Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider tops Gooding's Saturday auction at $15.18 million

Mon, 18 Aug 2014

During the weekend's automotive smorgasbord in Pebble Beach, Ferrari has played a huge roll. Twenty examples of the ultra-rare 250 TR, better known as the Testa Rossa, were prominently on display at the Concours d'Elegance, and the Prancing Horses have been top sellers at many of the auctions. You can chalk up one more on that list with a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider with a scarce, optional hardtop included going for $15.18 million at Gooding & Company's sale on Saturday night. Ferris Bueller would find it so choice.

In all, the auction house brought in about $60.4 million during the night, and 17 of the cars on the block sold for over $1 million. None of the other cars on Saturday managed quite the stratospheric highs of the California, though. A 1955 Aston Martin DB3S was the second-highest seller at $5.5 million. The next four top vehicles were all Ferraris with final prices ranging between $2.09 million and $2.365 million. Clearly, investors are in love with the Prancing Horse these days.

Check out our gallery, and scroll down to read the auction house's announcement of its top Saturday results.

Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach Auctions Saturday Sale Realizes More Than $60.4 Million

17 cars sell above the $1 million mark

10 new auction records set for marques including Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mazda

Visit www.goodingco.com for full results

Pebble Beach, Calif. (August 17, 2013) - Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®, realized more than $60.4 million during the first of its two evening auctions at Pebble Beach this year. Celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions and record-breaking results, the auction house sold 59 of 64 lots, which resulted in a 92% sale rate and an impressive average price of $1,024,091 per car. Adding to the weekend festivities, 10 auction records were surpassed at Gooding & Company's SaturdaySale. New benchmarks were set, including a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider, a 1955 Aston Martin DB3S and a 1967 Mazda Cosmo 110 Sport, a newly trending marque.

David Gooding, President of Gooding & Company: "We had one of the most successful one-day sales in our history and saw tremendous excitement surrounding the sale of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider. It's incredible that Saturday's results do not yet take into account many of our star attractions including the 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti and the 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Cabriolet Sportivo, which will both be featured at our auction following the Concours on Sunday."

The most spectacular lot of the evening was undoubtedly the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider. The Spider features the sought-after covered-headlight treatment, which Scaglietti applied to 37 of the scarce 56 examples built. In addition to this significant distinction, 2903 GT is one of a limited number of SWB California Spiders factory equipped with an optional hardtop. This car has spent its life in the care of dedicated owners, including famed actress Barbara Hershey. Offered for sale for the first time in over 14 years, this stunning 250 GT sparked a round of excited bidding - resulting in a final sale of $15,180,000, a world record for a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider.

Lots over $1 million from the Saturday Sale:

Lot 18, 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, sold for $15,180,000

Lot 32, 1955 Aston Martin DB3S, sold for $5,500,000

Lot 58, 2001 Ferrari 333 SP, sold for $2,365,000

Lot 60, 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, sold for $2,365,000

Lot 26, 1956 Ferrari 250 Europa GT, sold for $2,310,000

Lot 62, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, sold for $ 2,090,000

Lot 49, 1948 Tucker 48, sold for $2,035,000

Lot 38, 1958 BMW 507, sold for $1,925,000

Lot 11, 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopo, sold for $1,870,000

Lot 13, 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, sold for $1,705,000

Lot 35, Porsche 959 KOMFORT, sold for $1,485,000

Lot 24, 1990 Ferrari F40, sold for $1,320,000

Lot 36, 1967 Toyota 2000 GT, sold for $1,155,000

Lot 20, 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, sold for $1,023,000

Lot 51, 1958 Aston Martin DB Mark III Drop Head Coupe, sold for $1,012,000

Lot 59, 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SS Coupe, sold for $ 1,012,000

Lot 30, Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS, sold for $1,001,000

Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach Auctions continue on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. PST. Exquisite entries in the August 17th sale include a 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti (estimate upon request), a 1962 250 GT SWB Berlinetta (estimate upon request), a 1969 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione (estimate: $5,500,000-7,000,000), a 1959 250 GT Series I Cabriolet (estimate: $4,500,000-6,000,000), a 1927 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix that was owned and raced by Helle Nice (estimate: $2,800,000-3,500,000), a 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Cabriolet Sportivo (estimate $5,000,000-7,000,000), a 1956 Maserati 250F (estimate: $4,000,000-6,000,000) and a 1962 Shelby Cobra (estimate: $2,000,000-2,400,000), among others.

The Pebble Beach Auctions
Date: Sunday, August 17 at 6:00 pm PST
Location: Equestrian Center, Corner of Stevenson Drive and Portola Road, Pebble Beach
Auction catalogues: $100, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auctions
General admission: $40, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auctions
Live auction broadcast: www.goodingco.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingCompany
Twitter: @GoodingCompany RSS: www.goodingco.com/rss.xml

About Gooding & Company
Gooding & Company, internationally celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions producing record-breaking results, provides unparalleled service in the collector car market, offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals, and collection management. In addition to the annual The Pebble Beach Auctions on August 16 and 17, we will present The Scottsdale Auctions on January 16 and 17, 2015 and the Amelia Island Auction on March 13, 2015. Gooding & Company is pleased to be the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance®. Preceding each auction, a complete catalogue is made available online at www.goodingco.com and the sale is broadcast live on our website. For additional vehicle information and up-to-the-minute results, follow Gooding & Company on Facebook and Twitter @GoodingCompany.

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By Chris Bruce