$40 million Ferrari sets tongues wagging at Monterey

AN electric shock from this year’s Monterey Car week, one of the world’s leading classic car auction.

A new Ferrari EV, thought by Sothebys to be worth ‘in excess of’ US$1.1m (AU$1.55m) soared to more than 35 times that value, eventually fetching an eye-popping US$40m (about AU$56m).

The estimate was derived from a base list price of US$640,000 (AU$900,000) and the all-electric 2026 Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’, chassis #0, produced the auction’s highest result.

The auctioneers described the 2026 Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’ as ‘an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire “Chassis 0”, the first production chassis of the Ferrari Luce program, adding that Ferrari will donate all proceeds of the charity auction to ‘benefit future educational initiatives through The Ferrari Foundation.

The car was uniquely configured through the Ferrari Tailor Made program, with special exterior livery of Madreperla Semi-Gloss finish, developed specifically for this car, over an interior in Perla Le Mans metallic leather in Perla with Grigio Corvara secondary elements.

The car also has exclusive finishing details including dedicated wheels, bespoke brake calipers, and the Ferrari logo set against an optical white background

The vehicle was built to US specifications but Ferrari insisted it be returned to Maranello, Italy, at the conclusion of the sale.

Who bought the car has not been made public, but if it was a US citizen an authorised US Ferrari dealership would have to complete all necessary documentation and title work prior to the winning bidder taking possession of the vehicle — and he or she would only get it next year.

It is currently scheduled for final delivery during the first quarter of 2027.

The $40 million Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’

There were several more record-setting results, including six in the eight-figure range, with the top 10 lots alone accounting for more than US$170 million (about AU$240m) in total sales.

The results will define the 2026 auction season, anchored by one of the most unusual outcomes on Monterey’s auction circuit has ever produced — now in its 29th year.

Ferrari dominated the upper end of the market, taking seven positions in the top 10 and accounting for more than 60 per cent, including all six of the marque’s modern halo cars often referred to as the “Big Six.”

The weekend’s overall headline result came from Carroll Shelby’s former Cobra Daytona Coupe which fetched $42.9m to Become America’s most valuable auction car at Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions.

At Monterey, the buyer’s premium was waived as it was a charity auction, with Ferrari donating all proceeds to The Ferrari Foundation, a US organisation supporting the M-Tech Alfredo Ferrari technical education campus in Maranello.

Other notable sales were a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis 10R, formerly owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason for 25 years, which went for US$34,655,000.

The car is the first F1 GTR built to the highly developed 1996 specification and one of only two Short-Tail factory XP prototypes, alongside chassis 01R — the car that won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.

A 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport sold for $18,705,000, (about AU$25m) a landmark result for one of the most important US racing cars of the 1960s.

Only five Grand Sports were built before Chevrolet’s competition program was cancelled, making each example one of the rarest and most historically significant Corvettes ever produced.

Having exceeded the pre-auction estimate by $7.7 million, the result for the Grand Sport, plus the record amount for the Shelby Daytona Coupe shows how America’s most significant competition cars are increasingly commanding valuations usually associated with Europe’s most celebrated racing vehicles.

A 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3, one of 600 examples produced achieved $17,825,000 (AU$25m) and boxing champ Mike Tyson’s former 1995 Ferrari F50 reached $12,105,000, or some $17m in Australian currency.

Other eight-figure Ferraris included a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO achieved $11,555,000, and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo at $9,410,000.

A 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe at $9,080,000 rounded out the top 10.

Beyond the headline results, RM Sotheby’s auction also saw strong performances from other significant consignments.

A 2025 Bugatti Mistral sold for $8,310,000, a 2024 Pagani Huayra Roadster Executor reached $8,035,000, while a 1989 Porsche 959 Sport crossed the block at $7,045,000.

Great Wall adds second plug-in Cannon

A 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato came close to breaking into the top 10, attracting a high bid of $11,750,000 (AU$16.5m) but ultimately failing to find a buyer.

A stunning 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing sold for US$1.64m (AU$2.3m) and a 1947 Talbot-Lago T26 Record cabriolet by Figoni and Falaschi, for US$4.075,000 (AU$5.7m) while a 2020 Koenigsegg hypercar with just 2123km on its odometer, went for US$3,250,000 (AU$456m).

Ultimately, RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction was defined by more than headline figures.

As Monterey continues to set the tone for the global collector market, these results demonstrate that rarity, provenance, and competition pedigree remain the foundations of long-term value.

There were also some interesting motorbikes, such as the 1910 Pierce Four, a rare surviving example of “The Vibrationless Motorcycle,” the first US-made four-cylinder production bike.

It sold for US$150,000 (AU$211,000).

The Pierce Cycle Company was established as a two-wheeled subsidiary of the larger Pierce-Arrow concern in 1907.

Its first production motorcycle arrived two years later and was clearly inspired by the Belgian inline-four-powered FN motorcycle, the world’s first production machine of its kind.

By contrast, there was a 1915 Indian 8-valve track racer, an extreme, purpose-built speed machine with no throttle, clutch, or brakes, that went for US$60,000 (AU$84.000).