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Gooding Christie’s to Auction Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 275 NART Spider at Inaugural Rétromobile New York

By Khris Bharath –  September 11, 2026

Gooding Christie’s to Auction Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 275 NART Spider at Inaugural Rétromobile New York

Following Gooding Christie’s record-breaking Pebble Beach sale at Monterey Car Week, attention now turns to the next major chapter: the inaugural Rétromobile New York Auctions this November, where the auction house will offer a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider first owned by Hollywood actor Steve McQueen, with a pre-sale estimate of $15 million to $20 million. Chassis 10453 is one of the headline lots among early consignments of the upcoming auction, set to take place at the Javits Center in New York on November 20 and 21 alongside the first North American edition of Rétromobile.  Completed in September 1967 and invoiced to Luigi Chinetti Motors, chassis 10453 was sold to McQueen through Hollywood Sport Cars. It left Maranello in Blu Sera, or Evening Blue, making it the first of only two NART Spiders originally finished in that color. McQueen’s ownership was relatively brief, but he left the Ferrari unmistakably his own. He had it repainted in a darker metallic blue, retrimmed the seats with a distinctive stitching pattern, and made several other cosmetic changes. Following an accident on Pacific Coast Highway, he sent the car to Junior Conway, the Los Angeles bodyman associated with the Barris shop and Hollywood’s custom-car scene, for repairs. Conway’s connection to the car would become part of NART Spider history in its own right. Decades later, he was commissioned to restore another example, chassis 10749, specifically because of his earlier work on McQueen’s 10453. By 1971, the Ferrari had passed to J. David Kopf of Tujunga, California. It joined its current owner’s collection in 1986 through Long Island Ferrari dealer Grand Prix SSR and has remained there for the past four decades. Rather than being returned to factory specification, 10453 retains its matching-numbers engine and transaxle, original Scaglietti body, metallic blue finish, and the custom details commissioned during McQueen’s ownership. “Of all the high-profile cars owned by the iconic Steve McQueen, this NART Spider remains the most elusive and mythical.” -  David Gooding, President, Gooding Christie’s That preservation is central to what makes this particular NART Spider so compelling. Many important collector cars have undergone restoration, a process that can erase precisely the personal touches that distinguish one example from another. A concours-correct 10453 would still be a beautiful NART Spider, but this one is McQueen’s. The ‘King of Cool’ rarely left his cars exactly as they came. His 1956 Jaguar XKSS, one of just 16 built and now part of the Petersen Automotive Museum collection, was also repainted and retrimmed to his taste. His 250 GT Lusso became another Ferrari closely associated with him, while the 275 GTB/4 that followed the damaged NART Spider was refinished in Chianti Red. The NART Spider emerged from the broader Ferrari 275 family, but owes its existence largely to Luigi Chinetti, one of the most consequential figures in Ferrari’s early history. Chinetti won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times as a driver, including Ferrari’s first outright victory there in 1949, before becoming the marque’s first U.S. importer. He founded the North American Racing Team (NART) in 1958, and NART would go on to field the Ferrari 250 LM that won Le Mans outright in 1965. Chinetti believed there was an American market for an open version of the four-cam 275 GTB/4 and persuaded Ferrari to build one. The original plan called for 25 cars, but the NART Spider’s $14,400 price was substantially higher than the $9,200 asked for a 275 GTB at the time. Demand proved limited, production stopped at just 10 examples, and chassis 10453 was the sixth.  Their rarity has since placed the NART Spiders among the most valuable road-going Ferraris. Its place in popular culture extends beyond McQueen. Chassis 09437, the first example built, raced at Sebring before appearing alongside McQueen and Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair, a history explored in greater detail by both Petrolicious and Cavallino. “Forever linked to its previous owner, Hollywood legend Steve McQueen, this brilliant Ferrari 275 NART Spider is the ultimate icon, uniting two global legends in a single machine.” - Ferrari historian and author Marcel Massini  Chassis 10453 itself appeared at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Classic at the Rockefeller Center and at La Bella Macchina: The Art of Ferrari at the Chrysler Museum of Art in 2003. Beyond those appearances, its public record has remained sufficiently limited that enthusiasts have spent years piecing together its history on FerrariChat. Now, nearly 30 years after it last appeared in Manhattan, chassis 10453 returns to the city, and this time, it will cross a public auction block for the first time. Also among the early Ferrari consignments for Rétromobile New York are a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, estimated at $2.25 million to $2.5 million, and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, estimated at $1.4 million to $1.6 million, both featuring Scaglietti coachwork.  View Listing See Steve McQueen’s NART Spider in person at Rétromobile New York, which runs November 19 through 22 at the Javits Center. Get your tickets here. Images: Gooding Christie's

