Monterey Car Week 2025: A Story of Record-Breakers, Comebacks & Shifting Tastes
By Will Elkadi, Mr. Car Week | for the Monterey Car Week Guide
Photography: Bonhams, Broad Arrow, Gooding & Co, Mecum, RM Sotheby's
Setting the Stage: Auctions as Monterey’s Beating Heart
Every August, Monterey Car Week turns California’s coast into the center of the automotive universe. Beyond the concours lawns, test drives, and late-night car conversations, the auctions are where the market speaks loudest. It’s here that collectors gather to place their bets, test the strength of their passions, and make history with a paddle raise.
In 2025, the auctions once again proved Monterey’s status as the collector-car capital of the world. Across RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, Bonhams, Mecum, and Broad Arrow, sales totaled over $430 million, making it the second-highest Monterey Car Week on record. What unfolded was not just a sales tally—it was a story of Ferrari dominance, bold comebacks, and shifting tastes among the world’s most serious collectors.
Ferrari’s Showstopper: $26M Daytona SP3
One moment seemed to freeze the entire peninsula: the charity sale of a Ferrari Daytona SP3 “Tailor Made” at RM Sotheby’s. As bidding climbed past $20 million, the room grew tense. The hammer fell at $26 million, instantly making it the most expensive new Ferrari ever sold at auction.
This wasn’t just another headline sale. It was proof of Ferrari’s unmatched pull on collectors—and a reminder that Monterey can create history in ways no other stage can. For me, watching that SP3 become the week’s star was like seeing tradition and modernity collide under the auction lights.
RM Sotheby’s: Ferrari Fever and Market Stability
RM Sotheby’s has long been the heavyweight of Monterey, and in 2025 it lived up to the reputation. With $165 million in sales and an 85% sell-through rate, the house held steady compared to its 2024 total of $161 million.
The Ferrari fireworks continued:
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1993 Ferrari F40 LM — $11,005,000
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1995 Ferrari F50 — $9,245,000
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2017 LaFerrari Aperta — $6,715,000
It wasn’t just the numbers; it was the atmosphere. You could feel the reverence as these cars crossed the block—decades of Ferrari performance history distilled into bidding wars that pushed collectors to their limits.
Gooding & Company: Pebble Beach Brilliance
Over at Pebble Beach, Gooding & Company delivered one of the most memorable sales of the week. The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione hammered for $25.3 million, setting a model record and cementing Gooding’s reputation for fielding the rarest and most desirable machinery.
Gooding’s total reached $127.5 million, a significant jump from $108 million in 2024. The 87% sell-through and nearly $850,000 average sale price highlighted strong demand for both blue-chip classics and rare competition cars. For Pebble Beach regulars, it was another reminder that Gooding is the place where legends change hands.
Bonhams: A Stunning Rebound at The Quail
If there was a comeback story of the week, it belonged to Bonhams. In 2024, the Quail Lodge sale brought in just $12.5 million. This year? A jaw-dropping $44.2 million, with a 96% sell-through. That’s more than triple last year’s total.
The headline car was a 2020 Bugatti Divo, showing just 800 miles. It stormed to $8.57 million, setting a world record for the model. Bonhams proved that with the right mix of consignments, Monterey magic is alive and well. I’ve seen quieter years for Bonhams—but 2025 was proof of how quickly momentum can turn.
Mecum: Volume, Variety, and Shifting Demand
Mecum brought the biggest tent and the most cars, but its results told a different story. Totals reached $37.5 million, down from $50.2 million in 2024. Even with a higher sell-through, average prices fell roughly 25%.
Still, there were gems: a Lamborghini Miura P400 S in Pistachio Verde with a striking blue interior drew plenty of attention and sold just shy of $2 million. Mecum’s Monterey sale remains a spectacle of variety, from American muscle to European icons, and while the totals dipped, the crowds and enthusiasm didn’t.
Broad Arrow: Modern Icons Making Noise
Broad Arrow, the youngest of Monterey’s major houses, continued to carve out its niche. Its highlight was a 2005 Maserati MC12 Spyder, fetching $5.2 million. Alongside it, a Koenigsegg CCXR and a Singer-reimagined Porsche 911 showed that younger collectors are bringing modern performance cars into the Monterey spotlight.
Top 10 Sales of Monterey Car Week 2025
Here are the week’s biggest moments under the hammer:
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Ferrari Daytona SP3 (Tailor Made, charity lot) — $26,000,000
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1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione — $25,305,000
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1993 Ferrari F40 LM — $11,005,000
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1995 Ferrari F50 — $9,245,000
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1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione — $8,107,000
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2020 Bugatti Divo — $8,557,500
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Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider — $7,550,000
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Ferrari 250 GT LWB Prototipo — $7,260,000
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Mercedes-Benz 500 K Roadster — $5,340,000
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2005 Maserati MC12 Spyder — $5,202,500
It’s hard not to notice—Ferrari dominated the list, claiming seven of the top ten slots.
How 2025 Compared to 2024
In total, Monterey Car Week 2025 auctions brought in $432.8 million, a healthy step up from 2024’s $400 million. It wasn’t the record-breaking 2022 peak of $471 million, but it showed resilience in a market that’s been tested in recent years.
Ferrari once again led the charge, but the presence of hypercars like the Bugatti Divo and modern exotics from Maserati and Koenigsegg underscored a generational shift. Younger collectors are expanding the definition of blue-chip collectibles.
What It Means for Collectors and Monterey Car Week
Walking through the tents this year, one thing became clear to me: Monterey isn’t just about the highest prices—it’s about what those prices say about passion. The $26 million Ferrari wasn’t only a record, it was a reminder of how deeply people care about these machines. Bonhams’ rebound showed that no auction house is ever out of the game, and Mecum’s variety proved there’s still room for every taste.
For collectors, 2025 was reassurance that the market is alive and well. For Monterey, it was another chapter in a story that keeps evolving—one of records, comebacks, and shifting tastes that make this week the most important in the automotive world.
And as Mr. Car Week, I can tell you—this year, the auctions didn’t just sell cars. They sold memories that will live far beyond the hammer’s fall.
