1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster - Carroll Shelby's - $5.9m

CSX3178. Carroll Shelby's personal 427 Cobra since new until his passing. Purchased from Shelby's estate in 2016. One of five 427 Cobras originally finished in Charcoal Gray. Ground-up concours restoration completed in 2019 to exacting 1965 specifications. Original body and chassis. Aluminum head 427 side oiler engine with dual 4-barrel carburetors. Toploader 4-speed manual transmission. Sunburst knock-off wheels. This 427 Cobra is the big brother of CSX2000, the original small-block Cobra. CSX2000 recently sold for almost $14 million.

The artifact appeared at Mecum.

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Speciale - £3.2m

This 1971 P400 SV Speciale crossed the block at Gooding & Company’s Passion of a Lifetime auction in 2021. It is one of only 150 P400 SVs ever produced, and one of 764 Miuras in total. But this is also a speciale with extras like dry sump lubrication and a ZF limited-slip differential. The bespoke Miura was finished in Oro Metallizzato. (metallic gold)

The Miura's mid-engine, two-seat layout combined high performance and expert craftsmanship in a single dynamic package. The Italian automaker produced the vehicle until 1973. Towards the end of the car’s production run, the marque put out a refined version: the P400 SV. The Miura Speciale’s alloy V12 delivered 385hp at 7,850 rpm.

1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III Convertible - $90k

Frame-off restoration. Matching numbers. 400 CI Ram Air III V-8 engine. Red with a Black soft top. Black bucket seat interior. Endura front bumper, chrome rear bumper. A total of 174 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III Convertibles with a 4-speed manual transmission were produced, 113 with automatic transmission.

Rare and beautiful, Hagerty suggests a concours 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible with 8-cyl. 400cid/366hp 4bbl Ram Air III is trending around $200k. This example appeared at Mecum.

RM Sotheby’s Paris 2020 – Top Ten Auction Results

The top result at the RM Sotheby’s Paris 2020 sale went to the restored, matching-numbers 1958 BMW 507 Series II that changed hands for €1,996,250. 1. 1958 BMW Roadster Series II – €1,996,250 2. 1964 Porsche 904 GTS – €1,917,500 3. 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport – €1,523,750 4. 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing – €1,073,750 5. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster – €764,375 6. 1965 Aston Martin DB5 – €623,750 7. 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta – €522,500 8. 1939 Delahaye 135 Roadster – €455,000 9. 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 ‘Red Pig’ Replica – €432,500 10. 1992 Jaguar XJ220 – €398,750

A 1964 Porsche 904 GTS sold for €1,917,500. A 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport made €1,5m.

1989 RUF CTR Yellowbird - $4,680,000

One of only 29 W09 Group C Turbo Ruf (CTR) Yellowbirds. RUF’s global breakthrough came in 1987 with the release of the CTR, famously known as the “Yellowbird.” Based on the Porsche 911 Carrera, the CTR featured a bored-out 3.4-liter flat-six engine, twin turbochargers, and a racing-derived fuel-injection system. The mill produced 469 horsepower and was the fastest production car at the time. Paired with RUF’s own five-speed gearbox and reinforced chassis, the car achieved a 211-mph top speed.

Improving performance, buyers could specify a leichtbau—lightweight form of the CTR. This replaced body panels and doors with lighter aluminum. A leather-wrapped Matter aluminum roll cage found its way into the interior along with a set of Recaro Clubsport seats. These changes saved over 400 pounds to give a total weight of just around 2500 pounds. The sprint to 60 mph came in just 3.65 seconds, and to 100 mph in seven. Road & Track was properly impressed with the CTR in 1987 when the magazine named it the “world’s fastest car,” and the name they’d given the car during the test, “Yellowbird,” immediately stuck.

Ultimately, only 29 examples would be built by Ruf, making the car incredibly rare. This example crossed the block at Broad Arrow.

1967-69 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88

The L88 was a factory racing option package. The 1967 L88 Corvette was powered by a modified version of Chevy’s 427 V-8. 435hp was claimed, with real output between 540 and 580hp. Four out of the five most expensive Corvettes at auction are L88s. The L88 package was more than just the potent race engine. It included choice of the manual Muncie M22 Rock Crusher or M20 Hydramatic transmission.

Also included were power assisted heavy duty disc brakes, and the F41 heavy duty suspension.

The L88 stayed in production until 1969 with a total of 216 produced. Values of 1967–69 L88s have grown exponentially over the past decade.

The rarest Stingray 427 example from 1967. There were only 20 original factory units produced with half of these convertibles. It sold in 2014 for $3.9m.

1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova - $380k

Dennis Michalo purchased his 1969 Yenko Nova L78 396 new on April 4, 1969. Of 38 cars intended for conversion to L-72 427 iterations, only about half were converted. Produced only in 1969, less than ten are known to exist today. His forgotten Yenko Nova is a rare machine.

This example was parked in 1978.

Copo deemed the Nova too much of a compact car for the power generated. Yenko ordered stripped-down SS396 L78 Novas in Lemans Blue, Garnet Red, Rallye Green, and Fathom Green. Yenko then offered the L72 427 short-block replacement. This Yenko Nova didn’t move again until 2018.

As a collectible, the Yenko Nova is in a league of its own. These cars usually only circulate inside the inner circle of serious collectors. The last time a Yenko Nova changed hands at auction in 2015 it made $380k. Frame-off restoration. 427/450 HP engine. 4-speed transmission. 4.10 Positraction rear end. Power brakes. Lemans Blue with White Yenko stripes. Black bench seat interior. AM radio. Body-colored steel wheels. Dog dish hubcaps.

A fully restored 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Nova recently made $852k. Here.