Auction Stats Sales Surpass $1B in Early 2025
February was an exciting month for the classic and exotic car market, with two of the top five highest-priced sales in history taking place. These record-breaking transactions highlighted the strong demand for rare and collectible vehicles, but they weren’t the only sign of a thriving market. Live auctions overall saw significant activity, pushing total industry sales past $1 billion within the first two months of the year—a milestone never reached this early before. Let’s take a closer look at the key trends and highlights that shaped the market in February.
Compared to last year, live auction revenue jumped by 77%, while the number of vehicles sold increased by 75%. However, the average sale price rose by a more modest 54%, suggesting that many of these transactions took place at lower price points. This trend was largely driven by high-volume motorcycle auctions, including Mecum’s 300-bike sale and Iconic’s 91-motorcycle event. Additionally, RM Sotheby’s Miami auction, which is typically held in March, took place in February this year, further boosting sales. Over in Paris, the Retromobile event by Artcurial saw an 80% increase in vehicles sold, RM Paris posted a 60% uptick, and Broad Arrow’s 105-car no-reserve auction contributed to the month’s impressive market performance.
While online auctions saw a slight dip across most key metrics, they remained stable overall. Bring a Trailer (BaT) stood out as the only online platform to post growth in February, reinforcing its dominant position in the digital space. Beyond the raw numbers, a key takeaway from February was the significant improvement in Sell-through Rate (STR) compared to last year. This reflects a continuing trend from late 2024—buyers and sellers are increasingly aligned on valuations. With prices stabilizing after the highs of 2022, more transactions are closing successfully, making auctions an increasingly efficient marketplace for collectors and enthusiasts alike.
If these trends hold, 2025 is shaping up to be a strong year for the classic and exotic car market. Stay tuned as we track how the year unfolds!
Top 10 Sales
RM Sotheby’s led the auction market last month, claiming all of the top 10 sales with two events: Paris at the start of the month, and Miami at the end – plus a special one-off sale of the 2nd most expensive car ever sold at auction – the Monza Streamliner. Bonhams just missed the list, with their top sale in Paris coming in at #11: a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta.
Top Online Sales
In total, 38 cars sold for over $1M in February 2025, including 6 online sales. While digital activity continue to thrive, live auctions still command the highest prices, with in-person bidding driving the biggest results. It was a strong month overall, highlighting continued demand for top-tier classic and exotic cars.
#1 Online
#18 Overall
#2 Online
#21 Overall
#3 Online
#31 Overall
Top 10 Flips & Flops
Below is a list of sales that stand out as "Flips" or "Flops"—vehicles that changed hands this month that have documented past sales history. Below, these cars are ranked by their percentage increase or decrease in value, with time between sales also factored in*.
While some purists argue that a genuine "Flip" or "Flop" occurs only within a 12-month timeframe from the previous sale, we believe this list offers entertainment and insights that a narrower window would overlook.
Flips
Flops
*It's plausible (and likely) that cars have changed hands in private transactions between these public listings; nonetheless, this data provides valuable insights into which cars have realized significant gains or losses compared to their previous sales. Enjoy this data at your own discretion.
Market Busters
It's not just about six- and seven-figure sales – impressive results are happening across all price points. This month, these "Market Busters" set new all-time high sales records in their markets:
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This Report includes data from the following auctions:
Online Auctions:
US Live Auctions:
Paris Live Auctions:
Other UK / EU Live Auctions:
* A Market on CLASSIC.COM is a grouping of comparable vehicles that have, at a minimum, the same Make, Model, and Model Generation. When relevant for purposes of valuation, a Market may be further segmented by Model Variant, Trim, Transmission Type, Body Style, and other factors.
**The CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB) is a benchmark value for vehicles in a given Market based on data accumulated by CLASSIC.COM and calculated by a proprietary algorithm that takes into account volume and recency of each data point. CMB can be used to assess the performance of a market over a given time period. However, it does not represent the value of a specific vehicle.
Read more in our Glossary of Terms
