 2000. There’s no doubt this model belongs on the shortlist for most important Ferraris, and this amazing example’s seven-figure price reflects just that. —Erik JohnsonDesigned by Jean Bugatti and driven by Achille Varzi in the 1932 Mille Miglia, this Bugatti Type 55 roadster went for $10.4 million in Gooding’s Sunday auction, making it one of seven cars sold for more than $10 million in this year’s round of Monterey auctions. Together, those seven comprise nearly a third of the weekend dollar total, Hagerty analyst Jonathan Klinger noted. --It’s a beauty, one of 13 survivors of the 14 Type 55s built with this roadster body style. Gooding’s catalog provided a thorough provenance, tracing its ownership and authenticating its matching-numbers status, but the writeup doesn’t note exactly when it was repainted in this traditional Bugatti blue-and-black scheme. It was red and black and wore race number 102 when the Italian Varzi raced it in the Mille, where it succumbed to a stone that punctured the fuel tank. Records show it went back to the factory, where it was likely used as a personal car by Jean Bugatti, the designer of the coachwork and son of company founder Ettore. Its supercharged twin-cam 2.3-liter straight-eight was the same as that used in the company’s Type 51 Grand Prix cars and rated at 160 horsepower, making for lively performance in the little roadster that weighs less than 1500 pounds.Gooding claimed this sale represented a record for a Bugatti sold at auction. Only once, in 2010, also at a Gooding sale in London, has a Bugatti been reported selling for more at auction—a Type 57 Atlantic, which Gooding now counts as a post-auction sale. The previous record price acknowledged for a Bugatti was way back in 1987, when one of the Royales—the Kellner coupe—hammered at $9.8 million in a Christie’s auction in London. In 2016 dollars, that would be more than $20 million. More directly comparable, needing neither conversion from British pounds nor allowance for time, is the $9.735 million paid for a 1937 Type 57SC Sport Tourer sold at the Bonham’s auction at Amelia Island earlier this year.—Kevin A. WilsonYou may recall a more recent Alfa 8C, but the name has long been in use by the Italian company to denote eight-cylinder power. In this case, the 8C describes a supercharged inline unit—yes, a straight-eight!—sending more than 180 horsepower through a four-speed manual transmission. This particular car’s original engine has been enlarged at some point in its history from the original 2.3 liters of displacement to 2.8. This Monza, number 2311218, is one of approximately 190 8C 2300 chassis built, but not all were racers; many ended up with luxurious touring-car bodies. And even fewer actually were Monzas, a short-wheelbase preparation expressly intended for competition, many of which were built by Scuderia Ferrari before Enzo started his eponymous company. This car, however, came from Alfa’s own factory.This Monza saw many years of competition and remained competitive throughout, participating in hill-climbs and winning its class at events in 1947 and 1948. In 1950, the car made its way from Italy to Venezuela and, in 1952, fell into the hands of an American oil engineer, who shipped it to the United States in 1954. The next change of ownership occurred in 1982, when an Alfa enthusiast bought the car and had it fully restored before racing it in many top-tier vintage events over the next decade. It was sold in 1996 and continued to race in many events. The seller acquired the car in 2010. (For those keeping track, the car has had just four owners in 64 years.) All of these things explain why this 8C 2300 is special on paper, but to look at the beautifully brutal lines of this car is to understand why it also commanded a special price on the auction block.—Erik JohnsonFor enthusiasts of a certain age, the 250GT and its variants are the Ferrari. Many prancing-horse cognoscenti figured this car would hammer at the high end of its $15 million–$18 million estimate, featuring as it does original aluminum Scaglietti coachwork, a verified history including a seventh-overall finish at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a numbers-matching chassis, engine, and four-speed manual transmission. With a selling price of “just” $13,500,000, it appears, depending largely on the number of zeros in your savings account, a buyer got a legendary Ferrari for a pretty good price.Regardless of the transaction price, you can’t put a value on the sweet siren song of a Ferrari V-12, in this case a 2953-cc unit swilling fuel and air through a trio of Weber carburetors to produce an estimated 280 horsepower at a lofty 7000 rpm. Let’s hope the new owner exercises his purchase with the same gusto as Ed Hugus and Augie Pabst—yep, that Pabst—employed at Le Mans in the car back in 1960. —Andrew WendlerDespite there being no public pre-auction estimate, expectations were running high for this Cobra. Why so much hubbub? Because, as the first prototype Cobra built by Carroll Shelby himself back in 1962, this Cobra is perhaps the most original example of all.It started out in life as an A.C. Ace sports car in the U.K. before Shelby took delivery of the car in the United States and stuffed a 260-cubic-inch Ford V-8 into the engine bay, creating chassis number CSX2000 and laying the groundwork for Shelby American’s sports-car legacy. CSX2000 delivered on the hype in Monterey this year, bringing in $13.75 million and setting a new record for an American car sold at auction. —Joseph CapparellaFerraris always make up a significant proportion of top-level auction sales. Two Ferraris, in fact, have topped $30 million at auction: a 250GTO and a 335S Spider. The priciest Ferrari hammered sold at Monterey so far this year is this car. The 250GT California came in several derivations—including the one that starred in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—and they regularly earn eight figures at auction.This car is particularly valuable because it is one of only nine aluminum-bodied long-wheelbase California Spiders and because it saw extensive racing action from 1959 through 1964 in the hands of its original owner, Goodyear tire distributor George Reed. To enhance its track performance, this California was factory-fitted with disc brakes, a competition gearbox, a limited-slip differential, and a 36-gallon fuel tank. Three Weber carburetors help the 3.0-liter V-12 produce roughly 275 horsepower. Ferrari Classiche has certified that this car retains its original chassis, body, engine, gearbox, and rear end, according to Gooding & Company. A “selective cosmetic restoration” was completed in 2011. —Rusty BlackwellIt was clear this restored Alfa would bring big money before the auctions kicked off, and indeed it did. Cobbled together from a rolling chassis and a Touring body that may or may not have actually been original to the car, the Alfa is rare enough and stunning enough for its story to be compelling, rather than stress-inducing, for the buyer.After all, it’s not just any car that sees its frame rails hacked apart to fit a Chevy V-8, its original engine and (potentially) body go missing, and be on the receiving end of a total repaint to then be sold for nearly $20 million. Try that with pretty much anything else. —Alexander StoklosaWith a strong racing pedigree and plenty of historical significance, this gorgeous Jaguar race car was under close watch leading up to this year’s Monterey auctions. With its staggering $21.78 million sale price, it blew past the previous record for a Jaguar sold at auction, which was set by a C-type last year at $13.2 million, and shattered the record for the most expensive British car sold at auction, set by a 1998 McLaren at $13.75 million during last year’s auctions.This D-type, campaigned by the Ecurie Ecosse racing team and driven by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson, won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking home the trophy in a highly charged race that followed the disastrous 1955 Le Mans running in which a horrific crash involving a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR killed more than 80 spectators. (A Jaguar D-type also won that race after the other Mercedes-Benz entries voluntarily withdrew.) Since then, the D-type has been owned by two private collectors and remains in the exact condition in which it raced. —Joseph Capparella
from Car and Driver Blog http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/all-the-money-the-top-25-most-expensive-cars-sold-at-the-2016-monterey-auctions


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