Monterey Car Week took place from Aug. 7-16 in California and, as you might expect, things were expensive.
With the exotic car market being higher than ever, many cars were sold at the RM Sotheby's Monterey
auction for multimillion-dollar price tags.
While most of those cars with top price tags came from the expected European brands, such as Ferrari, McLaren, Bugatti and Aston Martin, there was a surprising number of American cars near the top of the charts as well. Here are the 10 most expensive American cars that were sold at Monterey Car Week.
2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo - $1,105,000
The S7 is one of the fastest American cars ever made, with its top speed of 248 mph. This vehicle is one of 30 twin turbo models and is one of 19 finished in "Lizstick Red." One media report says the color of red paint is named after founder Steve Saleen'swife, who is named Liz.
1948 Tucker 48 - $1,270,000
The Tucker Corp. is an American automaker that may not be as well known as other U.S. car companies. Some may recognize the brand name from the Francis Ford Coppola film that came out in 1998 starring Jeff Bridges ("Tucker: The Man and His Dream"). This Tucker 48 is one of 47 models remaining and has been maintained so well that it hasn't needed to be restored.
1960 Chevrolet Corvette LM - $2,000,000
While the 1963 Grand Sport that sold for nearly $19 million (see below) got the most attention, this 1960 Corvette LM demanded a hefty price as well. This car was one of three Corvettes to make the car's debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960.
1931 Duesenberg Model J Tourster by Derham - $2,315,000
Duesenberg is an American manufacturer that developed fast and large luxury vehicles during the 1900s. This Model J is one of eight original Toursters by Derham, an American coachbuilder that created vehicles with high quality materials. While it may be a grand tourer, it still has the inline-8 cylinder engine that the Model J was known for.
2025 Czinger 21C - $2,535,000
Czinger is a fairly new hypercar manufacturer based in Los Angeles. The 21C is powered by a hybrid twin-turbo V12 engine that gives the car a combined 1,250 horsepower and has an extremely high redline at 11,000 rpms.
1932 Chrysler CH Imperial Speedster - $3,305,000
This CH Imperial Speedster is a one-off vehicle that was built for Walter P. Chrysler himself. The car had an inline-8 cylinder enigne that supplies 160 horsepower and had many prototype parts on the vehicle that were added to other Chrysler cars in the future.
1913 Mercer Model 35-J Raceabout - $3,635,000
Mercer is an American automaker based in New Jersey that was in buisness from 1909 to 1925. Back in its heyday, the company made the 35-J Raceabout, a performance car from the Brass Era that had a four-speed manual transmission. The history of this car can be tracked to 1939 and the vehicle was once sold for just $62.50 several decades ago.
1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Individual Custom Sport Phaeton by LeBaron - $4,295,000
Packard was a Detroit-based automaker that was in buisness from 1899 to 1956. This Packard is one of four authentic 1108 Twelve Individual Custom Sport Phateon by LeBaron examples left and still has its original engine, chassis and coachwork. This car was put up for sale after spending over 30 years as part of a collection and was previously owned by Gen. William Lyon of the U.S. Air Force.
1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe - $9,080,000
This Duesenberg Model JN was restored by Bohman & Schwartz and was originally built for the "King of Hollywood" Clark Gable.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport - $18,705,000
The most expensive American car sold at Monterey this year is the 1963 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport. It’s one of only five models ever built and is the most expensive Corvette ever sold. It was made in secret during an era where General Motors withdrew from racing and was able to take down the Shelby Cobra on the racetrack, hence earning the nickname "Snake Eater."
Keenan Thompson is a car culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Keenan at kthompson@freepress.com. Follow him on Instagram at @keenanautos. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What 10 most expensive American cars sold for at Monterey Car Week
