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With the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026 firmly in the rear-view mirror, August saw the Monterey Peninsula once again transform into the focal point of the global collector world. While the 75th-anniversary fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance showcased the finest preserved machinery on earth, the surrounding auction stages commanded the spotlight as record-shattering bids swept across the catalogues of RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, and Broad Arrow.
The 2026 Monterey Car Week auctions proved to be one of the most remarkable gatherings of historic metal in history, bringing together pre-war coachbuilt icons, championship-winning endurance prototypes, and ultra-exclusive modern hypercars.
While headline-grabbing eight-figure results dominated global coverage, the true character of the sales resided in provenance and storytelling. This year’s highlights were defined by legendary machines with deeply personal histories, including the only Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe retained personally by Carroll Shelby and Clark Gable’s custom-bodied Duesenberg, to Jerry Seinfeld’s Daytona-winning Porsche 907 Langheck and Nick Mason’s $35 million ‘Pop Art’ McLaren F1 GTR. From secret factory racing projects built to circumvent corporate bans to authentic Dutch highway patrol pursuit vehicles, these cars represented the pinnacle of engineering, rarity, and cultural significance. Here are the standouts that went under the hammer during Monterey Car Week 2026.
| Car | Auction House | Pre-Sale Estimate | Sale Price (USD) |
| 1. 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck | Gooding Christie’s | $4,500,000 – $5,500,000 | $3,305,000 |
| 2. 1996 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Pop Art’ | RM Sotheby’s | $35,000,000+ | $34,655,000 |
| 3. 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe | Gooding Christie’s | $25,000,000+ | $42,905,000 |
| 4. 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Coupe | RM Sotheby’s | $5,750,000 – $8,000,000 | $9,080,000 |
| 5. 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato | RM Sotheby’s | $12,000,000 – $15,000,000 | Unsold |
| 6. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport | RM Sotheby’s | $11,000,000 – $13,000,000 | $18,705,000 |
| 7. 1989 Porsche 911 Targa “Rijkspolitie” | Broad Arrow | $125,000 – $150,000 | $225,000 |
| 8. 1970 Pontiac One Concept | Gooding Christie’s | $200,000 – $250,000 | $242,000 |
| 9. 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 SS | Gooding Christie’s | $1,000,000 – $1,500,000 | $1,325,000 |
| 10. 1963 Ferrari 250 P | Gooding Christie’s | $15,000,000 – $20,000,000 | $18,705,000 |
| 11. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO | RM Sotheby’s | $9,000,000 – $11,000,000 | $11,555,000 |
1/171. 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck, $3,305,000
Final sale price: USD$3,305,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$4,500,000 – $5,500,000
Chassis 907-005 holds a foundational position in Zuffenhausen history as the very first Porsche to secure an overall victory in a 24-hour race. Carrying a pre-sale estimate of $4,500,000 to $5,500,000 USD at Gooding & Company, the 2.2-litre flat-eight prototype led a 1-2-3 sweep for the factory team at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona with Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, and Rolf Stommelen at the wheel. Sourced directly from Jerry Seinfeld’s personal collection, the car recently emerged from an obsessive 10-year restoration by marque specialist Joe Cavaglieri, returning every component to its exact 1968 Daytona specification. Seinfeld even acquired the original Rolex Daytona watch awarded to Vic Elford for the victory, making this one of the most historically complete Porsche offerings in auction history.
- Engine specs: 2.2-litre Type 771 four-cam air-cooled flat-eight (~270 hp @ 9,000 rpm)
- Key race victories: 1st Overall at 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, 2nd Overall at 1968 1000 Km of Monza
- Provenance: Factory Works Team, Sepp Greger, Henry E. Payne III, Jerry Seinfeld Collection
1/112. 1996 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Pop Art F1’
Final sale price: USD$34,655,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$35,000,000
Chassis 10R was the very first McLaren F1 GTR built to the updated 1996 aerodynamic specification, featuring extended front and rear bodywork to maximise downforce. RM Sotheby’s placed a pre-sale estimate of more than USD$35,000,000 on the vehicle. Retained by the factory as an official development chassis, the car was designed by Gordon Murray, who personally created its striking Blood Red and yellow livery, giving the car its famous “Pop Art” nickname. Motorsport fanatic and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason acquired the car in 1999 and maintained it for a quarter-century. As the premier McLaren heading to auction this year, chassis 10R represents an irreplaceable slice of modern endurance racing lore.
- Engine specs: 6.0-litre BMW Motorsport S70/2 V-12 (~600 hp)
- Key pedigree: First 1996-specification long-tail GTR development chassis built
- Provenance: McLaren Factory Collection, Nick Mason Collection (1999–2024)
1/73. 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
Final sales price: USD$42,905,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$25,000,000
Designed by Peter Brock to challenge Ferrari’s dominance in the World Sportscar Championship, only six Cobra Daytona Coupes were ever constructed. Gooding & Company assigned chassis CSX2300 a pre-sale estimate in excess of USD$25,000,000, reflecting its unmatched significance as the only example retained personally by Carroll Shelby. The car competed at the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring under the Shelby American banner with Bob Johnson and Tom Yeager at the wheel, finishing third in class. Preserved in its iconic blue number 12 racing livery, a successful sale will make it the most expensive American automobile ever sold at public auction.
