Headliners, Hidden Gems, and What to Watch at Gooding Christie's Amelia Island
The biggest collector car event on Florida’s First Coast is nearly here. The Gooding Christie’s Amelia Island 2026 auction takes the stage on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6 at the Omni Amelia Island Resort, kicking off what promises to be a blockbuster Amelia Island Concours Week.
With 132 vehicle lots crossing the block over two days, this year’s sale features a stunning mix of blue-chip Ferraris, competition-bred Alfa Romeos, and collection-fresh Porsches. From a potential eight-figure Ferrari headliner to barn-find project cars, there is something for every collector at Amelia Island 2026.
A Ferrari California Spider Headlines the Sale
Every great auction needs a star lot, and Gooding Christie’s Amelia has delivered one for the ages. A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – chassis 1963 GT – is expected to bring between $16 million and $18 million, making it the most anticipated lot of Amelia Island 2026.
This is a covered-headlight example, one of just 39 built by Scaglietti with that coveted feature, and it comes with an ultra-rare factory hardtop custom-tailored to this specific car. The Ferrari was delivered new to Auto Becker of Düsseldorf in October 1960 and spent decades tucked away in a private West Coast collection before being discovered and restored to Pebble Beach standards by Dennison International.
The California Spider debuted post-restoration at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and has not been shown publicly since, remaining in meticulous concours-ready condition. It retains its original chassis, body, engine, gearbox, and rear axle, and is Ferrari Classiche Red Book certified. With only 56 SWB California Spiders ever built, opportunities to acquire one of this caliber are exceptionally rare.
For context, a different 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold just weeks ago at RM Sotheby’s Paris 2026 sale for approximately $17.2 million. That result sets a strong benchmark heading into this week’s Gooding Christie’s Amelia sale.
The Tommy Trabue Collection: 27 Lots Without Reserve
One of the most talked-about consignments at Amelia Island 2026 is the Tommy Trabue Collection, a 27-lot offering of 1950s and 1960s Porsches and Alfa Romeos presented entirely without reserve. Trabue, a veteran vintage racer and co-founder of Ebbtide Boats, spent more than five decades assembling this remarkable group of European sports cars.
Leading the Alfa Romeo contingent is a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, estimated at $1,200,000 to $1,400,000 without reserve. Often called the “Baby GTO,” the TZ is one of just 112 examples built by Autodelta between 1963 and 1967, clothed in aerodynamic aluminum bodywork by Zagato.
This particular chassis – 750067 – boasts an extraordinary racing résumé and provenance. It participated in more than 25 races, rallies, and hill climbs across Europe between 1965 and 1968. Its ownership history reads like a who’s who of motorsport royalty: Count Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani, rally legend Sandro Munari, Ferrari collector Giuseppe Lucchini, and noted American enthusiast Peter Sachs all held the keys to this car at various points.
A similar 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ sold at last year’s Gooding Amelia auction for $1,160,000, providing a useful pricing comparison for prospective bidders. With its without-reserve status, this lot could generate spirited bidding.
The Trabue Collection’s Porsche side is equally impressive. Highlights include a 1969 Porsche 911 GT-S, one of just 10 pre-series examples built for factory testing, estimated at $500,000 to $750,000. Additional standouts include a factory-modified 1965 Porsche 911 that competed in the 1966 Nassau Governor’s Trophy and a Bahama Yellow 1967 Porsche 911 2.0 S.
The Curtis Leaverton Collection
Gooding Christie’s Amelia is also presenting the Curtis Leaverton Collection, a 19-lot group spanning vintage motorcycles to mid-century Alfa Romeos and Abarths, all offered without reserve. The late Leaverton’s eclectic collection adds yet another dimension to this year’s sale and underscores the breadth of consignments at Amelia Island 2026.
Barn Finds and Unrestored Gems
In a striking move, Gooding Christie’s has consigned several unrestored “barn find” cars for this year’s auction. Among them are a 1951 Porsche 356 “Pre-A” Coupe, a 1951 Ferrari 342 America Coupe, a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe, a patinaed 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster, and a 1933 Morgan 3-wheeler. These unrestored lots will be closely watched as a barometer of collector appetite for project-level cars in a market where restoration costs continue to climb.
What to Watch at Amelia Island 2026
This year’s Gooding Christie’s Amelia sale offers a fascinating cross-section of the current collector car market. Classics from the 1960s dominate the catalog, with European marques – especially Porsche and Ferrari – leading the way. Interestingly, Gooding Christie’s has consigned more Porsches than Ferraris this year, largely thanks to the Trabue Collection.
The auction takes place against a dynamic backdrop. Mecum’s Kissimmee 2026 sale earlier this year saw a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sell for $38.5 million, while RM Sotheby’s Paris sale produced strong results across the Ferrari halo-car segment. Whether that momentum carries into Amelia Island remains to be seen.