PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF.- Collector car market leader and official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance® Gooding Christie's concluded one of its highest-grossing auctions to date this past weekend at Pebble Beach, realizing over $128 million in total sales. This year's results saw a 19% increase in total sales compared to last year's figures, undoubtedly due to the higher volume of big-ticket blue-chip offerings spanning the exceptional catalogue, led by the top lot of the sale, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione. Selling for $25,305,000, the California Spider Competizione set a new record as the most valuable car to ever be auctioned by Gooding Christie's, as well as the most valuable Ferrari 250 GT California Spider to ever sell at auction by a margin of nearly $7 million. Throughout the course of the two-day sale, Gooding Christie's sold 153 lots, achieving a sell-through rate of 85%. 27 lots sold for over $1 million, and the average price per lot sold was $847,262, a 17% increase from the average price per lot sold at the same venue in 2024.
Ferrari represented a significant portion of the robust catalogue, accounting for six out of the top 10 lots. The record-setting California Spider Competizione was joined by two additional California Spiders, which all found new homes throughout the course of the weekend: the beautiful Nocciola over Tobacco 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for $7,550,000, and the 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototipo, the very first California Spider built, sold for $7,265,000. Gooding Christie's set additional auction records for important models of the Prancing Horse name, including a new world record at auction for the 365 GTB/4 model with the ex-Le Mans, N.A.R.T.-liveried 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione Series III, which achieved $8,145,000. The auction house also sold the very first million dollar Dino this past weekend: the Chairs and Flares 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS achieved $1,028,000 on the auction block. Additionally, the Touring-bodied 1950 Ferrari 166 MM/195 S Berlinetta Le Mans delivered new to Briggs Cunningham was sold immediately post auction for an undisclosed figure.
Gooding Christie's also offered a strong roster of modern supercars, especially featuring time-capsule, low-mileage automotive icons such as the 1990 Ferrari F40, which sold for $3,800,000, and the 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, which sold for $2,755,000. Building upon a tradition of consistently setting notable records for the RUF marque, Gooding Christie's sold the very first RUF CTR Anniversary at auction, achieving $3,140,000 for the 2021 example on offer. The Coca-Cola liveried 2017 Porsche 911 RSR-17 also performed well, achieving $2,260,000, as did the no-reserve 2005 Porsche Carrera GT from the Bethel Collection, which sold for $1,655,000.
Prewar offerings ranging from Victorian-era race cars to Bugatti's and Bentley's most venerable creations of the 1920s and 1930s also graced the catalogue, emblematic of the diversity and range represented at Pebble Beach. The oldest car offered in the sale, the 1898 Panhard-Levassor M4E 'Course'/Racing Type Paris-Amsterdam 'Americaine' Four-Seater, sold for $1,380,000, effectively setting a new world record at auction for the Panhard-Levassor marque. The Pebble Beach First-in-Class winning 1929 Bentley Speed Six Drophead Coupe bodied by Saoutchik achieved an impressive $2,150,000.
In typical fashion, blue-chip selections from the 1950s and 1960s bode well, including the 1952 Jaguar C-Type, which sold for a remarkable $3,635,000, and the 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT, which sold for $3,195,000. All three offerings from Mercedes-Benz's classic 300 SL line also sold on the block for strong figures: the late-production 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster went for $2,150,000, the unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold for $1,572,500, and the 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster achieved $1,545,000. Additionally, the Bleu over Senape 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 went for $1,765,000, and the extremely desirable, beautifully restored 1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 'Interim' achieved a near-record price of $885,000.
Gooding Christie's was proud to offer selections from notable collections, including those of famed Hollywood director and legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and late enthusiast Brian Pollock. Also presented were no-reserve offerings from the Bethel Collection, a private assemblage of cars based in Dallas, Texas. The top lot of the Francis Ford Coppola Collection was the 1948 Tucker 48, which sold for $1,545,000, offered with a magnum bottle of Inglenook Rubicon wine, along with an invitation to the Coppola family's historic Inglenook estate in Rutherford, California for a private tour and wine tasting.
The tremendous, record-breaking results of our 2025 Pebble Beach Auctions stand as a testament to what Gooding Christie's never fails to do at this spectacular venue year after year in selling the world's greatest collector cars to a dedicated and loyal network of the most esteemed clientele, said Gooding Christie's President, David Gooding. Throughout my years in the auction industry, we have offered and sold incredible cars, but few can compare to the Ferrari California Spider Competizione, chassis 2383 GT, which set a new record for the Gooding team by surpassing $25 million on the very auction block where we've set countless world records in years prior. We are incredibly proud of this milestone, achieved among several other major records, all which took place at our first official sale under the newly formed Gooding Christie's brand.
"Not only did this sale culminate in the most expensive car sold by Gooding Christie's and team, but the California Spider Competizione also set a personal record for me," said Charlie Ross, Gooding Christie's Principal Auctioneer. "The eventual buyer certainly gave a lesson in how to buy a car at auction......decisive, firm, clear and FAST!"