THE FOLLOWING IS EXCERPTED FROM MSN.COM
Monterey Auctions Set Records
Story Filed: 8/21/2007
By Mike Meredith
Collector cars sales top $100 million at the Monterey auctions during the Pebble Beach Concours weekend.
A 1931 Bentley 4 1/2-Litre Roadster was the top seller at the Gooding Auction, taking in $4.51 million.
The oldest driving vehicle in existence, the De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux sold at the Gooding Auction for just over $3.5 million.
This 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Spyder California was one of the featured vehicles at Gooding and Co., taking in $4.455 million.
Previously owned by candy company heiress Ethel V. Mars, an elegant Duesenberg sold for an impressive $4.4 million.
The original concept car preceding the Dodge Charger, this piece of automotive history brought in just over $1 million.
The fact that this car formerly belonged to Steve McQueen likely helped drive the price of a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso to $2.31 million.
Photo Gallery: Monterey Auctions
The Pebble Beach Concours weekend concluded on Sunday night after the Best of Show winner was announced on the green, with the second night of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Auction presented by Gooding & Company. For the first time, the Pebble Beach Auction was a two-night event with sales on both Saturday and Sunday, resulting in total sales of more than $60 million.

A 1931 Blower Bentley from the E. Ann Klein Estate was the top seller of the weekend at the Pebble Beach Auction, with a sale price of $4.51 million. A close second was a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder, which sold for $4,455,000.

Richard J. Solove’s collection of 15 Rolls-Royces was sold for a total of $14.3 million, with all of the proceeds going to charity, benefiting the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University. Solove’s collection of Rolls-Royces included the only known complete set of first-series Silver Ghosts with examples from 1907 to 1915, including the 1912 Rolls-Royce SG Limousine by Barker, known as “The Corgi,” which sold for $2.97 million.

A Ferrari collection once owned by television producer Greg Garrison included seven one-of-a-kind cars. The top sellers were a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder, which set a world record at $2,035,000, and a 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupe that sold for $1.32 million.

Other notable sales at the Pebble Beach Auction included a 1962 Maserati 5000 GT at $1.1 million, a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV at $869,000, and an unrestored 1935 Voisin C25 Clairiere Berline at $330,000.

Winner of the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours Best of Show award, the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special is currently owned by Harry Yeaggy; it was sold to Yeaggy for a record $4.45 million at the 2004 Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company.

Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction
The Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction, owned by RM Auctions, was held on August 17-18th at the Portola Plaza Hotel in downtown Monterey. The event set a record with total sales of $46 million including nine cars that topped the $1 million mark. The chart-topper was a former 24 Hours of Le Mans contender, the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Spyder California Competizione that sold for $4.95 million.

A highly desirable and magnificently restored 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Town Car that was formerly owned by candy company heiress Ethel V. Mars earned the second-highest sale price of the auction at $4.4 million. Rounding out the top five in sales were a Delage D8S Coupe Roadster at $3.74 million, a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special at $2.53 million, and a 1965 Aston Martin DB4 GT Factory Lightweight at $1.65 million.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, a series of ten unique pedal cars, all autographed by Edsel B Ford II, were auctioned and the sale proceeds that topped $200,000 were divided between the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the charity of choice of each builder.

The original 1964 Dodge HEMI “Charger” Concept, powered by an original 426 cubic inch factory racing HEMI, sold for $1.1 million. Other notable sales included a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Spyder at $1.54 million, a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder at $1,056,000, a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider at $907,500, and a 1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 350 R at $852,500.

Other Monterey Auctions
Held once again this year at the Monterey Jet Center on Thursday, August 16th, was the Christie’s Auction. Preceding most of the other Pebble Beach Concours weekend events, the highlight of the auction was the sale of a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso that was owned, driven and raced by Steve McQueen from 1963 to 1973. The Lusso sold for $2.31 million and was the top-selling car of the 2007 Christie’s Monterey Auction, which totaled nearly $8.2 million in sales.

Top sellers included a 1930 Duesenberg J Convertible Berline with coachwork by Lebaron at $902,000, a 1908 Napier 45 HP Type 23A Seven Seater Touring Car at $682,000, and a 1936 Auburn Model 852 Straight Eight Supercharged “Boattail” Speedster at $423,500.

Bonhams & Butterfields presented the tenth annual auction—“An Important Sale of Collectors’ Motorcars and Automobilia”—at Quail Lodge on August 17th.

Highlights included a 1907 Packard Model Thirty U Series Runabout 3924 that sold for $403,000; a 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Regent Convertible Coupé S163PR at $403,000; the oldest known surviving Cadillac: the 1902 New York Autoshow 1903 Cadillac Rear Entrance Tonneau 13 at $337,000; the ex-Curt Lincoln, Jack Brewer,1959 2-Liter Cooper-Climax Monaco Mark I Sports-Racing Two-Seater CM-1-59 at $287,500; and a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe at $254,500.

The Sports and Muscle in Monterey Auction conducted by Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auctions was also held August 17-18th, at the Monterey Marriott. As the name implies, the focus at Russo and Steel is on sports cars and muscle cars and this year sales exceeded $10 million, with two of the featured cars setting sales records. A 1973 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV, the ninth-from last Miura and the final production number sold for $962,500 and a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL sold for $764,500.