The new Classic Car Auction Yearbook 30th edition reports $2.18 billion in turnover for a buyer’s market, with an optimistic 73% of lots sold despite universal economic incertitude

The Yearbook’s Top Sale Award goes to RM Sotheby’s for the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen that sold for $53.9 million in Stuttgart this past February 

Historica Selecta acknowledges its partner UBS for its continual support, as it celebrates this year’s monumental publication, 32 years in the making

BOLOGNA, Italy (20 October, 2025) – 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, but this time a special back-of-book supplement provides a deeper look on the publication’s past three decades. Author and internationally-renowned Historian Adolfo Orsi and his team at Historica Selecta will present the new 2024-2025 edition this week in Bologna at the Auto e Moto d’Epoca trade show on Thursday, October 23^rd at 5 pm at the ACI / ACI Storico stand inside Hall 31. For the first time, the presentation will be conducted in English with an accompanying live Italian translation.

Gross turnover is reported to have been $2.18 billion last season, which resulted in a 2% increase in US Dollars yet a -1% decrease in Euro. The average price per lot sold was $255K, a -4% decrease compared to last year. Author Adolfo Orsi attributes these adjustments to uncertain conditions due to war and trade tariffs. Contemporary cars lead the industry with a growing majority of sales and top-performers, and online sales continue to grow in an evolving marketplace. 

“The market is resilient, more reflective and selective and it was a pleasure to witness some of the most desirable and well-prepared classic cars crossing the auction block this past season,” writes Orsi. “These cars included the iconic W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a 2025 Ferrari Daytona SP3 that sold to benefit charity, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider (one of two “passo corto Competizione”) and a 1966 Ford GT40 MkII. These spectacular cars’ results boosted the market’s total turnover in a big way.” 

Overall, the new Yearbook reports a “buyer’s market”, writing that collectors today have – in some cases – the right conditions to buy their dream cars, especially those from the Classic (1946-1964) and post-classic period (1965-1974). Considering the make, Ferrari is still the “blue chip” with 23.46% of total turnover (followed by Porsche at 16.61%), however, some other brands actually sell at a higher rate. Chevrolet, Singer, BMW, Ford and Dodge, the five overall leading brands for sales percentages, are all supported by the strength of the American market. Even though Ferrari’s overall percentage is 69%, which is below the market average, individual models of the legendary Prancing Horse vary greatly at auction and, at times, even sell at a rate of 100%. Those top-performers include examples such as the 250 GT Berlinetta “TdF”, 250 GT California Spider SWBs or LWBs, 275 GTS, Dino 206 GT, 412 and LaFerrari, to name a few. Alternatively, when considering the market by collecting segment, Antique and Veteran cars are highest at 83%, because “these cars are loved by a passionate group of collectors,” says Orsi. 

As history has shown before, the market is showing a spike of interest in cars ages 25 years old, otherwise now known as Contemporary collector cars. Today, this segment (cars built from 2000 onwards) is the fastest-growing, with the largest share of the pie at 34.19% for the 2024-2025 season. The author underlines that this preference for modern cars is the result of a generational shift, with today’s buyers being much younger than in the past. 

With gratitude for its longstanding presence and reporting, auction house executives from Artcurial, Broad Arrow, Gooding Christie’s and RM Sotheby’s all shared supportive statements in acknowledgment of the 30^th anniversary edition, which may be found on page 6.

“…A monumental effort in the precise analysis of the year’s market trends.” – Matthieu Lamoure, Managing Director of Artcurial Motorcars

 “For 30 years, the publication has sat at the right hands of our specialist teams across the globe…” – Augustin Sabatie-Garat, Director of Sales, EMEA of RM Sotheby’s 

“The Classic Car Auction Yearbook is an indispensable resource, and one that our team uses frequently to help inform important decisions,” – David Gooding, President of Gooding Christie’s

“[The Classic Car Auction Yearbook] serves as a bible to our industry, one that we often eagerly share with our clients…” – Kenneth Ahn, President of Broad Arrow Auctions 

There were 281 cars sold above the million-dollar mark this season and six of these were sold online; the first 100 ranked above $2 million. Bring a Trailer now reigns in terms of overall sales and percentage of total turnover, as well as number of cars offered and sold, with 27% and 29% respectively. Since Covid, this American online auction company has led the industry’s biggest evolution in online business. 

The 30th edition of the Classic Car Auction Yearbook is a 472-page, authoritative guide that reports on the results from both traditional and online auctions, held from the 1^st of September 2024 to the 31^st of August 2025 and is filled to the brim with supporting graphs and charts as well editorial contributions from the author and leading auction house executives. New sections this year include a 45-page, back-of-the-book retrospective on the previous 29 editions of the Yearbook’s reporting, as well as a “Grand Prix and Formula 1 Top Twenty” since 1993. This year’s edition is complete with 1,015 color photographs, 107 graphs and covers 11,808 cars, listed across 386 different marques with indication by chassis number and auction results in three currencies (Euro, US dollar and GB pound sterling).