Mega money: 31 ridiculously expensive cars sold during Monterey Car Week

$3,030,000
RM Sotheby’s

One of only two Ferrari 340 Americas with a Berlinetta body built by coachbuilder Touring of Milan. Completed in July 1951, it was shipped to the US in the late 1950s and had its original V12 engine swapped for a Ford V8. Sacrilege. Thankfully a proper Lampredi V12 was sourced in the late 1990s, and after a number of rebuilds it’s now making substantially more power than the original 340 America spec.

$3,030,000
Bonhams

An 850bhp track-only special built to bludgeon your eardrums with its 6.0-litre naturally-aspirated V12 and 9,000rpm redline. This particular car is number 23 of 30 and has covered less than 124 miles since new. Comes complete with a full garage of spares for its new owner, plus the official Huayra R Simulator – a factory option to recreate the experience of driving your car without suffering the depreciation. Perfect for precious collectors.

$3,140,000
Gooding Christie’s

A modern-day successor to the CTR Yellowbird, the Anniversary was unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. With a bespoke carbon fibre tub, carbon ceramic brakes, inboard suspension and a 700bhp 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six it’s properly modern, but it’s paired with those glorious retro looks and a proper seven-speed manual gearbox. This one is perfect in Irish Green paint with a brown leather and Pepita cloth interior. Less than 500 miles on the clock too. 
 

$3,195,000
Gooding Christie’s

A Brit on the list! Although this DB4 GT is left-hand drive and was originally delivered to race team owner Georges Filipinetti. Sold to its second owner a year later, it would remain with that lucky chap - Dr Gwen E. Reichen of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland – right up until 2010.  Dr Reichen raced the DB4 in rallies, hill climbs and slaloms, racking up over 60,000 miles. As you can see, it has since been restored rather nicely. 
 

$3,222,500
Broad Arrow Auctions

Setting a new record for this particular Koenigsegg model, Broad Arrow sold a CCXR for well over $3m. It’s one of just 11 built, uses Koenigsegg’s own V8 sending 1,018bhp through a six-speed manual gearbox, and this actual car featured in the fifth Fast & Furious movie. Quadruples the price paid for the same car in 2015. Decent investment, then.

$3,305,000
RM Sotheby’s

The coolest of all Ferrari XX cars? This is a 599XX with the later Evo upgrade pack, taking the 6.0-litre V12 up to 740bhp, introducing DRS to the rear wing and adding a lightweight side-exit exhaust. This particular car has been driven at the Nürburgring, Silverstone, Mugello and Daytona as part of the XX Programme. 
 

$3,305,000
Bonhams

The Huayra Roadster that you’re looking at here – chassis no.11 – was the actual car displayed on the Pagani stand when it unveiled this roofless hypercar at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. Finished in exposed carbon fibre with red stripes, it has covered just over 800 miles since.
 

$3,360,000
RM Sotheby’s

See the CTR Anniversary above, but this time consider that the car in question has less than 200 miles on the clock. This Riviera Blue example with every possible carbon fibre option box ticked sold for $220,000 more than the Irish Green example at Gooding Christie’s. Just 50 were ever built.
 

$3,442,500
Bonhams

Huge money for a car that needs “mechanical recommissioning” and its interior put back in, but then the Intensa Emozione does also come with a carbon tub, madcap styling and a 780bhp 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12. We salute the brave buyer. 
 

$3,500,000
RM Sotheby’s

Gorgeous old Ferrari sells for many millions. You’ll find that’s a recurring theme in this gallery, but isn’t this 275 GTB/4 particularly lovely? With deep Rosso Rubino paint and a beige interior, RM Sotheby’s reckons it’s one of the lowest mileage examples out there.

$3,525,000
RM Sotheby’s

One of six cars delivered to privateer racers in the US, this RS 60 – an improvement on the standard 718 with independent rear suspension and uprated brakes – features an “illustrious period competition history” according to RM Sotheby’s. Will now mostly compete in static concours events.
 

$3,635,000
Gooding Christie’s

Sold for slightly less than its $3,750,000 - $4,500,000 estimate, this glorious C-Type could be considered a bit of a bargain for its new owner. Yep, your everyday $3.635m bargain. One of just 43 built for customer use, this straight-six Jag has already been accepted for entry into the 2026 Mille Miglia. Its new owner just needs to pay the entry fee. Lucky they saved some cash on the auction price, then. 
 

$3,800,000
Gooding Christie’s

With just 1,253 miles on its clock, won’t somebody please just drive this F40? Fingers crossed the new owner does. Heck, it’s just had a major service costing $33,866, so surely now is the perfect time to use that twin-turbo V8.
 

