Market Intelligence
Carpe Diem: At the Pebble Beach 2026 Auctions, Every Assessment Is a Certainty
From a 1963 Corvette Grand Sport to a McLaren F1 GTR estimated above $35,000,000, ten carefully chosen lots define the Monterey Car Week 2026 auctions.
If there is one thing I enjoy, it is surprising people. For example, what does a 1930 Bugatti have to do with a Lamborghini Revuelto? In a few days the most exciting week of the year will be upon us – the Monterey Car Week – and the auctions will take centre stage. I could have written a preview, picked the most expensive lots and commented on them. But that would have been predictable. I therefore approached this week with two fixed points in mind. The first was to surprise – to surprise you, but also the people who will hear you talking about little-known cars with curious histories. Read on, and those who listen to you will think you have read all 2,000 pages of the Monterey catalogues. The second point, given that records have been broken again and again in the first part of the year, and will certainly be broken again, is this: you will not find a Ferrari among the cars I have chosen.
I have selected ten cars, two per auction, to help you make a strong impression: while your friends are talking about yet another Ferrari record, you can tell them about some obscure car "that, however…" and explain why these cars matter so much.
Let us start with RM Sotheby’s and its three-day sale – one day more than usual. Of the five (and I underline five) cars offered at over $10,000,000, the one most likely to surprise you is the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Unless you have just rediscovered a hard drive full of bitcoin you thought you had thrown away in 2010, forget about buying it: the estimate is $11,000,000–13,000,000. Second in class at Sebring in 1964 and third in 1965, with a history tied to the Mecom Team, A.J. Foyt, Augie Pabst, and Dick Thompson. Exceptionally rare – just five examples were built – and the first of the three coupés. Same owner since 2003, with appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Monterey Rolex, and Sonoma. Not one has crossed the block since 2009. Will it set a new record for a Corvette? With the current record standing at $3,500,000, announcing that to friends will be easy.
