A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione sold for a record $25,305,000 at the Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach auction in 2025, marking the highest price ever for the model at public auction. This sale highlights the enduring value of these classic roadsters, produced between 1957 and 1963. Prices for the model have stabilized after a boom in the mid-2010s, with short-wheelbase versions typically reaching $16 million to $18 million.
The Ferrari 250 GT California Spider, designed for the US market with coachwork by Scaglietti, saw its auction values first exceed $10 million in 2008, when a 1961 SWB example was purchased by British broadcaster Chris Evans at RM Sotheby’s in Maranello, Italy, for that milestone amount.
Production totaled 106 units: 50 long-wheelbase (LWB) and 56 short-wheelbase (SWB) variants introduced in 1959. While the model was not primarily for racing, a few competition-spec cars achieved notable results, such as a fifth-place finish overall at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Auction prices surged during the 2014–2016 classic Ferrari boom, with SWB sales climbing to $15 million–$18 million and LWB peaking below $10 million. Since then, the market has stabilized for SWB cars in the $16 million–$18 million range, while LWB models have slipped to $5.5 million–$8 million. Competition versions remain outliers; the second-highest sale was $18,649,760 for a barn-find 1961 SWB from the Baillon Collection at Artcurial Paris in 2015.
The 2025 Pebble Beach record involved chassis 2383GT, the first public sale of this SWB Competizione since the mid-1960s. Another outlier at the same auction was a 1961 SWB sold post-hammer for $7,550,000, the lowest for such a model since 2009.
Just over 30 examples have sold at public auction since 2008, with 15 above $10 million. Upcoming is a 1962 SWB, chassis 2955 GT, estimated at €14.5 million–€16.5 million ($16.8 million–$19.2 million) at RM Sotheby’s Monaco in April 2026. Repeat sales are rare, showing these as blue-chip investments.
