Up to 20,000 people watched and participated in the Pebble Beach car auction that was held on August 22, 2018, to August 25, 2018. When the final gavel came down, buyers had spent more than $368 million on 1,341 vehicles at auctions spread across six different auction houses in Carmel, California. Here are some highlights from Pebble Beach 2018 Car Auction.
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO -- Highest Price Ever Paid for a Car at Auction
A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO bought $48,405,000 becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction. While we are not sure if the buyers had to get online title loans with no store visit to make the purchase, we do know that the car was the third one ever built by Ferrari and was driven to wins by Formula 1 world champion Phil Hill and by Gianni Bulgari before being purchased by Microsoft’s Doctor Greg Whitten who drove it in numerous races.
1935 Duesenberg SSJ Roadster- Highest Price Ever Paid for American Car at Auction
Gary Cooper sold his 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Roadster for $22 million at the Pebble Beach auction. When the gavel came down after more than doubling the expected pre-auction estimate of $10 million, it became the most expensive American car ever sold at auction and the most expensive pre-war car sold at auction. When the weekend was over, it was also the only American car to finish in the top 10 of prices paid at these prestigious auctions. This car with its shortened 125-inch wheelbase and its supercharged straight-eight with double overhead cams engine is one of only two of its kind in the world. It is the first time that this car had been offered at auction in more than 70 years.
1963 Aston Martin DP215 Racing Concept
The third most expensive car to sell during the 2018 Pebble Beach car auctions was the 1963 Aston Martin DP215 Racing Concept that was originally built to be driven by Lucien Bianchi and Phil Hill. Ted Cutting who was the car’s original designer helped restore this car to its former glory. This car is one of only four prototypes developed on the DB4GT chassis.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk II Coupe
The fourth highest priced car to be sold at Pebble Beach was a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II Coupe. It joined more than 200 cars that had previously sold at Pebble Beach that had returned during this three-day event during 2018 to sell again. The average buyer had held on to their cars for 5.1 years before returning to auction them again. This 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II Coupe has been driven by a legendary lineup of drivers including Ken Miles, Richie Ginther, A.J. Foyt, Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson. In 2003, this car was selected as the people’s choice award winner.
1958 Ferrari 250 GT TdF Coupe
Rounding out the top five was the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT TdF Coupe. Ferrari collector Fred Peters owned this car for more than 52 years and had it restored to its distinctive color. The car has also belonged to Willy T. Ribbs who was the father of the first African-American to drive in the Indianapolis 500 and by famous collector Dr. Hamilton Kelly who eventually sold the vehicle to Charles Betz.
While the overall price paid for cars this year was not a record-setter, the sale surpassed the 2017 car auction by 13 percent. If you are interested in bidding in 2019, then you need to make sure to have your money available well ahead of the August 2019 event.