Rétromobile 2026 Auctions: Top 10 Results and Highlights

By Khris Bharath –  February 01, 2026

Rétromobile 2026 Auctions: Top 10 Results and Highlights

With Salon Rétromobile 2026 week firmly behind us, the results across four major auction houses and their respective Paris Sales provide insights into the collector car market and where interest lies at the moment. While there is a growing appetite for more modern metal, as highlighted in our 2025 market report, classic and vintage cars continue to dominate the top sales, with several model-specific records that were broken last week. While Artcurial and Bonhams continued to lean on older models, both RM Sotheby’s and Gooding Christie’s had some top-tier modern cars in their dockets. We touched on the top auction cars to watch through the week, and the results are in.  Held at The Peninsula hotel on Jan 27th, Artcurial’s showstopper car at its Automobile Legends sale, was the 1992 Ferrari F92A Formula 1 car (Lot 25), driven by Jean Alesi, that sold for €2.94 million ($3.45 million)  but the strongest result came from an unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Lot 33), sourced from a long-dormant Paris collection, that sold for more than €4.4 million ($5.4 million). The sale reinforced the value placed on originality at a time when restoration costs continue to rise. The headline sale of the week came from RM Sotheby’s flagship European auction the following day on January 28th, where a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (Lot 140) sold for just over €14 million ($16.7 million), with a 2004 Ferrari Enzo (Lot 193) going for €8.1 ($9.63 million), continuing the momentum that we saw at Mecum, just a few weeks ago. Another record sale was a 1997 Ferrari F50 that achieved €7.6 million ($9.04 million), the second-highest sale ever recorded for the model. A 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta (Lot 166), sold post-auction at €12 million ($14.27 million).  RM Sotheby's achieved its highest-ever grossing European sale at €81 million ($96.31 million). On 29th January, Gooding Christie’s held its first auction in the EU, and results highlighted a growing interest in cars designed to be used, not just displayed. Competition and track-only Ferraris featured prominently, led by a 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO (Lot 67) that sold at €9.1 million ($11.1 million), a new high for the model, and a 2018 FXX K Evo (Lot 40) close to €7 million ($8.5 million), a record sale for this track-only variant. Total sales at Gooding & Christie's totaled €50.4 million ($59.9 million). Bonhams Cars’ Sale on 30th January, held at the Polo de Paris, operated at a lower price ceiling but showed steady liquidity. Its top lot, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gull Wing (Lot 136), sold for just under €1.3 million ($1.6 million), reflecting continued confidence in the market below the headline tier. The runner-up sale was the 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K (Lot 129) that crossed the block for €862,500 ($1.02 million). Total sales at Bonhams add up to €88 million, $21.4 million. Looking at the top 10 results, Ferrari accounts for seven of the ten highest-value transactions across the four major auction houses, with models ranging from mid-century classics to modern halo models, track-only cars (Ferrari Evo FXX K, Evo FXX), highlighting the prancing horse’s continued dominance across multiple eras. We had the Ferrari 288 GTO appear not once, but twice. The remaining three in the top 10 were a 2024 Bugatti Bolide, €3,998,750 ($4,754,756), which is also a track-only model, a pre-war 1938 Talbot-La T150-C-SS that went for €6,755,000 ($8,032,104), and a  1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV at €3,380,000 ($4,019,024), rounding out the top 10. Looking across the top 10 leading cars sold during the week across each of the four auction houses, broader patterns emerge. Ferrari made nearly 40 percent of the group by volume. In fact, just at RM Sotheby’s, you had eight cars from Maranello in the top 10. Mercedes-Benz serves as the second most dominant marque, with the 300 SL being the most popular. We recently also did a deep dive on how the Gullwing became a blue-chip Benz. Taken together, Rétromobile 2026 served up a spectacular showing, opening up the European auction circuit in style, and we’ll have to wait to see if this momentum and these trends continue across other major auction events as the year unfolds. 10. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV - Gooding Christie's €3,380,000 ($4,019,024) 9. 2024 Bugatti Bolide -  RM Sotheby’s €3,998,750 ($4,754,756) 8. 2008 Ferrari Evo - Gooding Christie's €4,448,750 ($5,289,833) 7. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO - RM Sotheby’s €5,855,000 ($6,961,950) 6. 1938 Talbot-La T150-C-SS - Gooding Christie's €6,755,000 ($8,032,104) 5. 2018 Ferrari FXX K Evo - Gooding Christie's €6,980,000 ($8,299,643) 4. 1997 Ferrari F50 - RM Sotheby’s €7,598,750 ($9,035,374) 3. 2004 Ferrari Enzo - RM Sotheby’s €8,105,000 ($9,637,336) 2. 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO - Gooding Christie's €9,117,500 ($10,841,260)   1. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California - RM Sotheby’s €14,067,500 ($16,727,110) View Cars For Sale On duPont REGISTRY Images: RM Sotheby's, Gooding Christie's

