Top Cars at Auction in 2018

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO by Scaglietti. The third of 36 GTOs built; considered by marque experts to be one of the most authentic and original of all GTO examples. One of 3 factory converted to 'Series II'. As was widely predicted, it made a princely $48.4m. The price achieved by the car is over $10m more than the previous world record auction 250 GTO, sold by Bonhams in 2014.

Gary Cooper’s 1935 Duesenberg “SSJ” was the star of the Gooding and Company's Pebble Beach 2018 auction. The Duesenberg realized $22m. This record price makes the car the most valuable American collector car ever sold.

A 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0628, sold for $22m at RM Sotheby’s auction at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It is one of only four cars built and one of three survivors.

1963 Aston Martin DP215 Competition Prototype. It was the first car to hit 300kph (186mph) down the famous Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans du ring practice ahead of the 1963 race. The DP215 was 12 seconds per lap quicker than the Ferrari 250 GTO but was forced to retire that year after just 29 laps due to gearbox issues. This car made $21,455,000. The current record for an Aston Martin sold at auction is $22.5m, paid for the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1 in 2017.

Bonhams sold this 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato July 13th for £10,081,500, making it the most valuable British car ever sold at European auction. It is one of just 19 examples.

A 1966 Ford GT 40 Mk II, chassis P/1016 achieved $9.8m at RM Sotheby’s Monterey.

A 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Speciale, chassis 06437, sold for $8m. Top result at the Gooding Scottsdale sale.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta, chassis 0905 GT, sold for $6.6m at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2018 sale.

$6,067,210 for an ex-Scuderia Ferrari 1932-4 Alfa-Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto. Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale 2018.

1959 BMW 507 Roadster - $1.6m high bid

One of 252 built. Very-late Series II car. One of the final BMW 507 Roadsters produced. In 2025, the restoration was updated with new paint and interior. The engine, suspension and brakes were rebuilt in the late-1990s. The 1959 BMW 507 Roadster is a highly sought-after classic. It was a limited-production, hand-built sports car with an aluminum body, a 3.2-liter V8 engine, and elegant design. Due to high production costs, it was a commercial failure. BMW had intended for the 507 to revive the company's sporting image, but the high production cost led the company to the verge of bankruptcy. BMW lost money on each 507 built. 252 plus two prototypes were built before the production was terminated in 1959.

Elvis Presley, while stationed in Germany on duty with the US Army, bought his first 507, a 1957 model. Because so many of Presley's female fans left lipstick marks on the car, he had it painted red.After Elvis sold the car and returned to the US, it disappeared into a barn for nearly 50 years. It was found and restored.

Showing 6,176 miles, this late series example was rarely used. Hugely rare and highly collectible, Hagerty suggests a concours example is trending around $2.7m. This example crossed the block in May at Mecum.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Convertible - $162k

62,398 miles. 1 of 34 V-Code Road Runner convertibles produced for 1970 and 1 of only 20 equipped with the 4-speed manual transmission. Documented on the Chrysler registry as a factory V-Code convertible. 440/390 HP 6 BBL V-8 engine. 4-speed manual transmission with Hurst Pistol Grip shifter. Power steering. Power brakes. Bucket seats and console. Tic-Toc-Tach and gauges. Solid State AM radio. Air Grabber hood. Power convertible top. Rallye wheels. Goodyear Polyglas tires. 658 Plymouth Road Runner convertibles were produced in 1970, the final year.

The 440 Six Pack/6-BBL V-8 offered by Mopar was rated at 390 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. Save the Hemi, the 440 Six Pack would have been the dominant V-8 of the classic muscle car era. It was a quicker accelerating engine than the Ford 429 Cobra Jet and the GM 454 and 455. One of the key factors is fuel consumption, and the 440 Six Pack's 3x2 carburetor setup provided a great deal of that. The 440 Six Pack/6-BBL had an aluminum Edelbrock intake manifold, moly piston rings, and Hemi valve springs.

This example made $162k at Mecum.

1964 Pontiac GTO Convertible - $84k

68,874 miles. Frame-off restoration. Inaugural year for the Pontiac GTO, introduced as a performance option package for the LeMans. 389 CI Tri-Power V-8 engine. Chrome valve covers. 4-speed manual transmission. Refinished Black exterior. Matching power operated Black convertible top with Red boot cover. Red bucket seat interior. Hydraulic brakes. Wire wheel covers. Whitewall tires. Dual split tip side exit exhaust.

1964 was the first year for the GTO, which technically was an option package for the Pontiac LeMans coupe. The LeMans was an intermediate-size car that should have been restricted to a maximum engine size of 330 cubic inches, based on GM's internal regulations. A car had to have 10 pounds of weight for every cube of displacement. DeLorean and his team got around GM's rulebook by offering the bigger engine as an option package. The 389-cubic-inch engine from the larger Grand Prix was swapped in and the GTO was born. The engine produced 340 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque when new. A three-speed manual was the base offering for the GTO.

In 1964, a total of 6,644 Pontiac GTO convertibles were produced. The GTO was also available as a hardtop (18,422 units) and a coupe (7,384 units), with a total production of 32,450 cars for the year. This example made $84k at Mecum.

1971 Ford Ranchero GT - $40k high bid

40,618 miles. 429 CI Cobra Jet V-8 engine with Ram Air. Shaker hood. 3-speed automatic transmission. Traction-Lok differential. Bright Red with Black vinyl top. Black vinyl interior with Comfortweave inserts. Air conditioning. Power steering. The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run. The fifth generation was 1970/71 with Ford manufacturing 3,632 Ranchero GTs. Engine options included the all-new Ram-Air 429 Cobra Jet or Super Cobra Jet engines (7 L) with a "shaker" hood scoop.

The 429 CI Cobra Jet V-8 engine with Ram Air was rated at 335 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque.

The relic bid to $40k at Mecum.

Corvette Big Brake Tanker - Squared

1961 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Tanker. GM factory-prepared race car. Raced in 1961 SCCA competition. Triple Crown recipient. Rare RPO 1625 Big Tank, 1 of only 21 as delivered. Rare RPO 687 Heavy duty brakes and special steering. Rare RPO 276 Wide Wheel option. Heavy duty brakes, shocks and suspension. $155k in 2022 At Mecum

1962 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Tanker. GM factory-produced race car. RPO 1625, 1 of 60 produced with 24 gallon Big Tank option. RPO 687, 1 of 246 produced with heavy duty brakes and special suspension. Heavy duty drums and vented backing plates. Fuel injected 327/360 HP V-8 engine. Finned aluminum valve covers. 4-speed manual transmission. 4.11 Positraction rear end. $165k in 2022 At Mecum

1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible - $48k

48,355 miles. 312/225 HP V-8 engine. Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. Power steering. Air conditioning. Town and Country AM radio. In-dash tachometer. 4-way power seat. Removable porthole hardtop. Fender skirts. Kelsey Hayes wire wheels. Wide Whitewall tires.

The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible produced by Ford for the 1955 to the 1957 model years, the first 2-seat Ford since 1938. Light weight for its era and fitted with a standard V8 engine, the Thunderbird focused more on driver comfort than speed, and was not a direct rival to either the Corvette or European sports cars. The Thunderbird proved more suited to the American market than the Corvette, with sales of 16,155, versus 674 Corvettes in 1955. The original engine was Ford's 292-cubic-inch OHV 292 Y-block V8. For the 1956 model year, more trunk space was added, with the spare wheel mounted outside. A 312 cu in (5.1 L) Y-block V8 was added as an option. Production total for 1956 was 15,631 units.

This example made $48k at Mecum against an estimate of $50k to $60k.