Classic Cars Auction house
Rank 04
Gooding Christie's
The boutique, highest-sell-through house at the top end, now backed by Christie's and holding the auction record for an American car.
Photograph: Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction by Prova MO, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Why it is here
At Pebble Beach 2026 Gooding Christie's sold the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX2300 for $42,905,000, the most expensive American car ever sold at auction (Road & Track 2026-08-17). Hagerty puts its Monterey total at $158.8M with 157 of 167 lots sold, or 94% (2026-08-17). At Amelia it sold 94% for $71.8M, its best result there since 2010 (Magneto 2026-03-10). In Paris it debuted as Rétromobile's official auction with €50.36M and 77% sold (Hagerty 2026-02-05). Bloomberg Law reported Christie's re-entering the classic-car market by buying Gooding (2024-09-12). Score drivers: prestige 9.3 from the record lot and Christie's ownership; expertise 9.2; provenance 9.1, because heavily marketed older Ferraris went unsold in Paris (Magneto), so estimate discipline still matters; community 8.6; experience 9.2, because Magneto's editor called its Paris presentation 'much more upmarket'.
Who it is for
Collectors buying or consigning curated, high-value cars who prefer a smaller catalogue and very high sell-through.
Sources
- This Shelby Daytona Coupe Just Became the Most Expensive American Car Ever Sold at AuctionCSX2300 sold for $42,905,000 at Gooding Christie's, a record for an American car at auction.
- 2026 Monterey Car Week Auctions Shatter Record with $756M in SalesGooding Christie's $158.8M, 157 of 167 sold (94%).
- Amelia auctions 2026: Sales bonanza as records fall and sell-through rates soarGooding Christie's Amelia sale 94% sold for $71,797,800, its best since its first Amelia sale in 2010.
- Christie's Reenters Classic Car Market With Gooding AcquisitionChristie's agrees to acquire Gooding & Company, re-entering collector cars.
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