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June 18: Toyota Wins Le Mans Again; the Ferrari Restomod Boom; Bonhams Sells Out; a $3M Maserati Bound for Monterey
Toyota wins Le Mans again, a strong run of auction results led by a sell-out at Bonhams, the booming market for reimagined classic Ferraris, and the build-up to Monterey — headlined by a ~$3M Maserati.
ALT/FNDATA
- Membership (code PODCAST15): https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618
- Market reports: https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618-r
- Podcast episodes: https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618-p
On the Track
- 24 Hours of Le Mans — two races in one: the overall battle (the fastest prototypes) and a separate GT3 class for production-based cars. Toyota won overall, its 6th Le Mans victory, with Aston Martin also on the overall podium. Corvette won GT3.
- Koenigsegg set a new top-speed record for a production car.
The Week on the Block
- Bonhams' National Automobile Museum sale sold every lot — a 100% result.
- RM Sotheby's "Sealed" online auction (sealed-bid format) closed Wednesday, headlined by a 1969 Lamborghini Miura; results were not disclosed.
- ALT/FNDATA data: a 1970 Miura P400 in our database sold for $1.7M at Mecum, for a sense of the model's market; and the single most valuable car in our database over the past 90 days is a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster at $1.8M, also at Mecum.
Monterey on the Horizon
- Monterey Car Week (August) is the biggest event on the calendar. RM Sotheby's is revealing its catalogue.
- A 1954 Maserati A6GCS, a class-winning race car, is heading to Broad Arrow with an estimate of nearly $3M. For context, the last 1954 A6GCS in our database sold for $2.3M.
The Restomod Boom
- The clearest theme in the market: modern reinterpretations of classics, especially Ferraris.
- Evoluto — a reimagined 1990s Ferrari F355, limited to 55 examples.
- GTO Engineering — a revival of the Ferrari 250 GT short-wheelbase Berlinetta.
- A Jean Sage take on the Ferrari F40, lighter and more powerful than the original.
- Even the Dino 246 is getting a reworked "Evo" version.
- The appeal: the look and soul of a vintage car with modern reliability and performance.
New & Bespoke
- Bentley unveiled a 1-of-100 bespoke Continental GT S, hand-finished by Mulliner, with a new limited version planned each year.
- Maybach is lending its name to a "Gigayacht" and members' club, to be built by German shipyard Lloyd Werft.
Cars With a Story
- The Jensen Interceptor once owned by Led Zeppelin's John Bonham is heading to auction.
- The 1965 Chevrolet Corvette of astronaut Gus Grissom is up for grabs — automotive and space history in one. Provenance reliably adds a premium.
Market Context
- At the Hong Kong auto show, Chinese automakers made a clear push to court wealthy buyers, including in right-hand-drive markets — a sign of how aggressively China's carmakers are moving upmarket.
By the Numbers (ALT/FNDATA data)
- Top car, trailing 90 days: $1.8M — 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster (Mecum).
- Miura comp: $1.7M — 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 (Mecum).
- Maserati A6GCS comp: $2.3M — last 1954 A6GCS in our database (vs the ~$3M Monterey estimate).
Week Ahead
- All roads lead to Monterey in August; we'll track the consignments as the major houses reveal their catalogues.
Also from ALT/FNDATA:
- Open Bid — Mon-Fri at 6 AM ET
- Closing Price — Mon-Fri at 5 PM ET
Toyota wins Le Mans again, a strong run of auction results led by a sell-out at Bonhams, the booming market for reimagined classic Ferraris, and the build-up to Monterey — headlined by a ~$3M Maserati.
ALT/FNDATA
- Membership (code PODCAST15): https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618
- Market reports: https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618-r
- Podcast episodes: https://altfndata.com/go/au-260618-p
On the Track
- 24 Hours of Le Mans — two races in one: the overall battle (the fastest prototypes) and a separate GT3 class for production-based cars. Toyota won overall, its 6th Le Mans victory, with Aston Martin also on the overall podium. Corvette won GT3.
