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The 10 most expensive cars sold at Pebble Beach 2017

Aug 22, 2017
A good year for Ferrari and Aston Martin
  • A good year for Ferrari and Aston Martin
    • Image Credit: Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Photo by Mike Maez

    A good year for Ferrari and Aston Martin

    Every year during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, auction companies bring their most impressive and valuable consignments to sell. This year saw the sale of the most expensive British car in history, and was generally a great year for selling Ferraris and Aston Martins. They made up 8 of the 10 top sellers at this year's auctions. Click on to see the costliest cars.
  • 1950 Ferrari 166 MM/212 Export "Uovo" by Fontana
    • Image Credit: Remi Dargegen ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1950 Ferrari 166 MM/212 Export "Uovo" by Fontana: $4.5 million

    This odd looking Ferrari was clearly seen as a bit odd even when it was built. According to RM Sotheby's, the car's body was commissioned by Count Giannino Marzotto, one of four wealthy Italian brothers who enjoyed racing. The body was built by the coachbuilder Fontana to make it more aerodynamic. It also was much lighter than other contemporary Ferraris. The unusual shape prompted the brothers to call it "Uovo," which is Italian for "egg." It participated in the Mille Miglia multiple times, but never finished.
  • 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet
    • Image Credit: All images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company.Photos byMatt Howell.

    1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet: $4.84 million

    Though there are a few cars on this list that are the first of their kind, this Ferrari 250 GT is the last. It's the final of 40 Series I Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolets built. It has only about 43,000 miles on it with the original engine, transmission, differential, and even the original license plates plus the maintenance tools with their original wooden box. The car was repainted and reupholstered sometime in its life, though, since it was originally yellow with a brown interior, and it's now blue with a tan interior.
  • 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupe by Pinin Farina
    • Image Credit: Darin Schnabel ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III Coupe by Pinin Farina: $5.335 million

    This Ferrari is a rare one, with only 12 of the model being produced. This one also bares unique rear fenders and taillights. Under the hood is a 400-horsepower V12, and it's original to the car, as is the transmission, differential, and chassis. The green and gold paint scheme is different, though, as the car was repainted at one point, and it was originally a shade of black.
  • 1955 Ferrari 121 LM Spider by Scaglietti
    • Image Credit: Darin Schnabel ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1955 Ferrari 121 LM Spider by Scaglietti: $5.72 million

    This Ferrari has a somewhat unfortunate history. It participated in both the Mille Miglia and Le Mans in 1955, but it retired in both races. It saw success in SCCA races in California in 1955 and 1956, but it also was involved in the first fatal crash in SCCA history. It happened in April of 1956. The car was restored, though, and it participated in the original Monterey historic races in 1974.
  • 1959 Aston Martin DB4GT Prototype
    • Image Credit: Tim Scott ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1959 Aston Martin DB4GT Prototype: $6.765 million

    This Aston Martin DB4GT is the very first of its kind. According to RM Sotheby's it was built by Aston Martin as the prototype for future DB4GTs, of which 75 were built. To build it, Aston took an early DB4, cut it apart in the middle, and removed a few inches behind the driver. It was also given a lightweight aluminum body that was thinner than usual, a 30-gallon fuel tank and spare tire for endurance racing, and a new engine. The engine was higher compression than the standard straight-six, more aggressive cams, bigger valves, and a dual spark plug cylinder head. Though this engine wasn't used when the car went to Le Mans. The car was restored in 1989 by Aston Martin, and it was at one point owned by Rowan Atkinson.
  • 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti
    • Image Credit: Theodore W. Pieper ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti: $8.305 million

    This beautiful Ferrari 250 GT SWB is one of 167 examples built by the company. It's also a very original model. It has been certified by Ferrari that it has the original body, chassis, engine, and drivetrain.
  • 1970 Porsche 917K
    • Image Credit: Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Photo by Jensen Sutta.

    10 Coolest Movie Porsches of All Time

    The Steve McQueen film, Le Mans, featured McQueen as a Porsche factory driver behind the wheel of a Gulf-livery 917 like this one. And to film those Porsches, this exact 917K was used. It was a camera car that the film company leased from a factory Porsche driver. This is the second time in recent years that the car has gone for auction, and it went for quite a bit of cash this time.
  • 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C
    • Image Credit: Image copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Photo by Mike Maez

    1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C: $14.52 million

    This Ferrari 275 follows in the footsteps of the Aston Martin DB4GT. While it isn't a prototype, it has the same focus on lightweight and performance. According to Gooding & Co. it has an aluminum body thinner than the standard cars, Perspex for the side and rear windows, and a large endurance fuel tank. And of course the V12 under the hood has been upgraded. This particular car is 1 of 12 total, and 1 of 8 with left-hand drive. It's final race was the 1969 Targa Florio. In 2007, it too home second place in its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
  • 1995 McLaren F1
    • Image Credit: Drew Phillips

    1995 McLaren F1: $15.62 million

    Though it looks like just a plain McLaren F1, this car is quite significant. It's the very first F1 that was converted to U.S.-specification, which probably explains why it was the second most expensive car at this year's Monterey auctions. The owner bought it new, drove it around Europe, and then shipped it home for federalization. Along the way, the owner reinstalled the Euro-spec parts, but he held on to the U.S.-spec parts in case he or a future owner wanted to reinstall them.

    mclaren f1 Information

    mclaren f1
  • 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1
    • Image Credit: Tim Scott ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

    1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1: $22.55 million

    The most expensive car on this list, the Aston Martin DBR1/1, set a record for the most expensive British car sold at auction. But its significance is more than that, as this is the very first of the DBR1 line, a line that earned Aston Martin an overall victory at Le Mans in 1959. This exact car also won the 1000-kilometer race at the Nürburgring the same year. Not only was it an impressive race car, but it had impressive drivers behind the wheel including Sir Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Carroll Shelby at different times. The car was auctioned with two engines, the original and a reproduction, the latter of which was created for use in historic races.
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