The new Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2025-2026 reports record $3.54 billion in turnover with a healthy 76% of lots sold despite global economic uncertainty

The Yearbook’s Top Sale Award goes to Gooding Christie’s for the 1964 Shelby American Cobra Daytona Coupé that sold for $42.9 million in Pebble Beach this past August

Historica Selecta acknowledges its partner UBS for its continual support, as it celebrates this year’s publication, 33 years in the making

BOLOGNA, Italy (22 October, 2026) – The new Classic Car Auction Yearbook debuts once again with its highly anticipated, annual review and in-depth analysis of the multi-billion-dollar, international classic car auction industry. Author and internationally-renowned Historian Adolfo Orsi Jr and his team at Historica Selecta will present the new 2025-2026 edition this week in Bologna at the Fiera Auto e Moto d’Epoca on Thursday, October 22^nd at 5 pm at the ACI / ACI Storico stand inside Hall 25.

Following the official presentation of the new Yearbook today at the ACI/ ACI Storico stand, leading auction executives from Artcurial, Bonhams, Broad Arrow, Gooding Christie’s, RM Sotheby’s and American expert Donald Osborne will take part in a panel discussion sharing their own perspectives and insights from this past season.

The Yearbook records a gross turnover of $3.54 billion for the 2025-2026 season, a 62% increase on the previous season. The average price per lot sold was $400,000, +54% compared to last year and the highest ever. Contemporary cars lead the industry with a growing share of sales and top-performers, and online sales continue to grow in an evolving marketplace.

“The season that just ended was record-breaking, both in the number of sales and in total turnover and it was, above all, a Ferrari year” writes Orsi. “Positive numbers of this magnitude have a real effect on the entire ecosystem; they strengthen trust, media attention, and the industry’s attractiveness”. Despite record totals, the Yearbook finds that in some segments, notably Classic (1946–1964) and Post-Classic (1965–1974) cars, collectors can still buy their dream cars at reasonable prices.

Ferrari strengthens its “blue chip” status, accounting for a record 35.3% of total turnover (followed by Porsche at 14.4%); however, some other brands actually sell at a higher rate. Gordon Murray has the highest sell-through percentage. This year Ferrari’s overall percentage rises 7 percentage points to 76% – equal to the market average – and, as last year, some individual models of the legendary Prancing Horse even sell at a rate of 100%.

The generational shift towards Contemporary cars (built from 2000) already observed in the past seasons is accelerating. Today UHNWI and HNWI, many of whom built their wealth in the new economy, are younger than past generations of collectors and gravitate towards the poster cars of their childhood. Contemporary cars are now the fastest-growing segment, with the largest share of the pie both in terms of offered cars (39.4% of the total) and turnover (48% of the total).

At the other end of the spectrum, Antique (cars built until 1904), Veteran (1905-1918) and Vintage (1919-1930) cars all sold at rates above 85% because “these cars are loved by a passionate group of collectors” says Orsi. “Rare cars coming from well-known collection are always welcome”. According to Orsi, “one rule always holds true”: in the classic car market “fresh-to-market cars, great provenance and legendary histories have always made, and will always make, a difference when it comes to attracting bids”.

There were 536 cars sold above the million-dollar mark this season (the highest number ever recorded) and 59 of these were sold online; every car in the Top 100 sold for more than $4.7 million, compared with $2.4 million last year. Ferrari was especially dominant in this ranking, with four in the Top Ten, 64 in the Top 100 and 198 among the 536. Contemporary cars (from 2000 onwards) numbered 255, followed by 89 Modern (1975-1999), 83 Classic (1946-1964) and 64 Post Classic cars (1965-1974).

Bring a Trailer leads the market in terms of the number of cars offered and sold on the total, with 37% and 28% respectively. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, this American online auction company has led the industry’s biggest evolution in online business.

The 31st edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook is a 476-page authoritative guide that reports on the results from both traditional and online auctions held from the 1^st September 2025 to the 31^st August 2026 and is filled to the brim with supporting graphs and charts as well ad editorial contributions from the author and leading auction house executives. This year’s edition is complete with 805 color photographs, 85 graphs and covers 11,824 cars, listed across 428 different marques with chassis numbers and auction results in three currencies (Euro, US dollar and pound sterling). For the first time, the 2025-2026 results also indicate whether a model set a new price record compared with previous seasons.