WALWORTH, WIS.- The 2013 Mecum Daytime Auction held this past weekend in Monterey, Calif., set a new standard for some of the most desirable cars in the world with the exceptional docket that crossed the block throughout the three-day event. With more than 50 Porsches in the lineup and a host of nearly 700 other investment-grade autos, the auction brought a total of $31,620,748 in sales with the auction headliner, a 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder (Lot S134), gaveling at $3.75 million.

As Chassis No. 550-0077, the 550 proved its headline worthiness emerging as the auction’s top seller. Subsequent to a climactic series of aggressive bidding, the well-documented racer earned the title of most expensive 550 ever sold at auction. The second seat in the top 10 list was claimed off the block by the 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Gulf Race Car (Lot S156) – a back-to-back SCCA B-Production National Champion and the first formally sponsored Corvette champ – at a sale price of $1.4 million. Third on the list to break the million-dollar mark was a one-owner, 500 original-mile 1990 Ferrari F40 (Lot S141), which drew a hefty hammer price of $1,325,000. An additional, truly noteworthy exchange was that of a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S158) that gaveled at a heavy $800,000.

Mecum and high performance go hand-in-hand and the auction house proved it again in Monterey. Perhaps two of the most significant sales of the auction were pure powerhouse cars. A 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot F151), driven less than six miles since new, sold for a whopping $377,500 while another low-mileage car with a few more years under its belt saw a similar result; an original and unrestored, 902 actual-mile 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot F118) sold for $550,000 – more than twice what comparable 429s have sold for at other auctions. Both cars raised the bar for these high-performance autos and stole the spotlight among the auctions’ top 10 sales.

The complete top 10 sales list from the Monterey auction includes (all individual sales reflect hammer prices):

1. 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder (Lot S134) at $3,750,000
2. 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Gulf Race Car (Lot S156) at $1,400,000
3. 1990 Ferrari F40 (Lot S141) at $1,325,000
4. 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Phaeton (Lot S154) at $950,000
5. 1964 Shelby 289 Independent Competition Cobra (Lot S145) at $925,000
6. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S158) at $800,000
7. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot F118) at $550,000
8. 1913 Packard Runabout Model I-38 (Lot S120.1) at $625,000
9. 1963 Porsche 356B Carrera 2 Coupe (Lot S137) at $385,000
10. 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot F151) at $377,500