September 2026 broke the pattern. All year, the story has been “fewer cars, more money.” In September, it was more cars and more money.
Auction sales reached $50M, up 66% compared to last September. That’s the strongest September we’ve tracked, well ahead of the previous high of $324M (set back in 2022).
This time, the growth came from volume. Cars sold rose 44% compared to last September, and the number of cars offered grew 38%. The average sale price still climbed 15% to $57K, but it wasn’t carrying the month on its own. Buyers showed up for more of what was offered.
Sell-through landed at 73%, up from 70% last September, and it was the best September in five years. Fewer no-sales, a bigger catalog and higher prices all in the same month is a rare combination, and it’s what makes September stand out.
Online auctions took 62% of every dollar spent in September, but live auctions grew much faster compared to last September.
Online had its best month ever, with $278M in sales, up 38% compared to last September. Cars sold online rose 16% to a new record, sell-through improved to 71% (from 68%), and the average sale price climbed 19% to $52K.
Live auctions brought in $171M, up 142% compared to last September, and the number of cars sold more than tripled. Part of that was the calendar (Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas and Kruse Auburn Fall both fell in September this year). The biggest driver was Mecum Nashville at $67M, up 366% compared to Mecum’s live results last September. Add RM Sotheby’s two European sales, and live auctions had their busiest September ever.
The live average price fell 21% to $68K. That’s what happens when the mix shifts toward high-volume American sales: more cars, more affordable cars and a 78% sell-through rate.
Top 10 Sales in September
RM Sotheby’s Zürich took the top four spots in September, led by a 2014 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse at $5.85M. Online took four of the top 10 spots, all on Bring a Trailer, led by a 2020 Ferrari 488 Pista Spider at $1.80M (#5 overall). Online also accounted for 8 of the 17 cars that sold for more than $1M.
Even so, September was a middle-market month. Cars between $100K and $500K made up 36% of all dollars spent, and sales in that range nearly doubled compared to last September. Cars over $1M were just 7% of dollars (compared to 60% in August, thanks to Monterey).
New Market Records set in September
This fan-favorite chart tracks sales that set a new high for a specific make and model. September’s records came from some unexpected places.
The biggest jump came from a 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 that sold for $750K at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas, up 774% from the model’s previous record – driven by the fact that it was a Charity sale. On Bring a Trailer, a 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale reached $630K (up 233%), and a 1999 Acura NSX Zanardi Edition reached $628K (up 127%).
At the top end, the $5.85M Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse from Zürich more than doubled its model’s previous record.
Top 10 Flips & Flops in September
And we can’t forget about everyone’s favorite lists… .the flips and flops!
Each month, we track “Flips” and “Flops,” which we define as cars with documented previous sale records. 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
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Results are included from the following auctions in September 2026:
Online Auctions:
Live Auctions (US)
Live Auctions (UK & EU)
* 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.
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