- Engine specs: 289 cubic-inch (4.7-litre) Ford V-8 (~390 hp)
- Key race victories: 3rd in Class at 1965 12 Hours of Sebring
- Provenance: Shelby American Works Team, personally retained by Carroll Shelby
1/84. 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe
Final sales price: USD$9,080,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$5,750,000 – $8,000,000
Commissioned at the height of his Hollywood stardom, chassis J-560 was delivered new to screen legend Clark Gable. Built on Duesenberg’s updated JN platform, it’s one of just four convertible coupes clothed by coachbuilder Rollston. Gable personally collaborated with designers at Bohman & Schwartz to add custom styling touches, including elongated hood vents, rear-wheel skirts, and a unique rear-deck layout. Gable famously drove the supercharged classic across California with his wife, Carole Lombard, and its appearance in Monterey represents a rare convergence of Hollywood royalty and American coachbuilding excellence.
- Engine specs: 420 cubic-inch (6.9-litre) Supercharged Lycoming Straight-8 (265 hp)
- Coachwork and design: Rollston Convertible Coupe with custom Bohman & Schwartz coachwork
- Provenance: Ordered new by Clark Gable, The Sam and Emily Mann Collection
1/95. 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
Final sales price: Unsold
Pre-auction estimate: USD$12,000,000 – $15,000,000
Chassis 0186/R is the 14th of just 19 DB4 GT Zagatos produced, and the only example originally shipped to Australia. RM Sotheby’s carries a pre-sale estimate of USD$12,000,000 to $15,000,000 for the vehicle. Driven by three-time Australian Grand Prix winner Doug Whiteford, the lightweight 3.7-litre inline-six racer claimed victory at the 1962 South Pacific GT Championship, famously clocking 145 mph down the flying straight at Longford. Unlike many period competition cars, chassis 0186/R escaped serious accident damage, allowing its original Zagato aluminium bodywork to survive intact. After a meticulous restoration, the car won its class and the Vitesse Elegance Trophy at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
- Engine specs: 3.7-litre aluminium twin-spark inline-six (314 hp)
- Key race victories: 1st Overall at 1962 South Pacific GT Championship (Longford, Australia)
- Provenance: Sole Australian delivery, Doug Whiteford, Pebble Beach Class Winner
1/96. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
Final sales price: USD$18,705,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$11,000,000 – $13,000,000
Fearing Shelby’s dominance on the racetrack, Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov launched a secret program to build 125 ultra-lightweight Corvettes. General Motors executives discovered the project and shut it down after only five cars were assembled. RM Sotheby’s offers chassis 003 with a pre-sale estimate of USD$11,000,000 to $13,000,000, and it’s the first of three coupes constructed, featuring a paper-thin fibreglass body, an aluminium spaceframe, and a 377-cubic-inch V-8 producing over 550 horsepower. Weighing 1,000 pounds less than a standard production Corvette, chassis 003 remains the ultimate unicorn of American muscle cars.
- Engine specs: 377 cubic-inch aluminium V-8 with Weber carburettors (550+ hp)
- Production rarity: Chassis 003, 1 of 5 total Grand Sports built (1 of 3 coupes)
- Provenance: Zora Arkus-Duntov’s secret GM development project
1/87. 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa “Rijkspolitie”
Final sales price: USD$225,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$125,000 – $150,000
For over three decades, the Dutch National Police patrolled the country’s high-speed motorways exclusively in open-top Porsches. Broad Arrow Auctions brings this 1989 Carrera Targa to market with a pre-sale estimate of USD$125,000 to $150,000. It served five years on active duty in the Netherlands, racking up nearly 100,000 miles on patrol. The car remains fully equipped with its period police gear, including a Targa bar-mounted blue light, rear Hella hazard lamps, dual Bosch horns, a Teletron radio unit, and a custom rear plywood storage shelf designed to carry helmets, boots, and roadside flares.
- Engine specs: 3.2-litre air-cooled flat-six (217 hp)
- Special equipment: Targa bar siren, rear Hella hazard lights, Teletron radio, squad equipment shelf
- Provenance: Dutch National Police (Korps Rijkspolitie active service 1989–1994)
1/78. 1970 Pontiac One Concept
Final sales price: USD$242,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$200,000 – $250,000
Conceived as a futuristic vision of the Firebird, the Pontiac One was sketched by Harry Bentley Bradley, the former GM stylist famous for designing Mattel’s original Hot Wheels line. GM technical designer Dave Crook brought the concept to life over four years, giving the car a pointed nose, half a dozen functional hood scoops, enclosed rear wheel skirts, and a slammed stance. The finished build so impressed GM Vice President of Styling Bill Mitchell that he nearly adopted it as an official factory display car. It remains a fascinating piece of 1970s custom automotive design.
