RM Sotheby's Monterey 2026 Sets New Benchmark
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 closed as the largest single-house collector car sale of the week. The auction generated approximately $375.9 million to $380 million across three days at the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center, held August 13-15, 2026.
The sale posted an 87 percent sell-through rate. Sixty-nine lots crossed the block for more than $1 million each.
This result comfortably eclipsed the prior pandemic-era record from 2022. It underscored RM Sotheby’s continued position as the flagship auction of Monterey Car Week.
Across all five Monterey Car Week auction houses, combined sales reached $747.9 million. That marked a 73 percent jump from $432.8 million in 2025, with RM Sotheby’s alone accounting for roughly half that total.
Monterey Car Week 2026 produced 11 eight-figure sales, more than the previous five Monterey Car Weeks combined. RM Sotheby’s contributed the majority of those headline results.
RM Sotheby's Monterey 2026 Top Sales
The RM Sotheby’s top sales list was headlined by an extraordinary and unusual result: the sale of a Ferrari as a charity lot for automotive history’s most expensive electric vehicle transaction. The following is a list of RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 top 8 sales – and the prices don’t drop below $9,080,000:
- 2026 Ferrari Luce “Tailor Made” (Chassis 0) – $40,000,000
- 1996 McLaren F1 GTR (Nick Mason’s, Chassis 10R) – $34,655,000
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (Chassis 003) – $18,705,000
- 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 – $17,825,000
- 1995 Ferrari F50 – $12,105,000
- 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO – $11,555,000
- 2003 Ferrari Enzo – $9,410,000
- 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe (Rollston/Bohman & Schwartz) – $9,080,000
The Ferrari Luce Charity Sale
The most talked-about result of the auction was not a vintage classic. It was the first production example of Ferrari’s inaugural electric vehicle, the 2026 Ferrari Luce “Tailor Made,” chassis 0.
Sold as a charity lot, it achieved $40 million. That set records as the most expensive electric car and the most expensive automotive charity lot ever sold.
The result placed the Luce as the sixth-most-expensive car ever sold at auction. It also ranks as the third-most-expensive Ferrari in history.
Market analysts noted the sale carried an asterisk given its charity structure. Even so, it dominated headlines across Monterey Car Week coverage.
McLaren F1 GTR and Corvette Grand Sport Headline Regular Sales
Setting the benchmark among non-charity lots, Nick Mason’s 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis 10R, sold for $34,655,000. It established new records as both the most expensive McLaren and the most expensive British-built car ever sold at auction.
Right behind it, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, chassis 003, blew past its $13 million high estimate. One of only five built, and the first offered publicly in 17 years, it hammered for $17,000,000, or $18,705,000 with buyer’s commission – a new record for a Corvette at auction.
Bidding on the Grand Sport opened at $5 million and climbed in half-million-dollar increments. Multiple active bidders pushed the final price well beyond expectations.
Ferrari Dominance Across the Sale
Ferrari products dominated RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 top sales. The marque appeared seven times among the week’s overall top ten results across all auction houses.
Beyond the Luce, standout Ferrari results included the 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 at $17,825,000 and a 1995 Ferrari F50 at $12,105,000.
A 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO brought $11,555,000, a new model record against a $9 million to $11 million estimate. A 2003 Ferrari Enzo added $9,410,000 to the tally.
Comparing RM Sotheby's to Other Monterey Houses
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 outperformed every other Monterey Car Week auction house in total volume. Gooding Christie’s edged it in sell-through rate and claimed the single highest sale of the week with a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe at $42,905,000.
Broad Arrow’s inaugural The Quail sale generated $97.4 million with an 85 percent sell-through rate. It was led by a 2003 Ferrari Enzo at $10,675,000 and a 2025 Bugatti Mistral Roadster at $8,805,000.
Mecum’s three-day Monterey sale contributed additional eight-figure results. Highlights included a 1996 Ferrari F50 at $14,575,000 and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo at $12,100,000.
Market Significance
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 results reflect a broader resurgence in the collector car market’s top tier. Twenty-nine lots were consigned above $5 million across Monterey Car Week, a 71 percent increase over 2025.
Excluding the Ferrari Luce charity sale, total Monterey week sales still reached $718.3 million by some counts. That is well above last year’s $432.7 million and even the post-pandemic 2022 figure of $471.2 million.
The strength at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction stands out in the depth of eight-figure results and world-record prices for modern supercars. It signals renewed, broadening confidence among high-net-worth collectors bidding on both blue-chip classics and contemporary hypercars.