Naturally, the most feverish talking point from the Monterey auctions in 2025 was the final Ferrari Daytona SP3, which RM Sotheby’s sold for charity on behalf of its maker for a scarcely believable 26m US dollars. That made it the most valuable car sold in California all week – an astounding achievement for a truly worthy cause.

The striking  ‘Tailor Made’ example was added to the 599-unit production run by Ferrari especially for the occasion and sold with all proceeds going to charity. That’s right: RM even waived its usual fees. But if there was ever to be a ‘when-the-stars-align’ moment, this was it.

Not only were such individually specified limited-production modern supercars the abundantly obvious flavour of this year’s Monterey Car Week, both inside and outside the salerooms. And the appeal was, of course, exacerbated by the charitable aspect. But Ferrari itself also has an allure of which most manufacturers can only dream. We’ve seen it first-hand before. In 2023, our very own Max Girardo auctioned a unique 812 Competizione ‘Tailor Made’ for Ferrari at its charity gala in New York, achieving an extraordinary 5.1m dollars – around five times its ‘showroom’ value.

In the same vein, the SP3 result does not represent the collector-car market because it transcends it. In fact we have it on good authority that most of the bidders were new registrations with RM Sotheby’s. Regardless, 26m dollars – over five times the SP3’s current market value – is truly remarkable: it was a master stroke by Ferrari S.p.A. and RM – and Monterey was the perfect place to sell the car. There’s a good reason that Monterey Car Week has become the de-facto stage on which the world’s biggest manufacturers are launching their ultra-exclusive special-edition models. Because they know that’s where their customers – existing or potential – will be. 

While the headlines have been dominated by the Daytona SP3 result, the real winner of this year’s Monterey auctions for us from a collector-car market perspective was, of course, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione. The estimable Charlie Ross of Gooding Christie’s hammered it away on Friday afternoon for 23m dollars – that’s 25.3m dollars including buyer’s premium.

Lightweight alloy bodywork. External fuel-filler cap. Covered headlamps. Velocity stacks. Factory hardtop. They’re the tell-tale signs of a 1960s competition Ferrari, in this case one of only two factory-built short-wheelbase California Spyder ‘Comps’. It was a timely reminder that, ultimately, the most valuable cars in the world remain those from the 1960s and before.

On a more personal note, chassis number 2383 GT is a car we were so honoured to exhibit and that Max had the privilege of driving at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2022 on behalf of one extremely generous owner. “There are great Ferraris and then there are great Ferraris,” comments Max, who was forced to cancel his Monterey plans at the last minute thanks to unplanned ankle surgery. “It goes without saying that this California Spider Competizione falls into the latter category – as confirmed by the collector in Germany who was prepared to pay World Record money for it. That it was the most valuable car ever sold by David Gooding is all you need to know about the desirability of this particular Ferrari.”  

Of course, Car Week is always a wonderfully intense and kaleidoscopic week of automotive excellence. But when you’re actually in the circus taking part, Monterey takes on a heightened sense of occasion and privilege. Over the last three years, our very own Marcus Willis has overseen and managed the comprehensive restoration of this Lamborghini Miura P400 SV in Italy on behalf of its owner. And last weekend, on the Monterey Peninsula, the exhaustive project finally came to a head when chassis number 4848 contested the world’s most prestigious automotive beauty pageant: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 

Marcus and Peter were on hand to support the owner on the ground in Monterey as the Miura vied for the affection of the esteemed jurors. The car was featured in the ‘Postwar Sports Touring’ class, which read like a roll call of history’s most jaw-droppingly beautiful cars. In what transpired to be his favourite Car Week moment, Marcus was asked to drive the Miura on the Tour d’Elegance.

“Three years of work building up to this week,” he recalls. “And I was afforded the chance to stretch the Miura’s legs on the Tour. I’ve never driven a car that’s been so well received and admired – throughout the entire tour, people at every corner, garage, lay-by and turning point waved and cheered as this car covered its first USA miles.”

In addition to seeing these priceless cars stretching their legs on California’s breathtaking roads, the 70-mile tour – which traces sections of the legendary 17-Mile Drive en route to Carmel-by-the-Sea, via Big Sur and Highway Number 1 – was the first chance for entrants to eye up their competition...

While the class’s deserving winner was Jonathan Segal’s sensational 1953 Siata 208 CS Balbo Coupé, the Miura was very well received by the judges, earning the third-place prize. The recognition was a satisfying seal of approval for the tens of artisan craftsmen in Italy who contributed to chassis number 4848’s remarkable restoration. It was also a fitting start to its new life on American soil.

You only had to open Instagram and refresh your feed to see that the overall trend for this year’s Monterey Car Week – both inside and outside the salerooms – was that for modern-era limited-production supercars. Especially those in unique or rare colours and specifications, with few or notable owners and – perhaps sadly – very low mileage.

At auction, the dizzying 841,000 dollars someone paid for the PTS ‘Zanzibar Red’ delivery-mileage Porsche 911 GT2 RS paints perhaps the clearest picture of this marked market shift. That or the World Record 9.25m-dollar Ferrari F50 – one of two US cars finished in yellow and ordered new by Ralph Lauren. On the supercar-littered streets of Monterey, it was the Pozzi Blu over Cuoio ultra-low-mileage Ferrari Enzo that had people fawning, both in real life and in the social-media universe.

Really, it’s a trend that’s been snowballing for several years now. We’ve been here before, though, have we not? Look at the history books and you’ll see that there was a similar proverbial ‘changing of the guard’ in the 1980s, when the previously dominant pre-War cars fell out of favour and the relatively modern 1960s cars assumed the throne – the throne that, until now, they’ve held firm!

We genuinely thought most of the congestion around Monterey this year was down to wildly enthusiastic young supercar spotters, who flooded the Peninsula. We’re not complaining. In fact, quite the contrary! It was a surefire indication of a world that’s getting bigger, broader, better and more passionate, indicating a healthy and vibrant future. We absolutely love ‘our’ hobby and are proud and happy to see it developing. 

Change is good. Change is exciting. Pebble Beach has always been the premier concours for historic cars and its traditional values pervade the week. Hey – a Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Phaeton and a Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster, both from 1935, brought in 4.4m and 5.34m dollars, respectively. Those are huge sums. But as Monterey Car Week has evolved over the years into a genuinely all-encompassing phenomenon, so, to an extent, has the collector-car world.

With decades of collective experience at the very top of the collector-car market, it’s perhaps of little surprise that Team Girardo & Co. is in demand when it comes to judging the world’s most prestigious automotive beauty pageants. For the second year running Marcus played a role in the world-famous concours serving as a Shadow Judge, casting his meticulous eye over and helping to scrutinise the ‘Ferrari Grand Touring’ class. It was a mouthwatering assembly of Maranello might, from the alloy-bodied 275 GTB/4 to the 410 Superamerica Series I – the recipient of an awe-inspiring Paul Russell restoration and indeed the class win.

It was incredibly satisfying to see a number of Girardo & Co. old flames being exhibited at several different events in California, not least the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, which won the coveted Enzo Ferrari Trophy during Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The second-place finisher in the 1964 12 Hours of Reims, chassis number 5909 is a car for which we found the perfect new home back in 2023… And which the new owner has shown quite literally all around the world – from England to Australia and now in California. Peter was only too happy to help the owners with the presentation of the car to the judges on Sunday. It’s a car he was extremely fond of when we hosted it at Belchers Farm, predominantly because he helped considerably on the research side, compiling the bumper history file. Sadly, he is too tall to have ever driven it! 

Photos: Jonny Lau / Machina Studios

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