Monterey 2009: Gooding & Company breaks $50 million in sales at Pebble Beach auction

When it comes to auctions during the Monterey car week, the best is saved for last. Held in conjunction with the Pebble Beach Concours, the auction house Gooding & Company offered up an incredible selection of cars on both Saturday and Sunday night. By the time the last lot had crossed the block, two cars had sold for over $4 million including a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Drop Head Coupe that went for $4,180,000 and a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that commanded $5,115,000.

Seven other cars passed the seven figure mark, including a 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Roadster ($3,000,000), a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider ($2,750,000), and a very unique 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe ($1,375,00) previously owned by Ettore Bugatti himself. More details about the auction can be found in the press release after the jump, and you can view complete auction results on Gooding's web site.

Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Gooding & Company]

PRESS RELEASE:

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 19, 2009) – Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®, sold 129 total lots over both Saturday and Sunday auction events, collectively earning more than $50 Million* in sales. Continuing its successful presence at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and as the leading auction house in Monterey, Gooding & Company attracted thousands of collectors and enthusiasts from around the world last week.

Sunday's totals were north of the competition with $29+ million for 55 lots sold out of 70 offered. Nine exceptional cars sold for more than $1 Million each. The evening's top five sales were the 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider at $5,115,000, the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Drop Head Coupe at $4,180,000, the 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Roadster at $3,300,000, the 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I at $1,540,000 and the 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380 Sport Roadster at $1,078,000.

In contrast with many of the evening's award-winning classics, guests at Sunday night's auction event witnessed the historical sale of "Chassis Number One" of Bentley Motors' Mulsanne, the new flagship grand tourer model that was conceived, styled and engineered entirely at Bentley's headquarters in Crewe, England. Selling for $550,000, proceeds are being donated to the Pebble Beach Phil Hill Scholarship.

Gooding & Company's top ten sales results from both Saturday and Sunday include:

• 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider at $5,115,000 (Sunday Lot 135)
• 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Drop Head Coupe at $4,180,000 (Sunday Lot 139)
• 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Roadster at $3,300,000 (Sunday Lot 130)
• 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider at $2,750,000 (Saturday Lot 37)
• 1953 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Drop Head Coupe at $1,650,000 (Saturday Lot 62)
• 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I at $1,540,000 (Sunday Lot 117)
• 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe at $1,375,000 (Saturday Lot 31)
• 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380 Sport Roadster at $1,078,000 (Sunday Lot 149)
• 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Competition Spider at $1,045,000 (Sunday 126)
• 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I York Roadster for $946,000 (Sunday Lot 116)
  

Three world record-breaking sales were achieved on Saturday night – the 1953 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Drop Head Coupe's sale at $1,650,000, the 1953 Jaguar XK120 SE Roadster's sale at $192,500 and the 1938 Buick Limited Series 80 Opera Brougham at $506,000. Saturday's highest sale was the red hot 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider at $2,750,000. A highlight for many enthusiasts was the sale of Ettore Bugatti's own 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe that passed hands to its new caretaker at a price of $1,375,000.

Gooding & Company will be conducting its annual Scottsdale auction on Saturday, January 23, 2010 in Scottsdale, Arizona.