Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auction Results
Gooding & Company celebrated 20 years as the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last week with a strong showing of $108 million in total sales and a sell-through rate of 82%. The average price paid for a car at this auction was a very impressive $721,783 and 4 lots exceeded $5 million, with another 8 selling for more than $2 million.
This was the, and I mean the pre-war car that had everyone talking in Monterey this year. Its history is fascinating and includes recently being recovered from a high-profile theft that netted its then-owner around $25 million from their insurance policy. Having recovered the car, the insurance company entrusted it to Gooding & Company and the final price of $14,030,000 seems in-line with the market, albeit less than the insurer would have preferred.
Although it didn’t reach the pre-auction estimate of $16,000,000 – $20,000,000, it still seems a strong price for a segment of the market that’s been getting less and less attention as the years go on. That’s not to say that collectors won’t ever be willing to pay something closer to the $25 million the insurance company spent, but it does seem like it will be some time until that figure seems within reach.
The 1955 Ferrari 857 Sport Spider with coachwork from Scaglietti is one of only four examples built and took multiple podiums at the hands of Carroll Shelby and Jack McAfee in 1956.
It benefits from a restoration completed in 2011 and is documented to still be equipped with its matching-numbers Tipo 129 four-cylinder engine, a rarity for race cars from that time.
The seller should be happy with the price of $5,350,000, even though it fell short of the pre-auction estimate from Gooding & Company of $6,000,000 – $8,000,000. It seemed that last week that was all the money there was for a Ferrari race car from the 1950s.
This 250 GT Tour de France is the last of the 17 three-louver examples produced. It was delivered to American racing driver and Ferrari dealer George Reed when it was new and finished second in its class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1958, the same year it won the SCCA C-Production Championship.
It features a well-documented history and is presented in its original livery colors with its matching-numbers engine. Although it fell just short of the pre-auction estimate from Gooding & Company, the price of $5,200,000 will likely be considered a strong result in the coming months.
This 1995 Ferrari 333 SP Evoluzione is one of nine examples built by Dallara and boasts an impressive number of podium finishes in 1995 and 1997. It finished second in its class at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and is well-documented by noted Ferrari expert Marcel Massini.
There simply aren’t enough of these around, nor have enough been offered for sale publicly to confidently predict the price of this car. Although it didn’t quite make the pre-auction estimate from the auction company, the price of $5,120,000 seems reasonable and may prove to be an inspired purchase considering the success Ferrari have been having with their current prototype racer.
This car, chassis 935-001, is the very first Porsche 935 built and served as the factory prototype for testing and development of the 935 program. It played a key role in Porsche’s 1976 Group 5 Championship and finished first overall at Watkins Glen that same year.
It benefits from a complete restoration by Cavaglieri Restorations and is the only Works Martini Racing Porsche 935 in private ownership, essentially making it a one-of-one. Its selling price of $4,295,000 may prove this to be a well-bought car in the coming years.
We previewed this Duesenberg in the lead up to Monterey Car Week and it was as stunning in person as that writeup would lead one to believe. While the pre-war segment wasn’t getting the attention some wished it had, this Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe sold well within the pre-auction estimate from Gooding & Company at $3,745,000.
This 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta is one of only 20 Zagato-bodied Berlinettas built and boasts an impressive period-racing history including a works entry in the 1956 Mille Miglia. Since its restoration the car has won awards at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and Villa d’Este.
It presents nicely in its original colors and still retains its matching-numbers engine as shown in a thorough report from Maserati historian Dott. Adolfo Orsi Jr. Though it sold for less than the pre-auction estimate at $3,550,000, this should be considered well-bought as it has already been accepted to the Mille Miglia Warm Up USA in October of this year as well as the Mille Miglia 2025, of course subject to payment of the entry fees and registration.
This is one of 75 restorations from Singer’s DLS Services and is known as the “Thing 1” Commission. Its flat-six engine was developed with Williams Grand Prix Engineering and shows just 195 miles since the restoration was completed.
It was offered from a notable Porsche collection in North America and presents nicely in Parallax White with a Black Leather and Suede interior.
This is the ultimate example of air-cooled Porsche technology and is equipped with an engine that produces 500 horsepower that’s paired with a six-speed manual transaxle. It sold within the auction company’s estimate at $3,085,000 and we hope the new owner will put some good miles on it.
There were a few Miuras offered this year in Monterey, but this is the one that sold and it’s very understandable why that is. It has its numbers-matching engine and features the original Bertone body panels along with a thorough history dating back to its original delivery in Italy.
It benefits from a restoration by Cairati Milan/Monterey in stunning Azzurro Cielo and includes factory build sheets, books, tools, and a great deal of documentation. Gooding and Company perhaps put it best as “A Concours-Level Car That Has Not Yet Been Displayed or Judged.”
Selling for $2,315,000, this price was towards the upper end of the pre-auction estimate from Gooding so this can be easily considered well-sold.
This Aston Martin DB4 GT is one of only 75 built and one of just 30 configured in left-hand drive. It was displayed at the Torino Motor Show in 1960 and was finished in Snow Shadow Grey when it left the factory. It retains its matching-numbers engine and is documented in the definitive book on this model.
There’s nothing quite like getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, especially a DB4 GT. The final price of $2,095,000 is in line with what we’ve come to expect of the market so we can’t call it well-bought, but both the seller and the new owner should feel good about the price.