Top Ferraris on sale at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 classic car auction include a 250 LM, California Spider, and 550 Maranello Prodrive.
Ten Ferraris with lower estimates exceeding $2 million are on offer at the RM Sotheby’s sale during Monterey classic car auction week in August 2023. The most expensive car on offer in the auction is a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, estimate: $18,000,000 – $20,000,000, which has a good in-period racing history but never suffered extensive crash damage. The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti, estimate: $9,500,000 – $11,500,000, is offered in the livery it wore when participating in the Targa Florio in 1962. The 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive, estimate: $8,000,000 – $9,500,000, is a five-time Le Mans 24 Hours participant. Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, estimate of $5,000,000 – $7,000,000, is expected to sell for well below the $10 million it achieved a decade ago.
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 Classic Car Auction
RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey classic car auction during the annual Monterey / Pebble Beach motoring week: 17 to 19 August 2023 at the Monterey Conference Center in California, USA.
The Monterey sale is traditionally the most important car auction of the year:
- In 2023, RM Sotheby’s achieved $164 million with an 86% sell-through rate and selling 45 million-dollar cars.
- In 2022, RM Sotheby’s set a new auction total record of $239,258,340 selling 52 cars for over a million dollar and a 95% sell-through rate.
- In 2021, RM Sotheby’s earned $148.5 million at Monterey selling 43 cars for over a million dollar and an impressive 90% sell-through rate.
- RM Sotheby’s earned $30,412,810 from the Shift / Monterey 2020 online-only sale.
- In 2019, RM Sotheby’s earned $107 million, in 2018 $158 million (including $48,405,000 for the most expensive car ever sold at a Monterey auction, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO), in 2017 $133 million, and in 2016 $173 million.
Top Ten Ferraris on Sale at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 Auction
The ten most expensive Ferraris on offer in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 classic car auction are:
| Year | Car | Estimate | |
| 1 | 1964 | Ferrari 250 LM | 18,000,000 – 20,000,000 |
| 2 | 1960 | Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider | 9,500,000 – 11,500,000 |
| 3 | 2001 | Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive | 8,000,000 – 9,500,000 |
| 4 | 1959 | Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupe Series III | 5,750,000 – 6,750,000 |
| 5 | 1967 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (Steve McQueen) | 5,000,000 – 7,000,000 |
| 6 | 1967 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 ‘Del Rio’ | 4,000,000 – 5,000,000 |
| 7 | 2003 | Ferrari Enzo | 3,750,000 – 4,250,000 |
| 8 | 1990 | Ferrari F40 | 2,800,000 – 3,400,000 |
| 9 | 1972 | Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider | 2,800,000 – 3,200,000 |
| 10 | 1965 | Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy | 2,000,000 – 2,500,000 |
| 10 | 1967 | Ferrari 330 GTS | 2,000,000 – 2,500,000 |
1964 Ferrari 250 LM
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, (Estimate: $18,000,000 – $20,000,000), is the most expensive car on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023 sale and price-wise its only challenger during the Monterey Car Week 2023 is the 1967 Maranello Concessionaires’ Ferrari 412P on offer at Bonhams Quail Lodge 2023.
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, chassis #6053, was the 22nd of just 32 built and raced at Le Mans in 1968. However, its in-period racing success was achieved in North America where it recorded four overall victories and a further class win in the 1965 BRSCC Season. It is one of the relatively few examples not to have suffered significant crash damage during racing.
The 10th 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, chassis 5901, was sold in a special Artcurial auction in Paris in July 2023 for €15,771,200 ($17,164,664), after failing to sell with a reported highest bid of €20 million earlier in the year. This car was the 10th of 32 examples but had no in-period racing history other than being entered by NART as a reserve car in the Daytona 25 Hours in 1966. It thus retained all its original elements (chassis, engine, gearbox, body).
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti, chassis 1883 GT, estimate: $9,500,000 – $11,500,000, was the second of 56 short-wheelbase examples built and one of 18 built with uncovered headlamps as well as one of three built without side vents; its rarity is further cemented as one of two examples fitted with a type 128 F engine.
This California Spider was exhibited at the 1960 Turin motor show and holds the unique distinction of being the only Ferrari 250 GT California Spider (Long or Short Wheelbase) to have raced in the legendary Targa Florio — it finished 3rd in class as a private entry.
2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive
The 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive, estimate: $8,000,000 – $9,500,000, is a five-time Le Mans 24 Hours participant. This special Ferrari is finished in its 2004 Le Mans livery, which saw team drivers Darren Turner, Rickard Rydell, and renowned World Rally Champion Colin McRae secure an impressive GTS class podium finish. The third of only ten Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrives raced under the Care Racing Development team, its direct acquisition from Ferrari by Frédéric Dor, the founder of Care Racing Development, adds to its historical pedigree. This Ferrari Classiche-certified example comes with an extensive spares package, including the V-12 engine used during its 2004 Le Mans race.
Top Ferrari 275s at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023
Ferrari 275 GTBs in various guises are very popular and reliable sellers at classic car auctions. RM Sotheby’s alone will have four on offer at Monterey 2023. The two more interesting ones are:
- Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti with a hefty estimate of $5,000,000 – $7,000,000 — near double what a similar car without special provenance would sell for (but less than the $10,175,000 it achieved at the RM Auctions 2014 Monterey sale); and
- a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 ‘Del Rio’ (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000) representing a rare factory configuration with a paint-to-sample finish, making it one of the most significant road-going 275 examples in existence.
Slightly cheaper, but requiring far more attention, are the 20 Ferraris from The Lost & Found Collection that will also be on offer at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2023.
Monterey Week 2023 Classic Car Auctions
Top classic car auctioneers with sales during Monterey Week 2023 include Gooding (Pebble Beach), Bonhams (Quail Lodge), RM Sotheby’s, Broad Arrow, and Mecum.
Monterey Week 2023 Auction Results
- Top Ten Monterey Week Auction Results
- Bonhams: Quail Lodge Sale Results, 1967 Ferrari 412P
- Gooding: Pebble Beach Sale Results
- Mecum: Monterey Sale Results
- RM Sotheby’s: Monterey Sale Results, Lost & Found Ferrari Results
Monterey Week 2023 Auction Previews
Monterey Week 2023 Pre-Auction Announcements
- Bonhams: 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta
- Gooding: 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster
- Gooding: Top Ten Ferraris (including a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta)
- Gooding: Top American Brass-Era Cars (including a Simplex and Mercer)
- RM Sotheby’s: Top Ten Ferraris (including a 250 LM and California Spider)
- RM Sotheby’s: The Lost and Found Collection of 20 Ferraris
- RM Sotheby’s: Steve McQeen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
- RM Sotheby’s: 1938 BMW 328 ‘Special Competition’ Roadster
Previous Monterey Week Auction Results