Auction Stats Q1 Data Shows a Steady Market, Despite a Dip in March
March’s auction numbers may have dipped into the red, but when viewed in the context of the full 2025 landscape, the specialty car market continues to show the same steady hand we’ve seen over the past two years.
The timing of RM Sotheby’s Miami auction in February, rather than in March with the related auctions at Amelia Island, had an impact on some of the month’s headline numbers on paper, including average price, top sale, and total dollar volume. But dig a little deeper, and a more interesting story emerges. Online auctions saw year-over-year gains in both dollar volume and total listings sold, signaling continued stability across the market.
Q1 Review
When we look at Q1 numbers over the past 5 years, it stands out that Q1 2024 saw a notable increase in sold listings compared to 2023, while dollar volume remained largely steady, with only a small dip. However, 2025 showed a positive shift, with both metrics rising, leading to a slight increase in overall prices.
This was driven in part by a significant uptick in prices at what we label as “Other Live” auctions: those auctions not tied to major events like Scottsdale, Kissimmee, Amelia Island, or Miami. Additionally, there was a modest gain in Online auctions and a healthy increase in average prices at the Amelia Island and Miami events.
This reinforces a trend we’ve observed before: live auction houses are diversifying their events and offering higher-quality inventory, which continues to perform well across the board.
Year-to-Date Review
As we look at the year-to-date metrics for online vs live auctions, the trends remain steady, mirroring what we’ve seen over the past two years. While online auctions continue to show consistent performance, live auctions are also holding strong, maintaining their place in the market.
However, with the recent tariffs announced by the US and the economic uncertainty currently making headlines, we’re all curious to see how these developments will impact the remainder of the year. Stay tuned, as we’ll be keeping a close eye on the shifts and updating you along the way.
Top 10 Sales
March’s Top 10 sales were all fueled by the Amelia Island auctions, with Broad Arrow and Gooding & Company each landing five of the ten spots. Every car in the Top 10 cleared $2.4M, and 27 listings broke the $1M mark – including two that sold online.
Top Online Sales
#1 Online
#20 Overall
#2 Online
#27 Overall
#3 Online
#30 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:
* 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