- Koenigsegg set a new top-speed record for a production car.
The Week on the Block
- Bonhams' National Automobile Museum sale sold every lot — a 100% result.
- RM Sotheby's "Sealed" online auction (sealed-bid format) closed Wednesday, headlined by a 1969 Lamborghini Miura; results were not disclosed.
- ALT/FNDATA data: a 1970 Miura P400 in our database sold for $1.7M at Mecum, for a sense of the model's market; and the single most valuable car in our database over the past 90 days is a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster at $1.8M, also at Mecum.
Monterey on the Horizon
- Monterey Car Week (August) is the biggest event on the calendar. RM Sotheby's is revealing its catalogue.
- A 1954 Maserati A6GCS, a class-winning race car, is heading to Broad Arrow with an estimate of nearly $3M. For context, the last 1954 A6GCS in our database sold for $2.3M.
The Restomod Boom
- The clearest theme in the market: modern reinterpretations of classics, especially Ferraris.
- Evoluto — a reimagined 1990s Ferrari F355, limited to 55 examples.
- GTO Engineering — a revival of the Ferrari 250 GT short-wheelbase Berlinetta.
- A Jean Sage take on the Ferrari F40, lighter and more powerful than the original.
- Even the Dino 246 is getting a reworked "Evo" version.
- The appeal: the look and soul of a vintage car with modern reliability and performance.
New & Bespoke
- Bentley unveiled a 1-of-100 bespoke Continental GT S, hand-finished by Mulliner, with a new limited version planned each year.
- Maybach is lending its name to a "Gigayacht" and members' club, to be built by German shipyard Lloyd Werft.
Cars With a Story
- The Jensen Interceptor once owned by Led Zeppelin's John Bonham is heading to auction.
- The 1965 Chevrolet Corvette of astronaut Gus Grissom is up for grabs — automotive and space history in one. Provenance reliably adds a premium.
Market Context
- At the Hong Kong auto show, Chinese automakers made a clear push to court wealthy buyers, including in right-hand-drive markets — a sign of how aggressively China's carmakers are moving upmarket.
By the Numbers (ALT/FNDATA data)
- Top car, trailing 90 days: $1.8M — 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster (Mecum).
- Miura comp: $1.7M — 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400 (Mecum).
- Maserati A6GCS comp: $2.3M — last 1954 A6GCS in our database (vs the ~$3M Monterey estimate).
Week Ahead
- All roads lead to Monterey in August; we'll track the consignments as the major houses reveal their catalogues.
Also from ALT/FNDATA:
- Open Bid — Mon-Fri at 6 AM ET
- Closing Price — Mon-Fri at 5 PM ET
Creators and Guests
What is Auto Market — Trends in Collector Cars, Motorcycles & Aircraft?
Auto Market is your weekly read on the world of collector cars, motorcycles, and aircraft. Every Thursday, host Sharon Obuobi covers the auction results that matter — from RM Sotheby's, Bonhams, Gooding, and the other major houses — alongside marque analysis, the new limited editions and restomods worth knowing, and equity data on the publicly traded automakers. All backed by proprietary data from ALT/FNDATA. For collectors, enthusiasts, and investors who follow the market.
Learn more at www.altfndata.com.
AUTO MARKET — Thursday, June 18, 2026
[INTRO]
Good morning, it's Thursday, June 18. I'm Sharon, and this is Auto Market from ALT/FNDATA.
We take a weekly look at the world of collector cars. It has been a busy week, from the result at Le Mans to a wave of reimagined classic Ferraris and the build-up to Monterey. Let's get into it.
[ON THE TRACK]
We start on the track, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is comprised of two races in one. There is the battle for the overall win, fought by the fastest purpose-built prototype cars, and there is a separate class for production-based sports cars, known as GT3.
