2017 Monterey Classic Auction Recap

By: Unique Cars magazine

Date: 18.10.2017

High Rollers pay high dollars for highly collectible metal

The Monterey Classic car auctions are done and dusted for another year with cashed up car lovers spending more than USD$327 million for 1277 cars, over four days with six auction houses.

While this was slightly down on the previous year, the larger and most publicised consignments sold successfully.

According to organisers, while there were high hopes leading up to the event, the optimism was mixed with an element of tempered expectations in the market.

There were also fewer seven and eight figure cars being offered compared to the previous year.

However, the high-end proved buoyant with cars over $250k recording the highest sell-through rate. The quality of the cars on offer was also considered superior to 2016.

Looking at the decades, cars from the 1980s and 1990s performed the best across the auctions.

Standout cars from this era included a 1991 Ferrari F40 that fetched $1.54M and a 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster that sold for $297,000.

Supercars delivered mixed results with a record-setting $15.62M for a 1995 McLaren F1 and on the flip side, a 1988 Porsche 959 sold for $1.056M, around $250,000 less than it brought last year.

Generally speaking, 911 Porsches from 1964-68 fell short of expectations and Turbo 930 prices were soft.

Equally Mercedes-Benz 190SLs, 1954-63 300SLs and even 380SLs from the 80s all fell short of what the industry termed ‘condition-appropriate’ prices.

Overall top-tier cars sold well while entry-level stock was slower off the blocks.

OVERALL TOP TEN MONTEREY PRICES

$22,550,000 — 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 (1959 Nürburgring 1000km winner)
$15,620,000 — 1995 McLaren F1 coupe (a new record)
$14,200,000 — 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C
$14,080,000 — 1970 Porsche 917, Le Mans racer
$8,305,000 — 1961 250 GT SWB
$8,000,000 — 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Roadster
$6,765,000 — 1959 Aston Martin DB4GT prototype coupe
$5,720,000 — 1955 Ferrari 121 LM Spider
$5,335,000 — 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III coupe
$4,840,000 — 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SI Cabriolet

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS

$3,795,000 — 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari
$2,750,000 — 1958 BMW 507 Roadster
$2,585,000 — 2015 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Coupe
$1,677,500 — 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
$1,083,500 — 2004 Porsche Carrera GT coupe.

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