What It Takes to Auction an $18 Million CorvetteDarin Schnabel ©2026 Courtesy of RM Sotheby'sThe multi-event spectacle known as Monterey Car Week has morphed into the crown jewel of annual automotive events here in the United States, serving as the de facto launch location for the most exclusive (and expensive) new cars in the world. But while those events are always exciting, many of the true stars of the weekend sit inside various auction houses around the Monterey area, far from the spectacle of The Quail or Pebble Beach's 18th green. So to pull back the veil on that side of the event, this year, Road & Track worked with RM Sotheby's to follow one particularly special Chevrolet on its $18,705,000 journey to its next owner.Every year, auction houses such as Gooding Christie's, Mecum, Broad Arrow, and Bonhams all host incredible auctions in Monterey, but none was quite able to rival the transparent volume of important metal being offered by the crew at RM this time around. While the internet can't get enough of that $40 million sale involving the first Ferrari Luce, it was far from the only big-ticket item to come through the tent. That list also included a genuine 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, which remains one of the single rarest and most significant of American cars.Zora Arkus-Duntov.RacingOne - Getty ImagesThe Grand Sport program was born from the mind of none other than Zora Arkus-Duntov, better known as the Father of the Corvette. Duntov joined General Motors in 1953 and immediately had his sights set on transforming the Corvette into a proper on-track rival for the sports cars that he had spent time racing in Europe. It was Duntov that pushed for a V-8 to power the 'Vette for 1955, utilizing the EX-87 Test Mule to validate the performance potential; he also penned machines like the SR1, SR2, and Corvette SS in pursuit of a race-ready unit. (A 1957 industry ban on motorsport participation didn't seem to matter to him.)AdvertisementAdvertisementAll of that work culminated in the skunkworks-built 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, of which only five made it through production before GM execs shut down the program. This particular unit is Chassis 003, the first of three coupes built; it took three SCCA class victories with Dick Doane behind the wheel in 1963, and managed second- and third-place finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1964 and 1965, respectively. And unlike most of its compatriots, this particular Grand Sport was never involved in a major racing incident.The structure is all original, as is the lightweight bodywork. The car even retains a majority of the factory-built components made specifically for the race cars, something that a restoration cannot recreate alone. All of that comes together to make this one of the most desirable competition cars, American or otherwise, available in the world.Darin Schnabel ©2026 Courtesy of RM Sotheby'sWhen a car is expected to trade for tens of millions of dollars, getting it to Monterey for auction is a battle in itself. That's exactly why RM manages its own transportation operation, ensuring that even the most far-flung vehicles have a successful trek to Pebble Beach."When it comes to logistics on these cars, it varies," said RM Sotheby's Spokesperson Ethan Gibson. "If a car isn't far from the auction, it may be transported locally, but more often we're dealing with cross-continental shipping on semis from locations across the country, and in many cases, cars coming from overseas by air. It truly is a planes, trains, and automobiles kind of situation." (This particular car wasn't as challenging as others on site, as its previous home was right there in California under the care of collector Larry Bowman.)AdvertisementAdvertisement"There's an entire logistics team behind it all, managing everything from the second we consign a car, to where it will be stored, when it needs to leave, and how it ultimately gets to Monterey," added Gibson. "RM owns its own transport operation, so we handle a lot of that in-house. Anything we can't handle ourselves is managed through our preferred shipping partners around the world."Courtesy of RM Sotheby'sEvery major consignment in the RM's Monterey Catalog was received by the crew ahead of the festivities, before being displayed at the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center for public viewing sessions ahead of the auction. While you still need to be either a registered bidder or purchase a pass to enter, these days remain the best way to get up close with the sheet metal that isn't slated for a lawn appearance.When 003 finally took to the auction block the evening of Saturday, August 15, bidding advanced until eventually halting at a final hammer price of $18,705,000. That made this Grand Sport the third-most valuable American car ever to be sold at auction, sitting behind only a short-wheelbase 1935 Duesenberg SSJ ($22,000,000) and a 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe ($42,905,000). (While there are fewer Grand Sports than Daytonas, the Shelby was a much more successful competitor on the international stage.) Regardless, a new high water mark has been set for Corvette sales.Darin Schnabel ©2026 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's"I think some people have a tendency to think Corvettes aren't as collectible as some of their European counterparts, but that couldn't be further from the truth," Gibson told R&T. "Chassis 003 ... shattered the world record for a Corvette, and is now one of the most valuable American racing cars ever sold at auction. It was built to bring the fight to Ferrari and Shelby on the racetrack, and we've always believed it belongs in collections alongside the greats, including cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO. To have a car that competed at that level and came out relatively unscathed is also remarkable. These cars lived incredibly hard racing lives, but somehow this one managed to escape much of that. I think this result seals the deal in terms of where the Grand Sport belongs in the collector car world."AdvertisementAdvertisementThe buyer of Chassis 003 has not yet been disclosed, but the process remains the same for every completed RM Auction: the auction house works with customers to decide what is the best approach to getting the car to its final destination—whether that involves more of RM's planes, trains, and trucks, or a simple key handoff. According to Gibson, all of the auctioned cars generally leave for their new homes within a few days of Monterey's end. Given that the brand had nearly 200 lots available this year, that's a lot of logistics to work through.Darin Schnabel ©2026 Courtesy of RM Sotheby'sAs for me, I'm hoping the new owner of this particular beast opted to take the thing home under its own power, as unlikely as that might be with a $19 million piece of history.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
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