This year's edition of the prestigious auction in Pebble Beach, organized by the auction house Gooding Christie's, was a real sensation. At the center of the event was the iconic 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, which was sold for a staggering 42.9 million dollars. With this achievement, the icon with a monstrous resource and a glorious sporting past officially became the most expensive American car ever sold at auction.
The special value of this particular example is due not only to the engineering genius behind it, but also to the fact that it was the personal property of its creator - the legendary Carroll Shelby. The final price of $42.9 million improves the previous national record by almost 95 percent, exceeding it by over $20 million. The previous champion among cars from the United States was the magnificent 1935 Duesenberg SSJ, formerly owned by Hollywood star Gary Cooper and sold in 2018 for $22 million.
The sale of this unique Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe marked an absolute peak for the auction house Gooding Christie's itself. The deal surpassed the previous highest amount in the company's history, held by the Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, for which just over $25 million was paid in 2025.
The two-day auction in California became the auction house's most successful event, realizing a total sales volume of over $159 million. Out of a total of 158 curated lots, 94 percent were sold, with nearly thirty cars exceeding the one million dollar mark. Other notable highlights of the auction included a 1963 Ferrari 250 P that changed hands for $18.705 million, a classic 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione for $8.09 million, and a 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck racing thoroughbred that fetched $3.305 million.