$3,965,000
Bonhams

Supposedly the most driver-focussed of all the Chiron variants, this particular Pur Sport has actually been driven. Hurrah! Okay, with 1,900 miles on the clock it hasn’t exactly been used as a daily, but at least that 1,479bhp W16 has been exercised. 
 

$4,295,000
RM Sotheby’s

An original Yellowbird finished in paint-to-sample Bordeaux Red. Mmm, tasty. This 1989 car was one of only six lightweight versions ever built and was actually kept at Alois Ruf’s home back in the day. Perks of being the boss. 
 

$4,405,000
RM Sotheby’s

It wouldn’t be Car Week without some ridiculously expensive and really rather large Duesenbergs risen from their slumber. Just five Torpedo Phaetons were ever built, and this is one of only two by Walker-LaGrande. Hope the new owner likes a concours event.

$4,460,000
Bonhams

Another Chiron sold by Bonhams at its sale during The Quail. This gloriously green Super Sport has covered less than 740 miles since new and was offered with “a thumb drive containing photos and video of the car as it was being produced”. Something for the buyer to break out at their next dinner party. 
 

$4,850,000
Gooding Christie’s

Ferrari apparently built just 78 examples of the 250 GT TdF, but even so there were four different bodystyles – no-louvre, 14-louvre, three-louvre and single-louvre. This is one of 36 built from lightweight aluminium in the final single-louvre style. 
 

$5,202,500
Broad Arrow Auctions

Before this car sold, the record price paid for an MC12 was $3.8m. This 2005 car absolutely smashed that. We’re sure the seller is pleased having just spent $70,000 on a mechanical recommissioning by GTO Engineering.
 

$5,230,000
RM Sotheby’s

When it was delivered to its first owner, this LaFerrari had just 54 miles on the clock. Now, it still has 54 miles on the clock. Yep, it has lived its whole life in a “humidity- and temperature-controlled private sanctuary” in California despite being ordered with $127,241 of options. Eugh.
 

$5,340,000
RM Sotheby’s

Winner of the top gong back at the 1982 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, this right-hand drive 500 K was bought new by the author, translator and 7th Earl of Arran, Arthur Gore.
 

$6,000,000
RM Sotheby’s

Yikes, this achingly pretty 250 GT Cabriolet was on display at Geneva way back in 1958, and just last year it was restored back to that exact spec with Grigio Metallizzato paint and a Rosso leather interior. 
 

$6,715,000
RM Sotheby’s

Here’s why you should drive your cars. Yes, this may be an open-topped Aperta rather than a standard LaFerrari, but this example with 2,300 miles on its clock sold for almost $1.5m more than that 54-mile coupe up above.
 

$7,265,000
Gooding Christie’s

How’s your Italian? Actually, it doesn’t need to be all that to understand prototipo. Yep, this was the original 250 GT California Spyder prototype. We can see why it went for over $7m.  
 

$7,550,000
Gooding Christie’s

Another California Spider, but this one is a later short wheelbase variant with sharper handling, better brakes and that gorgeous restyled Carrozzeria Scaglietti body. This particular car was also once owned by Sammarinese singer and actor Little Tony. 
 

$8,145,000
Gooding Christie’s

Recently certified by the Ferrari Classiche department, this stonking V12 Daytona was one of 15 factory-built competition cars and raced at Le Mans for Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team in 1973 and 1974. It also took a GT class win and second overall at the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona.
 

$8,557,500
Bonhams

One of 40 built and with less than 800 miles on the clock, this Bugatti Divo was the first one to be offered at auction. Despite strange mismatched aftermarket wheels, it still fetched a fairly impressive $8.5m.
 

$9,245,000
RM Sotheby’s

Ordered new and kept for eight years by none other than Ralph Lauren, this F50 was sold at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale for well over $9m. It’s one of two in US spec finished in Giallo Modena paint, and it looks utterly fantastic.
 

$11,005,000
RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari gave its blessing to Giuliano Michelotto to build a competition version of the F40, and the Italian went on to build just 19 examples of his subsequent F40 LM. It seems as though this example never actually raced, but its twin-turbo V8 was upgraded to GTC spec anyway, meaning a terrifying 760bhp. 
 

$25,305,000
Gooding Christie’s

This is apparently one of two alloy-bodied, full competition spec SWB California Spiders. It is also an absolute work of art, comes with ‘outstanding provenance’ and sold at the Gooding Christie’s auction for quite a bit over $25m. Good grief.
 

$26,000,000
RM Sotheby’s

Here’s a surprise – the biggest auction sale at Monterey Car Week wasn’t a classic Ferrari. It was a modern Ferrari instead. Just 599 examples of the Daytona SP3 were supposed to be built, but Ferrari stuck together a 600th car, used its logotype as a racing stripe and then auctioned it for charity through RM Sotheby’s.

Yep, all $26m will go to The Ferrari Foundation for “future educational initiatives”.