$678 million of collector cars sold across four January U.S. auctions, up 52% from 2025, with average prices rising to $144,161 from $93,037 as Ferrari led the surge.
Mecum's sale of Phil Bachman's 45-car Ferrari collection set 19 world records, including $17.875 million for a bespoke Enzo—about triple the previous high for the model.
That strength spread beyond one auction: RM Sotheby's and Gooding Christie's logged fresh Ferrari records in Arizona and Paris, including an Enzo at €8.105 million and a 288 GTO at €9.117 million.
The rally also reached other modern exotics, with the Porsche Carrera GT auction record climbing from $2.2 million to $6.7 million within 75 days.
Hagerty says 84% of 59 post-1980 cars sold above $2 million this year involved U.S. buyers, while most UK classic values stayed flat, suggesting a narrow, top-end boom that could still prove fragile.