Toyota won overall, its sixth victory at Le Mans, holding off its rivals across the full 24 hours, with Aston Martin also reaching the overall podium. In the GT3 class, Corvette came out on top.
Away from the race itself, Koenigsegg made news of its own, setting a new top-speed record for a production car. Between the track and the test strip, the engineering contest at the very top of the car world is as intense as it has ever been.
[THE WEEK ON THE BLOCK]
In the auction salerooms, it was a strong week. Bonhams held its National Automobile Museum sale and sold every lot on offer, a 100 percent result that speaks to deep demand for well-chosen cars.
And RM Sotheby's closed its latest Sealed auction yesterday, an online sale built around sealed bids and headlined by a 1969 Lamborghini Miura. True to that format, the results were not disclosed.
For a sense of where the Miura sits, the most recent example in the ALT/FNDATA database, a 1970 P400, sold for 1.7 million dollars at Mecum. And the single most valuable car in our database over the past 90 days is a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster, which brought 1.8 million dollars, also at Mecum.
[MONTEREY ON THE HORIZON]
Looking ahead, the calendar is building toward Monterey Car Week in August, the biggest event on the collector-car calendar. RM Sotheby's has begun revealing its Monterey catalogue, and one lot we have been watching is a 1954 Maserati A6GCS, a class-winning race car heading to Broad Arrow with an estimate of nearly 3 million dollars. For context, the last 1954 A6GCS in our database sold for 2.3 million dollars, so that estimate marks a step up.
[THE RESTOMOD BOOM]
The clearest theme in the market this week is the rise of the restomod, the modern reinterpretation of a classic car, and it is especially strong with Ferrari.
A company called Evoluto has built a reimagined version of the 1990s Ferrari F355, limited to just 55 examples. GTO Engineering is offering a revival of the legendary Ferrari 250 GT short-wheelbase Berlinetta.
There is a Jean Sage take on the Ferrari F40, lighter and more powerful than the original. And even the Dino 246 is getting the treatment, in a reworked Evo version. None of these are cheap, but they answer a real desire: the look and the soul of a vintage car, with the reliability and the performance of a modern one.
[NEW AND BESPOKE]
On the new-car side, Bentley has unveiled a one-of-100 bespoke edition of its Continental GT S, hand-finished by its Mulliner division, and it plans to release a new limited version every year, a clear play for the collector who wants exclusivity straight from the factory.
And in the realm of the truly extravagant, Maybach is lending its name to a so-called Gigayacht and a members' club, to be built by the German shipyard Lloyd Werft, taking the Mercedes-Maybach name well beyond the driveway.
[CARS WITH A STORY]
A couple of cars with remarkable provenance are coming to market.
The Jensen Interceptor once owned by Led Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham, is heading to auction.
And the 1965 Chevrolet Corvette that belonged to the astronaut Gus Grissom is up for grabs, a piece of both automotive and space history. Provenance like this reliably adds a premium, because the buyer is paying for the story as much as the steel.
[MARKET CONTEXT]
We have one signal worth noting from the wider industry.
At the Hong Kong auto show this week, Chinese automakers made a clear push to court wealthy buyers, including in right-hand-drive markets. It is a sign of how aggressively China's carmakers are moving upmarket, and of where the competition for affluent customers is heading next.
[WEEK AHEAD]
For now, all roads lead to Monterey in August, and we will be tracking the consignments closely as the major houses reveal their catalogues.
[OUTRO]
That's your week in the collector-car market for Thursday, June 18.
If you want to go deeper on the numbers behind today's show, the ALT/FNDATA market index and datasets track results across the automobile market and the wider world of collectibles. You can start for free in our data sandbox, or reach us by email at info@altfndata.com.
I'm Sharon, from ALT/FNDATA. Open Bid is back tomorrow morning at 6 Eastern, and Closing Price is this evening at 5. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a five-star rating.