Broad Arrow in California Confirms the Records of a Historic Year
06 September 2025 9 min read 9 images
Photo credit: Broad Arrow Auctions
The California Gold Rush, which began in 1848 and ended in 1852, was a period of enormous change for the Bear State. San Francisco, for example, grew from around 200 residents in 1846 to 36,000 just six years later. This year there was another gold rush in California – though to win, you didn’t need pans and shovels; paddles were enough.
We have already examined the records set by RM and Gooding; today we turn to Broad Arrow at The Quail in Carmel: 178 cars offered, a slight increase on last year’s 167, with an estimated value of $119,530,000 – up 32% on 2025.
After two genuinely intense days, the result was 144 lots sold (80.9%) for $93,852,130 (an average of $651,751 per car).
These two figures, already significant in themselves, become remarkable when set against 2025. Last year the number of cars sold had stopped at 124, representing 74.25%, while total sales had not even reached $50 million ($48,428,850 to be precise) – whereas this year the figure rose by 93.8%. Naturally the average price also soared, up 67%.
Broad Arrow Auctions, The Quail, 13–14 August 2026
Top lot: a black Ferrari Enzo with red interior, identical to the one sold at Amelia. The Amelia Island example, however, came with all its original accessories – duplicate keys, the car cover, the manuals, the tools, and the original luggage set, none of which were present here. Above all, that car had covered only 450 miles, a staggering contrast to the 13,200 miles on the The Quail example. And if the Florida car had changed hands for $15.2 million, this Californian one could not hope to approach that figure. The estimate of $9–11,000,000 (with no reserve) was well-judged. When the hammer fell, the figure on the screen read $10,675,000 – which, in proper proportion, appears comparable to, or even slightly ahead of, the previous sale. The buyer? An enthusiast of just 29 years of age.
A new record, too, for a Ferrari 488 Pista Spider. A 2020 car, finished in red with the Italian tricolore running the full length of the bodywork, showing only 1,834 miles. On these modern supercars, accessories matter, so the fender shields, the front lift system, and the various carbon-fibre details all carried weight. Given that the previous record had been set at $1,320,000 in January, the estimate of $1.4–1.6 million for an example without any particularly standout provenance struck me as decidedly ambitious. The market was not intimidated, however, and the car sold for $1,545,000. With prices for the 458 Speciale rising sharply – Broad Arrow sold one example with 175 miles and a fine colour combination for $2,425,000 – who knows whether the buyer was already thinking ahead.
Broad Arrow made a strong impression with the Ferrari 550: the record for a road-going 550 Maranello – and probably the finest example in circulation – is just one illustration. Only two owners, Ferrari Classiche certified, a mere 527 miles from new, and $40,000 of work carried out in the past twelve months. Add to that the accessories: the luggage set, duplicate keys, tools, and the indispensable manuals. The common colour combination of red with tan leather interior did nothing to dampen the estimate of $450–550,000. At this edition of Pebble Beach, the 550 was unstoppable: it went to $648,500, more than 50% above the previous record. Worth noting: in that same week, three other examples also surpassed the previous benchmark.
And if Friday had marked the record for a 550 Maranello, Saturday brought the new record for a Ferrari 550 Barchetta. Here the colours provided an additional push – Nero with a Cuoio interior, a rare and compelling combination. The mileage was considerably higher at 5,722 miles, but again the car carried Ferrari Classiche certification, the Schedoni luggage set, the soft top, the car cover, and $100,000 of work carried out over the past five years. The estimate already signalled intent at $1.1–1,400,000, and the final price went even further: $1,627,500.
A new record as well for the 550’s successor, the Ferrari 575 in road-going specification. It should be said that setting a new benchmark here was relatively straightforward, since this was the first 575 GTZ – bodied by Zagato – to be offered at auction since 2018, and this example, the second of six produced, showed 3,364 miles and a handsome black exterior with green interior. Offered at $1.25–1,500,000, it changed hands for $1,215,000, surpassing the previous record by $280,000.
An interesting comparison arose between Broad Arrow and RM Sotheby’s, both offering a Bugatti W16 Mistral. The RM example was red with red interior, a single owner, and 321 miles from new. Broad Arrow, meanwhile, brought a car with a superior colour combination – Argento Opaco with Tangerine interior (a deep orange) – and more than double the mileage at 652 miles. Colour proved more influential than use: the first sold for $8,310,000, while the Broad Arrow example made $8,805,000. A new record.
Again, a new record for a Bugatti Veyron. The figure to beat was $3.1 million, but with a 2011 Grand Sport, the ground was already well prepared. This one was white with a sand interior – delicate, yet with an unashamedly Californian sensibility. The mileage was most encouraging at 8,595 miles, a sign that the car had actually been driven rather than kept on a pedestal – at last. It is worth noting that the Veyron was not always well regarded, and its price continued to fall for some time. It now appears to have found its level: estimated at $3.25–3,750,000, it sold for $3,305,000.
As seen across the other sales, modern supercars played the leading role. But this did not mean that older cars suffered by comparison. The 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort – black with black interior and 20,750 km – did set a record at $2,865,000 (estimate $2.65–2,950,000), though the other 959, a Sport offered by RM Sotheby’s, was hammered for over $7 million.
And now for the curious case of the 1968 Lamborghini Miura S. A car of considerable importance: sold new in Italy, its first owner was Giulio Vignale, nephew of the celebrated coachbuilder, who never registered it. When the car was restored in 2017 under the supervision of Miura authority Simon Kidston, it had covered just 6,380 km. Here we arrive at the real mystery: at Amelia Island in March 2025, the same car – by then showing approximately 7,800 km – sold for $2,450,000 against an estimate of $2.5–3,000,000. At Gooding it had been red, but when it appeared at Broad Arrow it arrived described (note the phrasing) as finished in a "period-correct color of Azzurro Mexico" with an "original Nero interior." This means the car was not born in blue – it was resprayed, almost certainly within the past 18 months. In essence, the much-praised restoration took place before the colour change. It would have been prudent to examine the car’s recent history more closely before bidding against an estimate of $3.2–3,600,000 and arriving at a final sale price of $4,075,000 – the new record for a Miura S.
