2020 Gooding Amelia Island Sale (Ferrari California Spider Announcement)

Gooding announced a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider as the lead car for the Amelia Island 2020 classic car auction.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider on offer at Gooding Amelia Island 2020 — © Gooding

Gooding & Company announced a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider (Estimate: $9,000,000 – $11,000,000) to headline its Amelia Island classic car auction in Florida, USA, on March 6, 2020. This car was the 7th long-wheelbase California Spider built and features the desirable covered headlights and a very rare factory hardtop.

Gooding Amelia Island 2020 Auction

1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Amelia Island Record (2016) © Gooding

Gooding & Company scheduled its Amelia Island Auction on March 6, 2020, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Florida, USA.

In 2019, Gooding earned $22 million at Amelia Island selling 78 of 89 lots offered for a respectable sell-through rate of 88%.

In 2018, Gooding earned $35.5 million with a high 94% sell-through rate – 81 of 86 lots were sold. In 2017, Gooding gained $30.5 million with a sell-through rate of 78% with 69 of 88 lots offered sold. However, Gooding earned a record $60 million at Amelia Island in 2016, when the sell-through rate was 87%. The 2016 sale memorably included 14 Porsches from the Jerry Seinfeld Collection.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider

The matching-numbers 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider (Estimate: $9,000,000 – $11,000,000), chassis 0937 GT, offered at Gooding Amelia Island 2020 was the seventh LWB example built and features the ultra-desirable covered headlights arrangement as well as an extremely rare factory hardtop. Given its 1958 build date, this California Spider has a number of styling characteristics unique to the earliest examples, including one-piece side vents, Tour de France-style taillights, and a distinctive rear-end treatment.

This California Spider was sold new to a resident in Geneva and was later owned by pioneering Ferrari collectors in Switzerland and Japan. Chassis 0937 GT eventually made its way to its namesake state where, in 2005, its owner entrusted the esteemed Ferrari restorer Tillack & Co. to perform a painstaking restoration to bring the car up to concours standards. It is currently in an elegant dark red over tan color scheme and equipped with its distinctive factory hardtop and Borrani wire wheels.

This California Spider made its debut in 2007 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® where it was awarded a class award in the always competitive Ferrari GT class. Its next showing was at the 2008 Palm Beach Cavallino Classic where it won the coveted Platinum Award as well as the Judges Cup. Later in 2008, this California Spider was certified by the Ferrari Classiche Department and was used to promote the program as a display during the Monterey car week. The current owner has enjoyed the Ferrari on several exclusive tours, including the California Mille and the Colorado Grand.

Ferrari 250 GT California Spider

The legendary California Spider is one of Ferrari’s most beautiful, collectible, and recognizable open sports cars. This exciting dual-purpose model was designed primarily for American clients who favored the competition pedigree of the 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta but also desired an open-air factor, perfect for scenic drives along the California coast.

Between 1957 and 1963, Ferrari built just 106 California Spiders – 50 of the original long-wheelbase (LWB) version and 56 of the final short-wheelbase (SWB) variant. Today, the model remains one of the most famous and desirable Ferraris ever produced – a mechanical object of exceptional beauty and sophistication that has long captured the interest of connoisseurs.

“Great California Spiders are always sought-after, and often incite emotions of a sublime motoring experience,” states David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company. “It is always exciting for me as an enthusiast to deliver a Ferrari from the 1950s; the most exciting and glamorous period in the marque’s rich history. This elegant covered-headlight example is sure to be a flagship offering in Amelia Island and is a must-have for the serious collector.”

Ferrari 250 GT California Spider Prices at Auction

Ferrari 250 GT California Spiders are amongst the most expensive cars at public auctions. The first car to have sold for more than $10 million at public auction was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold by RM Auctions in Maranello in 2008 for $10.9 million.

In all, eight Ferrari 250 GT California Spiders have sold for more than $10 million at auction – Gooding sold 5 of these spiders including the Amelia Island record holder. The California Spider model record is $18,649,760 paid at Artcurial Paris 2015 for a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – a barn-find from the Baillon Collection.

Non-competition LWB California Spiders have mostly sold for just below $10 million at recent auctions.