Hagerty lists seven American cars selling

Hagerty said on August 5 that demand for high-end collector cars heading into Monterey Car Week has strengthened from last year, and it used that backdrop to single out seven American cars it called “significant” consignments for the 2026 sales. In a separate market preview published the same day, Hagerty said its midpoint forecast for total Monterey auction sales was $470 million, just below the 2022 record, with an optimistic case of $496 million and a chance of topping $500 million for the first time. The Monterey sales calendar this year stretches across multiple venues. Broad Arrow’s new Quail auction is scheduled for August 13-14 in Carmel, Gooding Christie’s will hold its Pebble Beach Auctions on August 14-15, and Mecum’s Monterey sale runs August 13-15 at Del Monte Golf Course. ### Which American cars did Hagerty single out? Andrew Newton of Hagerty wrote that the seven U.S.-built cars to watch include names from “Duesenbergs, Cobras, L88s, V-12 Packards” and other historically important domestic machinery crossing the block in Monterey this year. (hagerty.com) Hagerty framed them as unusual standouts in a week more often dominated at the top end by Italian and British cars. (broadarrowauctions.com) The first car named in the Hagerty piece is a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 entered at RM Sotheby’s as Lot 350. Newton wrote that the car competed at Le Mans in 1972 after Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team gave the Corvette effort a reserve entry, on condition that the Chevrolet wear NART colors. ### Why is Hagerty focusing on American cars this year? (hagerty.com) John Wiley of Hagerty wrote that “the market for the most expensive cars has gotten a lot stronger since last year,” and said auction companies and consignors had noticed. He said the improved tone at the top end, plus a richer mix of valuable consignments, could make 2026 a record Monterey year. (hagerty.com) Hagerty also said some of the biggest American entries are large enough to affect the week’s totals. Wiley specifically cited “big, eight-figure 1960s American consignments such as the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona coupe and 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport” as part of the mix this year. ### How big could Monterey get in 2026? Hagerty’s August 5 preview put the midpoint forecast at $469.8 million, compared with $471.2 million in 2022, which it identified as the prior record. (hagerty.com) The same forecast showed 2025 at an estimated $432.7 million and said strong bidding could push 2026 past the half-billion-dollar mark for the first time. The forecast also said the number of vehicles on offer should stay broadly similar while the share of reserve lots edges above half. Hagerty said a higher-value consignment mix, rather than a surge in volume, is what could lift totals. ### Where will buyers see these cars during Car Week? Broad Arrow said its Quail auction will move in 2026 to the Quail Golf Club in Carmel and is expected to feature more than 180 collector cars. (hagerty.com) The company said preview hours begin on August 12, with auction sessions on August 13 at 2 p.m. Pacific and August 14 at 11 a.m. Pacific. Gooding Christie’s said its Pebble Beach Auctions will take place August 14 at 4 p.m. (hagerty.com) Pacific and August 15 at 11 a.m. Pacific at the Parc du Concours. Mecum said its Monterey sale at Del Monte Golf Course will feature more than 600 vehicles and 100 motorcycles. ### What should collectors watch next week? August 13 is the first major auction date on the Monterey calendar, when Broad Arrow opens its two-day Quail sale in Carmel. (broadarrowauctions.com) August 14 and 15 then bring overlapping sessions from Broad Arrow and Gooding Christie’s, while Mecum continues its Monterey event through August 15, giving bidders multiple chances to track whether Hagerty’s $470 million forecast holds. (goodingco.com)