Car Auctions

[Will E Worm]

The Most Expensive Car Ever Auctioned in U.S.

It is a tough time to sell a used Hummer. But used Bugattis, Mercedes Gullwings and other rare auto breeds for the well-heeled still are fetching top dollar.

A few minutes ago, Gooding & Co. released the final tally for its annual Pebble Beach auction. The California sale, which follows the storied Concourse d’Elegance, is one of the elite car auctions in the world and has become a valuable barometer for the collectible-car market.

This year’s auction, which ended Sunday, raked in $64.2 million, topping last year’s huge tally of $60 million. Twenty cars sold for more than $1 million–more than triple the number in 2006. Five cars sold for more than $2 million. The Bugatti collection sold by Peter Williamson, comprised of 12 prized cars, sold for more than $15.5 million.
Granted, it wasn’t all good news. One in five cars failed to sell.

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Here are of some of the blockbusters:

1937 Bugatti Type 37SC Atalante Coupe–$7.92 million, the highest price paid for a vehicle in North America.

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB “California”� Spider–$3.63 million

1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia “******** Beauty”–$2.585 million

1950 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans–$2.2 million.

Three cars from Oprah Winfrey’s collection, including a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, sold for $716,000.

Most Expensive Cars Ever Auctioned

1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe - Sold For: $8,700,000 in November 1987
1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK - Sold For: $7,443,070 in September 2004
1931 BugattiRoyale Berline De Voyager - Sold For: $6,500,000 in June 1986
1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa - Sold For: $6,490,000 in August 2002
1966 Ferrari 330 P3 - Sold For: $5,616,000 in August 2000
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO - Sold For: $5,500,000 in November 1991
1930 Bentley Speed Six - Sold For: $5,109,700 in July 2004
1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster - Sold For: $4,455,000 in August 2004
1937 Alfa-Romeo 8C-2900 - Sold For: $4,072,000 in August 1999
1956 Ferrari 410 Sport - Sold For: $3,822,500 in August 2001

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