- Engine specs: 350 cubic-inch Pontiac V-8 with automatic transmission
- Design significance: Sketched by Hot Wheels lead designer Harry Bentley Bradley
- Provenance: Unique custom display concept evaluated by GM VP Bill Mitchell
1/89. 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 SS ‘Testa Fissa’
Final sales price: USD$1,325,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$1,000,000 – $1,500,000
Designed by Vittorio Jano, this 6C 1500 Super Sport is one of only four semi-works competition cars supplied to the British distributor F.W. Stiles with the rare fixed-cylinder-head engine configuration. Gooding & Company placed a pre-sale estimate of USD$1,000,000 to $1,500,000 on the vehicle. Driven by factory test driver Giulio Ramponi, this exact car took overall victory at the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve race in England. Featuring lightweight Zagato spider bodywork, the car comes from the estate of respected collector Brian Brunkhorst and boasts an unbroken provenance stretching back nearly a century.
- Engine specs: 1.5-litre supercharged inline-six with rare “Testa Fissa” fixed cylinder head
- Key race victories: 1st Overall at 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve
- Provenance: F.W. Stiles semi-works team, Giulio Ramponi, Brian Brunkhorst Estate
1/910. 1963 Ferrari 250 P
Final sales price: USD$18,705,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$15,000,000 – $20,000,000
Chassis 0810 represents a monumental turning point in Scuderia Ferrari’s history, and Gooding & Company expects the vehicle to command one of the highest prices at the event, with a pre-sale estimate of USD$15,000,000 to $20,000,000. It survives as the factory’s very first mid-engine V-12 prototype, laying the mechanical blueprint for every Ferrari endurance racer that followed, including the 250 LM and 330 P4. Campaigned directly by the works team during the 1963 World Sportscar Championship, it finished second overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring and took third overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With its pioneering engineering and overall podium finishes at the world’s toughest races, it stands among the most significant Ferrari competition cars ever brought to market.
- Engine specs: 3.0-litre Type 168/62 V-12 (310 hp)
- Key race results: 2nd Overall at 12 Hours of Sebring, 3rd Overall at 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Significance: First mid-engine V-12 prototype built by Scuderia Ferrari (Chassis 0810)
1/1911. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
Final sales price: USD$11,555,000
Pre-auction estimate: USD$9,000,000 – $11,000,000
Before the F40, the Enzo, or the LaFerrari, there was the 288 GTO. Conceived to satisfy FIA Group B rally homologation rules, the model was left without a competitive series when Group B was abruptly cancelled due to safety concerns. Ferrari released the road-going version anyway, producing what remains the lowest-production Ferrari hypercar in history, with fewer than 300 examples ever constructed. Offered by RM Sotheby’s as Lot 340, chassis 54789 is the 99th production example built and shows an astonishingly low 1,541 kilometres (~958 miles) on its odometer. Delivered new to Germany, finished in Rosso Corsa over a Nero interior with optional air conditioning and power windows, this ultra-rare European example spent more than two decades in preserved, museum-level storage within a prominent German collection.
Following a comprehensive mechanical overhaul by Ferrari of Central Florida and full Ferrari Classiche “Red Book” certification with all matching-numbers components, it stands as one of only six or fewer sub-1,000 288 GTOs left in existence.
- Engine specs: 2.8-litre twin-turbocharged V-8 (400 hp @ 7,000 rpm)
- Production rarity: 1 of 272 total production examples (chassis 099)
- Provenance: Auto-Becker, Pierre Fandel, Eckhard Bluhm Collection, Ferrari Classiche Certified
- View at: RM Sotheby’s
Monterey Car Week 2026 FAQs
Monterey Car Week 2026 took place over a 10-day period from Friday, August 7, to Sunday, August 16, 2026. The week began with the Monterey Kick-Off in downtown Monterey and builds up to the major auction days and exclusive events scattered across the Monterey Peninsula.
The premier auctions take place at various exclusive venues across the peninsula. Gooding & Company holds its auctions directly within the gates of Pebble Beach at the Equestrian Centre, RM Sotheby’s operates out of the Monterey Conference Centre, Broad Arrow Auctions takes place at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, and Bonhams operates at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which serves as the grand finale of Monterey Car Week, was scheduled for Sunday, August 16, 2026. This year marked a significant milestone as the event celebrated its 75th anniversary on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (Chassis CSX2300) set the overall auction record, selling for $42,905,000 USD at Gooding Christie’s to become the most expensive American automobile ever sold at auction. In the charity category, the 2026 Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’ (Chassis 0) set a record by fetching $40,000,000 USD at RM Sotheby’s, while Nick Mason’s 1996 McLaren F1 GTR claimed the British marque record at $34,655,000 USD.
Yes, all major auction houses offer general admission spectator tickets during preview and auction days, while registered bidders receive full catalogue packages, VIP gallery seating, and event access.
Related reads
- Jerry Seinfeld’s Daytona-Winning 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck Could Fetch $5.5 Million
- Nick Mason’s $35 Million ‘Pop Art’ McLaren F1 GTR Up For Grabs
- 10 Best Cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026
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