Yesterday, we saw the only cars that sold for less than $10,000 at this year’s Monterey Car Week. Now, here’s the other end of that spectrum: the six most expensive rides sold at California’s premier annual gathering of expensive rides.
These are cars that cost as much if not more than a really, really, really nice house and, because the folks at this end of the market have such varied tastes, these cars are often old, European, and have two doors. Compiled by Hagerty, these are the cars that brought in the most moola at Monterey in 2022… discounting private sales. So, more accurately, these are the cars that brought in the most moola that we normals know about.
1. 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider: $22,005,000
Shocker: the most expensive car to sell at a Monterey auction this year was a vintage Ferrari race car. Changing hands for a tad more than $22 million (I guess whoever bid just 22 mill couldn’t quite cough up the extra 5 Gs), this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider is one of just two factory-campaigned 410 Sports powered by a 24 spark plug, 4.9-liter V12. Notable drivers have included Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill, and Juan Manuel Fangio.
2. 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe: $10,345,000
The only other car on this list to carry a “sold” tag in the eight digits is the runner-up Type 57 Bugatti. It is one of just 17 cars ever built and said to be the best surviving example. The original chassis, original coachwork, as well as a matching-numbers driveline are all intact.
3. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Sindelfingen Roadster: $9,905,000
Coming in at a base Porsche 911’s worth less than $10 million, this pre-war Mercedes roadster is apparently one of just three surviving Special Roadsters with the long tail rear end and covered spare tire. Apparently, this one has been out of the public eye for decades and has had just five owners since its birth. One of which happened to be King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan.
4. 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo: $9,245,000
The name Hispano-Suiza may not be quite as recognizable as Ferrari, Bugatti, or Mercedes. That said, this H6C Transformable Torpedo (great name, by the way) can definitely hang with the big marques in the auction game, going for more than $9.2 million. The mahogany woodwork is original but was given its current orange stain during its latest refinish.
5. 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider: $7,815,000
Making Ferrari the only brand to show up more than once on this list, a 1957 500 TRC Spider was sold for more than $7.8 million. According to the listing, only 19 were ever made. This one happens to be number 18 and had quite the racing career. It saw 30 races and ended up on the podium for 18 of them. One of those 30 races happened to be the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans but, unfortunately, the TRC Spider had to retire from that one after a water pump failure.
6. 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Coupe: $7,595,000
In case it wasn’t already obvious from the way it looks, the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C is the newest car on this list. It’s apparently the ninth of just 12 “third-series” cars. Going for a little less than $7.6 million, this gorgeous Ferrari coupe underwent a three-year restoration that finished in 2017 before winning the FCA Platinum Award at the 2018 Cavallino Classic.
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