The top ten results at the Monterey Car Week 2021 classic car auctions all sold for over $4 million with the most expensive car a 1995 McLaren F1 selling for over $20 million at Pebble Beach.
The top ten results at the Monterey Car Week 2021 auctions were dominated by Ferrari models but the most expensive car was a 1995 McLaren F1 that was the first car to sell for over $20 million since 2018. After Monterey 2020, and many further classic car auctions were canceled in 2020 and early 2021, buyers and cars were back in force. With 85 cars selling for over a million dollars each at the various Monterey Week auctions, results had to exceed $4 to make it into the Monterey 2021 top ten.
Top 10 Car Results at Monterey Car Week 2021
The ten most expensive cars sold at the Monterey Car Week 2021 were:
| Link | Year | Car | Price ($) | Estimate | Auction House |
| 1 | 1995 | McLaren F1 | 20,465,000 | In Excess of $15,000,000 | Gooding |
| 2 | 1959 | Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione | 10,840,000 | 10,000,000 – 12,000,000 | Gooding |
| 3 | 1962 | Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato | 9,520,000 | 11,000,000 – 14,000,000 | RM Sotheby’s |
| =4 | 1962 | Ferrari 268 SP | 7,705,000 | 8,000,000 – 10,000,000 | RM Sotheby’s |
| =4 | 1966 | Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione | 7,705,000 | 8,000,000 – 10,000,000 | RM Sotheby’s |
| 6 | 1958 | Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ | 6,000,000 | 5,750,000 – 6,500,000 | RM Sotheby’s |
| 7 | 1929 | Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix | 5,615,000 | 3,500,000 – 4,500,000 | Gooding |
| 8 | 1928 | Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer | 5,395,000 | 3,000,000 – 4,000,000 | Bonhams |
| 9 | 1958 | Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet | 4,405,000 | 4,500,000 – 5,500,000 | Gooding |
| 10 | 1963 | Shelby 289 Cobra Works | 4,130,000 | 3,750,000 – 4,250,000 | RM Sotheby’s |
Ten Most Expensive Cars Sold at Monterey Auctions 2021
The ten most expensive cars sold at the various Monterey Car Week classic car auctions in mid-August 2021 in California, USA, all achieved at least $4 million. Gooding sold four of these cars, including the two most expensive cars sold thus far in 2021, at its Pebble Beach auction, RM Sotheby’s sold five of the top ten at its three-day Monterey sale, and Bonhams sold one at Quail Lodge.
The five most expensive cars at Monterey 2021 were also the five most expensive cars sold thus far in 2021 at public auction.
The Monterey 2021 top-ten list includes five Ferraris, which marked a return to form for the Italian marque. Before the Monterey sales, not a single Ferrari was amongst the ten most expensive cars sold in 2021.
The most expensive car is from the mid-1990s, two of the top ten are true classics from the late 1920s but most are from the classic GT racing era of the late 1950s to mid-1960s.
All ten top results at Monterey 2021 had some racing links, as a minimum in the development phase, with only three cars, including the top McLaren, without active in-period racing history.
Top 10 Monterey 2021 Car Auction Results
1995 McLaren F1
The most expensive car sold at all the Monterey Car Week sales in 2021 was a 1995 McLaren F1 that achieved $20,465,000 as the top result in the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 classic car auction. This F1 increased the marque record and became the 13th most expensive car ever sold at public auction and only the 13th car to achieve over $20 million.
This McLaren F1 was the 25th of 68 road-going cars built with a further 38 race track versions. It was the only F1 delivered in Creighton Brown and was preserved in a time capsule state by its original Japanese owner with its later period in the USA not adding to the delivery mileage of only 390 km (242 miles) on the clock.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione
A rare 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione sold for $10,840,000 by Gooding at Pebble Beach as the most expensive Ferrari sold in the Monterey Car Week 2021 sales. It is only the second car to have achieved over $10 million in 2021.
Between 1957 and 1962, Ferrari built just 106 California Spiders: 50 examples of the original long-wheelbase (LWB) model, and 56 of the later short-wheelbase (SWB) variant. Furthermore, of the 50 LWB California Spiders built, only about 10 were prepared new from the factory with competition features.
This Competizione version with its distinct Italian flag livery was one of very few originally delivered in Europe and accounted for most of the LWB California Spider in-period racing experience in Europe.
1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
The top result in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021 sale was for the rare 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato that sold for $9,520,000. One of only 19 DB4GT Zagatos built and with only six left-hand-drive examples, the Aston was ordered new with numerous unique features specified by its original owner.
This DB4GT Zagato boasts an impressive race history as it was successfully raced by Roy Salvadori at the May 1962 BRSCC Brands Hatch event, finishing first in class and second overall. It then went on to attend car club events, race many seasons at Silverstone and Donnington.
1962 Ferrari 268 SP by Fantuzzi
The 1962 Ferrari 268 SP by Fantuzzi sold for $7,705,000 as the joint second most expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021 sale. It was the third of only six examples produced and one of just two originally equipped with a rare Ferrari V-8. The car was integral to the evolution of the Ferrari P-car series and testing at the Le Mans trials in 1962 as a Scuderia Ferrari Works entry. It was entered by NART at the Bahamas Speed Weeks from late-1962 through 1963 and driven to the 1964 SCCA Class D Modified Championship.
