Monterey Car Week remains one of the most important events of the year for understanding where the international collector car market is heading.
The auctions held by RM Sotheby’s, Gooding Christie’s, Broad Arrow and Bonhams bring together blue-chip classics, analogue supercars, modern classics and historically significant automobiles in one place, creating a far more useful snapshot of the market than any individual record sale.
The four major auctions took place between August 13 and 15, 2026, with Broad Arrow operating from its new venue at The Quail and Bonhams holding its sale at Laguna Seca. (rmsothebys.com)
The message emerging from Monterey 2026 is relatively clear: the market is not rising uniformly.
Instead, buyers are increasingly rewarding exceptional cars with strong provenance, desirable specifications and clear historical credibility, while becoming more selective with cars that are merely “good examples”.
Provenance, originality, mileage, colour combination, certification, restoration quality and ownership history now matter more than ever.
A Strong Market, but an Increasingly Selective One
The catalogues of the four leading auction houses once again confirmed the depth of international demand.
RM Sotheby’s brought a particularly high-end selection to Monterey, including several major collections and highly significant cars, while Gooding Christie’s maintained its traditional mix of important Ferraris, competition Porsches and major pre-war and post-war classics.
Broad Arrow, appearing for the first time as the official auction partner of The Quail, presented 185 collector cars, with a strong emphasis on contemporary supercars and modern classics from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. (newsroom.hagerty.com)
Bonhams, meanwhile, moved its traditional Monterey sale to Laguna Seca, reinforcing the natural connection between collecting and motorsport. (whatsupmonterey.com)
But the most interesting question is not simply how much money was spent.
It is where that money was spent.
Capital appears to be concentrating increasingly on cars that combine three qualities:
analogue driving experience, genuine scarcity and verifiable history.
That helps explain the growing demand for manual Ferraris, important Porsches, analogue supercars from the 1980s to the early 2000s and, at the same time, major historic classics whose characteristics are genuinely difficult to replicate.
Ferrari 550 Maranello: The Car That Best Explains Today’s Market
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is perhaps one of the clearest examples of this trend.
At Monterey, RM Sotheby’s offered a 1999 Ferrari 550 with just 5,443 kilometres, single ownership from new, 2026 Ferrari Classiche certification, a Platinum Award from Cavallino Classic and a rare Blu NART over Beige specification.
Its estimate was already ambitious at $250,000-$350,000. (backoffice.rmsothebys.com)
The important point, however, is not to apply the value of an exceptional low-mileage car to every Ferrari 550.
Public 2026 results show an enormous spread in values.
Hagerty records sales during May and June at approximately $157,500 and $169,500 for higher-mileage examples, compared with $447,500 and more than $500,000 for very low-mileage cars with highly desirable specifications. (hagerty.com)
That price dispersion tells us almost everything we need to know about the current collector car market:
the model matters, but the individual car matters even more.
This is also where we find the first strong parallel with the current Giro Classico inventory.
Our 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello is finished in the unusual Nero DS 1250 over Grigio Scuro 4302 combination and is equipped with the six-speed gated manual gearbox, modular wheels, Ferrari shields, a quilted leather rear shelf and an extensive documented maintenance history. (giroclassico.com)
It would not be correct to compare it directly with ultra-low-mileage concours examples.
However, the renewed international interest in the 550 Maranello clearly strengthens the model’s market positioning.
Ferrari 512 BB: Authenticity and Analogue Engineering
A similar argument applies to the Ferrari 512 BB.
The carburettor 512 BB represents exactly the kind of automobile that benefits from the current search for authentic mechanical experiences: twelve cylinders, four Weber carburettors and production limited to just 929 cars.
The example currently available from Giro Classico retains its matching-numbers engine and gearbox, is accompanied by a Ferrari Car Expertise report dated May 2026 and comes with extensive historical documentation from new. (giroclassico.com)
In a market increasingly focused on provenance and authenticity, these are not secondary details.
They are fundamental components of value.
Porsche 356 Speedster and 911 S: Icons Still Need the Right Story
Monterey also continues to demonstrate how central Porsche remains to international collecting.
The 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster currently offered by Giro Classico has several characteristics that fit perfectly with this increasingly selective environment: 1500 specification, correct Porsche Type 546/2 engine, 16-inch wheels, a fully documented restoration and eligibility for the 1000 Miglia. (giroclassico.com)
It is not simply “a Speedster”.
It is a car with a clear and verifiable collector narrative.
The same principle applies to the 1970 Porsche 911 S 2.2 in our inventory. Early 911 S models remain highly desirable, but the market now distinguishes much more clearly between average cars and examples offering the correct specification, matching numbers, high-quality restoration work and strong documentation.
BMW 3.0 CSi: When Specification Matters More Than the Model Name
Another interesting parallel can be found in the BMW 3.0 CSi E9.
Our example is one of the final 55 cars produced, finished in Polaris Silver with Marineblau interior and equipped with the desirable five-speed manual gearbox and original air conditioning.
Its restoration is documented by more than 400 photographs. (giroclassico.com)
It is a perfect example of what Monterey 2026 appears to be telling us:
it is no longer enough to buy “an E9”.
An experienced collector increasingly looks for the E9 that has a reason to be preferred over the others.
Late production, rare specification, correct components and restoration documentation can create a meaningful difference compared with the average example.
What Monterey 2026 Means for Collectors Today
The main lesson from Monterey 2026 is that the market is rewarding individual quality more than category alone.
Modern classics and analogue supercars from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s are attracting substantial attention, but important cars from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s remain highly desirable when they combine authenticity, rarity, documentation and eligibility for major international events.
Broad Arrow’s 2026 catalogue itself reflected this coexistence between modern collectibles and major historic sports cars. (newsroom.hagerty.com)
For this reason, the Giro Classico selection continues to focus on five key criteria:
rare specification, documented history, technical correctness, restoration quality and driving enjoyment.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello and Ferrari 512 BB are currently the cars in our inventory most directly aligned with the renewed interest in analogue Ferraris.
The Porsche 356 Speedster represents the enduring strength of truly iconic historic cars.
The Porsche 911 S and BMW E9 demonstrate how the right specification can make an individual example significantly more interesting than the average car of the same model.
Monterey 2026 does not tell us that every collector car will rise in value.
It tells us something more useful:
international capital remains active, but buyers are becoming more knowledgeable, disciplined and selective.
For collectors who value provenance, driving experience and long-term historical significance, that may ultimately be a very healthy development for the market.
