We shared our picks for the Top Ten cars for sale at Monterey Car Week in an earlier article and now that the auctions have all wrapped up, here are the results!
1. 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo – Mecum
Unfortunately, this 2005 Saleen S7 – one of just 14 twin turbo examples built, with less than 800 miles on its odometer and a 0-60 time of just 2.8 seconds – did not sell. But we hear it’s still available if you’re in the market for one! You’ll need some deep pockets though – the high bid was $600,000, so be ready to pay more than that.
2. 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000S – Gooding & Co
As we expected, this Countach performed well on the auction block. Maybe it had something to do with Lamborghini’s new announcement? It might also be the fact it was shown at the New York International Auto Show back in ’85. Maybe the “Coda Plexi” – plexiglass tail between the taillights? Possibly being owned by Joe Natasi who wouldn’t settle for any old Countach?
Regardless, this car sold for $720,000. And what better place to buy this unique Countach than Monterey Car Week!
3. 1992 Ferrari F40 – Bonhams
With everything said and done, we’re happy to report that this F40 sold for $1,600,000. Considering this was the last Ferrari model to have Enzo’s personal guidance, some think of it as the last truly great Ferrari and if the new owner is in that camp then we suppose that’s certainly one thing to do with $1.6 million.
Plus it has just over 16,000 on the clock, so it’s been used, but all maintained which certainly helps increase the value over another F40 that’s hardly been driven and needs who knows what in terms of maintenance… I guess we’re trying to say, “Have fun!” to the new owner! And keep putting some miles on it!
4. 1994 Porsche 911 Type 964 Speedster – Bonhams
This Speedster did well on the block at Bonhams, selling for a final price of $224,000. Not too shabby for a car from 1994! We knew it was going to sell – it didn’t have a reserve, plus it did have the very desirable five-speed manual – but this jumps out at us as a sign of things to come for other Porsches from this generation. And it probably didn’t hurt that they only built 936 of them in the first place.
5. 2004 Ford Shelby Cobra Concept – Mecum
The Ford Shelby Cobra Concept exceeded expectations, selling for $2,640,000 when it finally hit the block. Yes, that’s a lot of money – but for whoever the new owner is, that’s the price of admission to have a one-of-one car with a direct connection to Carroll Shelby. And we think, all things considered, that’s not unreasonable to own what was known as “Project Daisy” prior to Ford selling it in 2017 to Chris Theodore – who, by the way, had something of a personal history with it during its time in development at Ford.
But the new owner gets one thing that Chris didn’t – he gets to have a functional, driving car delivered to his collection, rather than the purposefully-disabled condition this was in when it previously sold.
6. 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach – Mecum
This 918 Spyder with the Weissach Package landed just near the upper end of Mecum’s estimate, selling for a final price of $1,595,000. And here I am, thinking back to when I got a brochure in the mail from Porsche when they were first introducing the 918… But we wish the new owner nothing but the best of times with all 887 horsepower! Let’s just say that one more time… 887 horsepower, all-wheel-drive, and a plug-in hybrid!
7. 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R – RM Sotheby’s
This ’95 Nissan Skyline GT-R seemed to be the JDM car of more than one person’s dreams. It sold well above the RM Sotheby’s estimate, with a final price of $235,200. I bet every single one of us would happily take that car home for the low estimate of $90,000! But no such luck this time around. That’s usually the case with a car this exclusive, in such strong condition, and no reserve – everyone wants to get their hands on it.
8. 1989 Porsche 930 Slantnose – Gooding & Co
This 1980s icon didn’t draw as much bidding as we expected – we’ll be honest about that. We figured it would go for more than the final price of $145,600, considering it’s one of only 75 built for the US market that year. But good on the new owner – well-bought, we say! And don’t mind the replacement engine – it’s the right spec and it’ll do just as well as the original one at moving that Slantnose down the road!
9. 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 “Flat Floor” Roadster – RM Sotheby’s
Keeping in mind that this is one of just 385 left-hand drive examples of the early “Flat Floor” E-Type, it did pretty well on the block with a final price of $257,600. As we said before, you could not make this car yourself for how much the new owner spent on it, so in that sense it’s well-bought – remember, the restoration back in 2014 cost more than $160,000. Try finding a matching numbers, left-hand drive “Flat Floor” E-Type and restoring it to this level without spending more than what this cost the new owner!
10. 1997 Land Rover NAS Defender 90 – Gooding & Co
The 1997 Land Rover NAS Defender 90 performed well on the auction block. The final price came in at $145,600, including all applicable commissions. Showing less than 27,500 on on the odometer, this final production year example of the iconic Defender 90 will make a great addition to someone’s collection and the seller should be relatively happy with the price it brought. The new owner will be only the third person to ever own this beautiful machine!