This example boasts associations with legendary drivers such as Lorenzo Bandini, Harry Heuer, Olivier Gendebien, Ricardo Rodriguez, and has had only two private owners since 1969, including 27 years in the Mas du Clos Collection of Pierre Bardinon.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione by Scaglietti
The 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione by Scaglietti sold for $7,705,000 as the joint second most expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021 sale. However, this 275 GTB previously sold for over $9.5 million at Bonhams Scottsdale 2015.
It was the 11th of 12 examples built featuring a 250 LM-type dry-sump, Tipo 213 competition engine, thin-gauge aluminum alloy coachwork, and use of lightweight components. It is a three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans entrant and class winner of the 1967 24 Hour of Le Mans, 1969 1000 KM Spa-Francorchamps, and 1969 500 KM of Imola.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ by Scaglietti
The 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ by Scaglietti that sold for $6,000,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021 was the 52nd of 72 examples built. It has several unique features as specified by its original owner, French industrialist Jacques Peron. Peron raced the car to fourth overall in the Tour de France series in 1958 before selling it to Rene Cotton, who continued to race the Ferrari for a few more years.
This 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ was owned for four decades (until 2014) and frequently driven by David and Mary Love in historic races and tours. The restored Ferrari debuted at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, completing the Tour d’Elegance and being judged 3rd in Class.
1929 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix
Bugattis performed very well in the past 18 months and the five most expensive cars sold in 2020 were all classic Bugattis. However, this 1929 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 sale was the only top prewar Bugatti at Monterey 2021. It promptly sold for that sold for $5,615,000 — a new model record well above its presale estimate of $3,500,000 – $4,500,000. It is one of 340 Type 35s built but it is a rare works racer with a brief but brilliant racing career, winning the 1929 Grand Prix de l’ACF and Spanish Grand Prix, raced by the legendary Monegasque driver Louis Chiron and the notable English driver William Grover-Williams.
1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer
The most expensive car sold in the Bonhams Quail Lodge 2021 classic car auction was the prewar 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer. It achieved $5,395,000 — over a million above upper estimate. It was the highest Mercedes-Benz auction result since January 2017 when RM Sotheby’s sold a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster for $6.6 million at Arizona. Bonhams previously sold a similar 1928 Mercedes Benz Typ S 26/120/180 Supercharged Sports Tourer for $4,812,500 at the Scottsdale 2017 auction.
The 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer was one of just 146 examples of the firm’s flagship automobile built and described as the ‘acme of motor car perfection’ and the car for kings.
This Mercedes-Benz was owned for the past 57 years by the same family and over this time being pressed into service for the ‘school run’ as well as winning prestigious concours and competing in road rallies, most recently the Colorado Grand in 2015.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet
A golden 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet sold for $4,405,000 in the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 classic car auction. Among the most exclusive and expensive 250 GT models of its time, the cabriolet with custom coachwork by Pinin Farina was the 34th of the 40 Series I Cabriolets built by the legendary marque. It debuted at the notable Earls Court Motor Show in London, England, and was then sold new to a customer in France.
Following its restoration, chassis 1075 GT achieved a perfect 100-point score and Best in Class in its concours debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 2008, as well as winning Best in Show at the Ferrari National Meet, Best 12-Cylinder at Cavallino, and Best in Class at Villa d’Este among other major awards.
New it was more expensive than the California Roadster, although it increased in value less dramatically. In recent years, results above $5 million were the norm with Gooding selling one for $6.8 million (just below estimate!) at Pebble Beach 2019.
1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Works
A 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Works sold for $4,130,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2021 as the most expensive Shelby Cobra of the week but only the third most expensive Cobra thus far in 2021. It was one of three Shelby Works Cobras with Sebring specification. It was raced by Ken Miles and Bob Bondurant to nine podium finishes in 1963. It was campaigned by privateers from 1964 to 1966.
Monterey Motoring Week 2021
Most of the traditional Monterey Motoring Week events returned in mid-August 2021 after the cancellations in 2020. Top classic car auctioneers with sales during Monterey Week 2021 included Gooding (Pebble Beach), Bonhams (Quail Lodge), RM Sotheby’s, and Mecum.
Monterey 2021 Auction Results:
- Monterey 2021 All Auctions: Auction Results General Overview, Top Ten Results, List of Million-Dollar Cars
- Bonhams: Quail Lodge Sale Results
- Gooding: Pebble Beach Sale Results, McLaren F1
- RM Sotheby’s: Monterey Sale Results, Andrews Estate Collection Sale
- Mecum: Monterey Sale Results
Monterey 2021 Auction Announcements:
- Bonhams: Mercedes-Benz 26/100/180
- Bonhams: Talbot-Lago T26 Décapotable
- Gooding: Ferrari California Spider Competizione
- Gooding: Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR Strassenversion
- Gooding: Prewar British Cars
- Gooding: Prewar American Cars
- Gooding: Bugatti Type 35B
- Gooding: Ford GT40 Alan Mann Lightweight
- Gooding: Neil Peart’s Silver Surfers Collection
- Gooding: American Racing Cars
- Gooding: Porsche 934 & 935
- Gooding: McLaren F1
- Gooding: Italian Coachbuilt Cars
- RM Sotheby’s: Porsche 917K
- RM Sotheby’s: Le Mans Racing Cars
- RM Sotheby’s: Andrews Estate Collection (Aston Martin DB4GTs)
- RM Sotheby’s: Top Ferraris
Previous Monterey Week Auction Results
