Gooding Christie's Rétromobile 2026: A Record-Breaking Inaugural Paris Sale
Gooding Christie’s couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off their European adventure. At the 2026 Rétromobile show in Paris on January 29, the legendary auction house racked up an impressive €50 million in sales in their first showing as the official auction of Rétromobile. Not bad for a first date.
The results speak for themselves: an 80% sell-through rate, multiple lots blowing past their estimates, and two Ferraris smashing world records for their models. With collectors from across the globe duking it out for some seriously special machines at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
Ferrari dominated the evening’s results, with modern supercars and track-only hypercars commanding exceptional prices. Pre-war French elegance also shone brightly, demonstrating that enthusiasts continue to value both cutting-edge performance machines and automotive artistry from a bygone era. Four lots in particular captured the attention of collectors worldwide: a 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO, a 2018 Ferrari FXX K Evo, a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV, and a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe.
1984 Ferrari 288 GTO: A New World Record
The undisputed star of the evening was an exceptional 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO, which shattered expectations by selling for €9,117,500 – nearly €2 million above the existing world record established just weeks earlier in January 2026. The result exceeded the pre-sale estimate of €6 million to €7 million by a substantial margin, making it only the third 288 GTO to sell for more than $5 million at auction and the first ever to breach the $10 million threshold.
What made this particular example so desirable was its remarkable preservation and provenance. The car had covered just over 1,500 kilometers since leaving the factory, maintained in exceptional condition throughout its life. The 288 GTO’s history traces back to its delivery in 1985 through official Ferrari dealer Sa.Mo.Car S.p.A. in Rome to Dr. Vincenzo Garraffa of Sicily. After storing the car for nine years, Dr. Garraffa sold it in 1994 to a collector and former Formula 1 team principal, who similarly kept it preserved for over three decades.
Documented with a Ferrari Classiche Red Book issued in 2024 and a comprehensive history report by noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, this 288 GTO represented the pinnacle of originality. As one of just 272 examples ever built, the 288 GTO remains the rarest of Ferrari’s modern supercars, and this particular car’s two-owner history and time-capsule condition made it irresistible to collectors seeking museum-quality provenance.
2018 Ferrari FXX K Evo: Track-Only Excellence
The second-highest result came from another record-breaker: a 2018 Ferrari FXX K Evo that sold for €6,980,000, establishing a new world auction record for the model. Offered without reserve, the hypercar blew past its €5.5 million to €6.5 million estimate, demonstrating strong collector demand for Ferrari’s most extreme development prototypes.
This particular FXX K Evo was especially significant as one of the very few examples completed by Ferrari directly in Evo specification rather than being converted from an earlier FXX K build. Finished in Nero (black) over a black Alcantara interior, the car showed less than 100 kilometers on the odometer at cataloguing – 95 kilometers to be precise, all accumulated at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track during its 2018 shakedown and a subsequent maintenance visit in March 2025.
The FXX K Evo represents the pinnacle of Ferrari’s XX Programme, delivering approximately 1,050 combined horsepower from its 6.3L V12 engine paired with a HY-KERS hybrid system. Ferrari has never disclosed exact production numbers, but authoritative sources estimate approximately 40 FXX K examples were built between 2015 and 2018, with only a small number assembled directly in Evo specification. The aerodynamic package generates 640 kilograms of downforce at 200 km/h – a 23% improvement over the standard FXX K and roughly 75% more than the road-going LaFerrari.
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe: Art Deco Masterpiece
Pre-war French coachbuilding reached its zenith with the 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Teardrop Coupe, which achieved €6,755,000 on the auction block. Bodied by the legendary carrosserie Figoni et Falaschi, chassis 90112 is widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and distinctive of all surviving Teardrops.
Joseph Figoni’s masterpiece emerged from his collaboration with Anthony Lago, the Italian-born entrepreneur who revitalized the Talbot marque in the 1930s. The T150-C-SS chassis featured a short-wheelbase, low-slung frame derived from competition cars, powered by a four-liter inline six-cylinder engine producing 140 horsepower through three Stromberg carburetors. Between 10 and 12 Teardrop bodies were created for this chassis, making them exceedingly rare.
This example’s history is equally compelling. Completed in May 1938 and finished in Noir Iris (Iris Black), it was first owned by M. Toussaint, director of the Casino at Namur in Belgium. The car appeared at prestigious concours events in Brussels, Paris, and Deauville in 1939 before disappearing during World War II. After passing through several collectors, including Belgian enthusiast Stéphane Falise who stored it partially disassembled for decades, the Talbot-Lago was acquired by an American collector in 2005 and meticulously restored by RM Auto Restoration.
The restoration proved triumphant. In 2009, chassis 90112 debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, earning First in Class, the J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car Trophy, and the ArtCenter College of Design Award [cite:page:0]. It subsequently won Best of Show at Meadow Brook in 2010. Having resided in a private Swiss collection since 2013, unseen for over a decade, its return to Paris represented a fitting homecoming for this monument of French automotive artistry.
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV: The Ultimate Miura
Rounding out our highlights was a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV, which sold for €3,380,000 within its €3.25 million to €3.75 million estimate. The SV represented the ultimate development of Marcello Gandini’s revolutionary mid-engine supercar, one of only 150 examples produced between 1971 and 1973.
Chassis 4908, finished in the striking color combination of Giallo Fly (Fly Yellow) over black leather with blue cloth inserts, was delivered new to Switzerland through Zürich agent Garage Foitek. The car retains its original matching-numbers engine and correctly stamped Bertone body panels, with the odometer showing just 25,553 kilometers at cataloguing – consistent with limited use under long-term single ownership.
The Miura SV’s 3.9L V12 produced 385 horsepower, and Road & Track placed the model among the “Ten Best Cars in the World” in 1971. This particular example had remained in the same Swiss collection for 25 years after being acquired at the 1999 Brooks Geneva Auction, making it an especially compelling opportunity for collectors seeking an authentic, numbers-matching SV with genuine presence and unblemished history.
Looking Ahead
The success of Gooding Christie’s inaugural Paris sale signals robust demand for exceptional collector cars across multiple categories – from modern hypercars to pre-war masterpieces. Gooding Christie’s President David Gooding expressed pride in the results, noting that the specialist team “consigned remarkable vehicles from collectors all over the world” and “witnessed extraordinary market results in real time with record-setting sales”.
The auction house will return to Amelia Island in March 2026, followed by the 22nd annual Pebble Beach Auctions in August and an inaugural New York sale during Rétromobile New York in November 2026. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, the Rétromobile 2026 results confirm that the appetite for truly exceptional automobiles – whether defined by rarity, provenance, performance, or artistic significance – remains as strong as ever.