Top Collector Cars Auctions to watch at Salon Rétromobile Paris 2026

By Khris Bharath – 

Top Collector Cars to watch at Salon Rétromobile Paris 2026

The 2026 global collector car calendar is well underway. In the United States, the year effectively opened with Mecum’s landmark sale of the Ferrari 250 GTO Bianco Speciale at Mecum, Kissimmee, followed by a landmark Barrett-Jackson sale in Arizona that brought $195.2 million.  A clear reminder that demand at the very top remains intact. Rétromobile now marks the beginning of the European auction circuit with four major auction houses. At its 50th anniversary, the Paris sales provide an early look at how that momentum translates across the Atlantic. With Artcurial’s on-site auction already concluded, where Jean Alesi’s 1992 Ferrari F92A F1 Grand Prix car (Lot 25) was the leading lot, attention turns to three houses shaping the week: RM Sotheby’s (January 28), Gooding Christie’s, and Bonhams Cars. By volume, the commitment is substantial with Gooding Christie’s offering 86 lots, Bonhams Cars follows with 95, and RM Sotheby’s leads slightly at 97. In total, nearly 280 automobiles are yet to cross the block in Paris. Here are the top 10 upcoming sales from each of the aforementioned auction houses by estimated values. RM Sotheby's January 28th RM Sotheby’s top three offerings alone span nearly fifty years of Ferrari history. A 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France by Scaglietti (Lot 166) leads the group with a pre-auction estimate in excess of €13 million (~$14.2 million). Close behind sits a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (Lot 140) at €12 to €14 million ($13.1 to $15.3 million). Rounding out the trio is a 1997 Ferrari F310 B Formula One car (Lot 136), driven by seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, estimated at €5.5 to €7.5 million ($6.0 to $8.2 million). 1. 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France' by Scaglietti (Lot 166)  €13,000,000+ 2. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti (Lot 140) €12,000,000 - €14,000,000 3. 1997 Ferrari F310 B (Lot 136) €5,500,000 - €7,500,000 4. 1997 Ferrari F50 (Lot 194) €5,500,000 - €6,500,000  5. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (Lot 192) €4,500,000 - €5,500,000  6. 2024 Bugatti Bolide (Lot 171) €4,000,000 - €6,000,000  7. 2004 Ferrari Enzo (Lot 193) €3,800,000 - €4,200,000 8. 1967 Ferrari Dino 206 S (Lot 191) €3,800,000 - €4,200,000 9. 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV (Lot 150) €3,300,000 - €3,600,000 10. 2017 Ferrari 488 GTE (Lot 195) €2,800,000 - €4,000,000 View Catalog Gooding Christie's January 29th Gooding Christie’s leads with a Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta (Lot 61) at €8.0 to €9.0 million ($8.7 to $9.8 million), followed by a Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupé (Lot 35), estimated at €6.5 to €7.5 million ($7.1 to $8.2 million). Completing the top three is a Ferrari 288 GTO (Lot 67), offered without reserve and estimated at €6.0 to €7.0 million ($7.1 to $8.3 million).  1. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta (Lot 61) €8,000,000 - €9,000,000 2. 1938 Tablot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe (Lot 35) €6,500,000 - €7,500,000 3. 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO (Lot 67) €6,000,000 - €7,000,000 4. 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider (Lot 31) €5,500,000 - €6,500,000 5. 2018 Ferrari FXX K EVO (Lot 40) €5,500,000 - €6,500,000 6. 2008 Ferrari FXX EVO (Lot 41) €4,500,000 - €5,500,000 7. 1920 Ballot 3/8 LC Grand Prix Two-Seater (Lot 65) €3,500,000 - €6,000,000 8. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV (Lot 19) €3,250,000 - €3,750,000 9. 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupe Aerodinamico (Lot 52) €2,750,000 - €3,250,000 10. 2021 Ferrari Monza SP1 (Lot 73) €2,500,000 - €3,000,000 View Catalog Bonhams Cars January 30th Bonhams Cars top offerings include a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Coupé (Lot 127) estimated at €1.5 to €2.5 million ($1.6 to $2.7 million), a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Lot 136) at €1.2 to €1.5 million ($1.3 to $1.6 million), and a 2022 Ford GT Carbon Series (Lot 117) at €580,000 to €7,00,000 ($6,94,000 -$837,821). 1. 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K (Type W29) Coupé (Lot 127)  €1,500,000 - €2,500,000 2. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL 'Gullwing' Coupé (Lot 136) €1,200,000 - €1,500,000 3. 2022 Ford GT Carbon Series Coupé (Lot 117) €580,000 - €700,000 4. 1981 BMW M1 Coupé (Lot 142) €450,000 - €500,000 5. 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320N Cabriolet (Lot 145) €400,000 - €450,000 6. 1993 Porsche 911 Type 964 Turbo 3.6 (Lot 146) €400,000 - €450,000 7. 1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sports Sperimentale Series IV (Lot 133) €400,000 - €450,000 8. 2006 Spyker C8 Spyder (Lot 152) €350,000 - €400,000 9. 1962 Aston Martin DB4 'SS Engine' Series V Sports Saloon (Lot 140) €350,000 - €450,000 10. 1953 Chrysler 'Thomas Special' Coupé (Lot 150) €330,000 - €390,000 View Catalog Images: Artcurial, RM Sotheby's, Gooding Christie's, Bonhams Cars Taken together, the leading consignments at Rétromobile 2026 point to a market that is broadening, as Blue-chip pre-war classics, near-modern icons, and competition history now coexist comfortably at the top, something that we reinforced in our recent 2025 Collector Car Insights. It is clear that relevance, narrative, and long-term significance now share equal weight as the European circuit gets underway. View Cars For Sale On duPont REGISTRY Images: Artcurial, RM Sotheby's, Gooding Christie's, Bonhams Cars

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