By Khris Bharath
–
August 16, 2026
RM Sotheby's | The Monterey Auction 2026: Top 10 Results & Highlights
RM Sotheby’s returned to the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center for its 29th year at Monterey Car Week 2026, generating a record $380 million in total sales at a 90 percent sell-through rate. 199 lots were presented across August 13 and 15, with the docket spanning everything from pre-war icons and historic competition cars to modern hypercars. Bidders from 39 countries participated, with 69 lots exceeding $1 million, 14 surpassing $5 million, six crossing $10 million and two exceeding $30 million. The sale produced 38 record-setting results, including six firmly in the eight-figure range, with the top 10 lots alone accounting for more than $170 million in total sales. The result marked the highest-grossing Monterey auction in RM Sotheby’s history.
These results will define the 2026 auction season, anchored by one of the most unusual outcomes Monterey’s auction circuit has ever produced. Ferrari dominated the upper end of the market, taking seven positions in the top 10 and accounting for more than 60 percent ($107 million), including all six of the marque’s modern halo cars often referred to as the “Big Six.”
Several consignments were among the 10 cars we spotlighted ahead of Monterey Car Week 2026 Auctions. The weekend’s overall headline result came from Carroll Shelby’s Former Cobra Daytona Coupe Sets $42.9 Million Record to Become America’s Most Valuable Auction Car at Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions.
RM Sotheby’s, however, delivered its own landmark moments, led by the all-electric 2026 Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’, chassis 0, which produced the auction’s highest result. The gavel fell at $40,000,000, becoming RM Sotheby’s top result of the event. Notably, the car carried a stated estimate of in excess of $1,100,000, derived from a base list price of approximately $640,000. The result exceeded that estimate by more than 35 times. Buyer Herbert Wertheim was the same billionaire collector who paid $26,000,000 for that 600th Daytona SP3 last year, and this $40,000,000 sale exceeded that figure to establish a new record for the most expensive new car ever sold.
The Buyer’s Premium was waived on this lot, as this was a charity auction, with Ferrari donating all proceeds to The Ferrari Foundation, a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization supporting the M-TECH Alfredo Ferrari technical education campus in Maranello. The charitable element and waived premium mean the transaction cannot be directly compared with conventional collector car sales. What it does confirm is the strength of Ferrari’s client ecosystem and the ability of the marque’s most exclusive offerings to command extraordinary levels of attention.
The 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis 10R, formerly owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason for 25 years and known as the "Pop-Art F1," sold for $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.
Factory-retained by McLaren and subsequently converted for road use, chassis 10R is the only F1 GTR to wear a factory-created pop art livery in Blood Red and yellow. Against a stated estimate in excess of $35,000,000, the McLaren F1 GTR fell just short of that threshold, selling for $34,655,000, or approximately $345,000 below the published estimate. It also became the most expensive British car sold at auction.
The 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport sold for $18,705,000, the most expensive Corvette sold at auction, delivering a landmark result for Zora Arkus-Duntov’s most significant creation and one of the most important American 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, this result for the Grand Sport, along with the aforementioned Shelby Daytona Coupe’s $42.9 million record, demonstrates how America’s most significant competition cars are increasingly commanding the same attention and valuations traditionally associated with Europe’s most celebrated racing machines.
The 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3, one of 600 examples produced and offered from The Driver’s Philosophy Collection, achieved $17,825,000 on Friday. Mike Tyson’s former 1995 Ferrari F50 reached $12,105,000, while another 1995 Ferrari F50 finished in Giallo Modena achieved $14,475,000 at Mecum Monterey, highlighting the premium commanded by exceptional specifications and provenance.
A 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO achieved $11,555,000, and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo crossed the block at $9,410,000. A 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari realized $8,695,000, while a 1991 Ferrari F40 achieved $8,365,000. The 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe at $9,080,000 rounds out the top 10 and was the outlier in this streak of some of Maranello’s all-time greats.
The Enzo result was also one of several important data points for Ferrari’s modern halo cars over the weekend at Monterey. Broad Arrow’s Nero DS 2003 Ferrari Enzo sold for $10,675,000, whereas a Rosso Corsa example sold for $12,100,000 at Mecum. While both exceeded RM Sotheby’s $9,410,000 result, they reinforce the Enzo’s continued transition into the eight-figure segment, a trend we highlighted in our Ferrari Enzo market spotlight, examining the model’s evolution into a blue-chip collectible.
Beyond the headline results, RM Sotheby’s auction also saw strong performances from other significant consignments. A 2025 Bugatti Mistral, also from The Driver’s Philosophy Collection, sold for $8,310,000, consistent with the $8,805,000 achieved at Broad Arrow. A 2024 Pagani Huayra Roadster “Executor” reached $8,035,000, setting a new auction record, while a 1989 Porsche 959 Sport crossed the block at $7,045,000.
The 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato came close to breaking into the top 10, attracting a high bid of $11,750,000 but ultimately failing to find a buyer. Its absence from the sold results allowed the 1991 Ferrari F40’s $8,365,000 transaction to secure the final position in the ranking.
Ultimately, RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction was defined by more than headline figures. Ferrari’s dominance confirmed the marque’s unmatched position among modern collector cars. 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.
View All RM Sotheby's Inventory
*** Results reflect RM Sotheby’s officially reported post-sale figures and include buyer’s premium where applicable.
10. 1991 Ferrari F40 (Lot 317)
$8,365,000 (New Record)
9. 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari (Lot 348)
$8,695,000 (New Record)
8. 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe by Rollston and Bohman & Schwartz (Lot 122)
$9,080,000 (New Record)
7. 2003 Ferrari Enzo (Lot 269)
$9,410,000
6. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (Lot 340)
$11,555,000 (New Record)
5. 1995 Ferrari F50 (Lot 349)
$12,105,000
4. 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 (Lot 223)
$17,825,000
3. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (Lot 341)
$18,705,000 (New Record)
2. 1996 McLaren F1 GTR (Lot 328)
$34,655,000 (New Record)
1. 2026 Ferrari Luce 'Tailor Made' (Lot 345)
$40,000,000 (New Record)
Images: RM Sotheby's
