Ferrari Reigns Supreme in Pebble Beach

August 22, 2014 at 12:59 PM

The Prancing Horse Gallops Away with Top Prize

Never in the history of the Pebble Beach Concours d' Elegance has one car made such a splash. Jon Shirley's 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, a former winner of best in class, took the 2014 prize for Best of Show. It is the first time in this show's history that a Ferrari has won the top prize. Shirley, a retired Microsoft executive, found the car disassembled in a Paris garage in 1995. He has spent several years and lots of $ restoring the car and bringing it back to its former glory, even occasionally entering it into road rallies and races. Asked what he loves most about the Ferrari, Shirley has said he's drawn to the combination of "physical beauty and power."

Another classic Ferrari 275 GTB/4, once owned by Steve McQueen, was purchased for $10 million to an anonymous British phone bidder. The car was purchased by McQueen while filming Bullit. On the Bullit set McQueen drove his 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback as he's being chased by a man in a black Dodge charger. It's considered to be one of the best car chase scenes in Hollywood history. According to classic car specialists like McKeel Hagerty, head of a classic car insurance company, McQueen's stardom inflated the price of the car considerably, but to note the obvious, at least one buyer thinks it's worth the price!

In another record setting event, a 1962 Ferrari GTO Berlinetta, one of only 36 ever built, sold for $38.1 million. The hammer came down at Bonham's Quail Lodge Auction, on the most expensive car ever sold at auction, a record previously held by a Mercedes Benz W196 race car that went for $29.7 million in 2013. The most expensive Ferrari to ever change hands, cleared for $52 million last year in a private sale. The 250 GTO was the last front engine competition coupe to be built by Ferrari and was succeeded by the 250 LM model in 1965.

Bonhams also featured 10 Ferraris including a 1962 250GT Short-Wheelbase Speciale Aerodinamica that sold for $6.875 million, a 1953 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta that sold for $7.26 million and a 1978 312 T3 Formula One car that sold for $2.31 million. RM Auctions came in with

another stunner - the sale of a 1964 Ferrari GTB/C Speciale that sold for $26.4 million.

Passionate about classic cars, the principals of West Coast Shipping attended the Concours d' Elegance and other venues during this record setting Monterey week of events. You can view photos from Pebble Beach by visiting us on social media: