These 2 classic cars made history at Pebble Beach this weekend
RM Sotheby’s
The original Shelby Cobra.
Two separate sales records were set at the Pebble Beach auctions this weekend, and they were definitely worth it for these cars.
The very first Shelby Cobra ever made broke the record for the most expensive American car sold at auction Friday, selling for $13.75 million. The previous record was held by a 1968 Ford GT40 race car that sold for $11 million in 2012.
RM Sotheby
The 1955 Jaguar D-Type
Additionally, a 1955 Jaguar D-Type broke the record for the most expensive British car ever sold at a public auction. It sold for a whopping $21.78 million. That record was previously set by a Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato that sold for $14.3 million in 2015.
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The interior of the Shelby Cobra.
The original Shelby Cobra may look a bit rugged and beat up, but it comes with a ton of historical value. The car was the first produced by Shelby-American, a company created by legendary racer Carroll Shelby after he won the 1959 Le Mans 24-Hour race.
The Shelby Cobra that sold for just above $13 million kicked off the company’s relationship with Ford. The two would go on to create the Shelby Daytona, a car loosely based off the Cobra, which would put American sports cars and racing on the main stage as the first American car to win a international title at the World Sportscar Championship in 1965.
RM Sotheby’s
The Le Mans-winning Jaguar.
The Jaguar D-Type that raked in over $20 million won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956. Racing conditions were tough that year, described by a September 1956 Motor Sport Magazine as “terrible, with rain and mist.” But the D-Type managed to narrowly beat out an Aston Martin with an average speed 104.47 miles per hour. The car’s max speed was just above 156 miles per hour.
The auctions were estimated to bring in a total of $370 million, but CNBC is reporting that the the auctions only drew $345 million.
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