Auction Stats November saw over 5,000 classic and exotic cars sold with online platforms leading the charge, accounting for 78% of all sales. While the election may have influenced some activity, the overall market remained healthy. Live auctions continued to dominate the high-value segment, achieving an average sale price of $82K—double the $41K average seen online. Although overall sales were slightly down compared to November 2023, there’s no cause for concern. Year-to-date numbers show a healthy and stable market heading into the close of 2024. Let’s dive into the details!
November Breakdown
Dollar Volume in November took a noticeable dip, driven largely by a significant drop in live auction sales. Live auction totals came in at $91.9M this year, down from $210.7M in 2023—a decline tied to fewer high-profile events on the calendar. Online auctions, meanwhile, showed much more stability with $162.8M in sales compared to $166.9M last year – a modest 2% decrease. While the numbers are softer overall, the continued strength of online platforms highlights their critical role in today’s market.
The decline in Dollar Volume aligns with a drop in Sold Listings for live auctions, which fell from 1,867 in 2023 to 1,115 this year. Online auctions, however, continued to deliver strong results with 3,946 cars sold—up 4% from last November.
Average Price in November dipped compared to the same time last year for both live and online auctions, reflecting a shift toward lower-value cars driving sales. However, Sell-through Rates were up across the board, showing that there’s still plenty of activity in the market. Buyers are engaging more than ever, but it’s the more accessible collector cars that are taking the spotlight this season. This trend highlights a dynamic market that continues to adapt and thrive at all levels.
Notable Sales
Top 10 Sales / November 2024
While online auctions and lower-value cars are driving much of the market’s activity, live auctions continue to show their strength with high-end, blue-chip sales. In November, RM Sotheby’s dominated the spotlight, sweeping the top 10 sales—all with cars selling for over $1M. In fact, 16 cars sold at live auctions last month for over $1M, with only 1 online lot breaking the 7-figure mark. This reinforces the enduring appeal of live auctions for the most prestigious collector cars, where expertly curated offerings attract deep-pocketed buyers looking for truly exceptional examples.
If the Top 10 Sales chart above does not load, please refresh the page and wait 10 seconds. Thanks for your patience while we get the gears running.
Top 10 Flips & Flops / November 2024
Each month, we track "Flips" and "Flops," which we define as cars with documented previous sales. This enables us to calculate the net gain or loss and the time elapsed since the last sale. While some purists argue that a genuine Flip/Flop occurs only within a 12-month timeframe from the previous sale, we believe this list offers entertainment and valuable insights that a narrower window would overlook. Admittedly, it's plausible 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.
Flips
Flops
If the Top Flips & Flops charts above do not load, please refresh the page and wait 10 seconds. Thanks for your patience while we get the gears running.
Market Busters / November 2024
While most statistics and reviews tend to concentrate on the upper echelon of the market, noteworthy examples are consistently emerging across all segments of the industry. Our "Market Busters" chart showcases listings that broke records within their respective market segments and across all value tiers.
If the Market Busters chart above does not load, please refresh the page and wait 10 seconds. Thanks for your patience while we get the gears running.
Year-to-Date
As highlighted in our October Market Report, Total and Sold listings are on pace to hit record highs this year. By November 30th, over 4,000 more vehicles had sold in 2024 compared to the same time last year. While Dollar Volume may fall short of 2022’s peak, it’s shaping up to closely match 2023. This is all good news, showing a very healthy market – and we look forward to digging into the numbers during our 2024 Year in Review, breaking down further market trends and opportunities.
A month-to-month comparison over the past two years continues to show steady market activity across all key performance indicators. While 2022 brought record highs in Dollar Volume, 2023 and 2024 have seen a slight rise in Sold Listings, especially at online auction. The market has stabilized, and we have reached a "new normal" with a balance between both live and online auctions. We'll dig in further on these trends in our 2024 Year in Review next month!
This Report includes data from the following auctions:
Online Auctions:
US Live Auctions:
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
