Twenty-four collector cars sold in excess of $1 million, highlighted by the summit of the weekend on Sunday evening when the von Krieger Special Roadster, a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K, sold for $11,770,000, a double world record for a Mercedes-Benz and a pre-war car at auction. The previous evening, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider sold for $11,275,000, realising a world record for a Ferrari California Spider.

“There continues to be differentiation in the market between the best and everything else and I believe that our success stems from our understanding of quality in all categories,” says David Gooding, President and Founder. “Our record-breaking results and this year’s unprecedented international interest in our auction clearly demonstrate the growing demand in high-level classic cars among new collectors and emerging markets.”

Amid the multi-million dollar auction records, a charitable spirit was high. On Saturday evening, Jay Leno surprised the audience by making a special guest appearance with David Gooding and Auctioneer Charlie Ross on stage and auctioning his personal Fiat 500 Prima Edizione to benefit the Fisher House Foundation. United States Secretary of Defence the Honorable Leon Panetta and Chief of Staff of the United States Army General Raymond Odierno joined Leno to introduce the nationally praised four-star, non-profit organization that provides a wide range of services and support to the families of wounded American solders.

The first-edition Fiat 500, valued between $25,000–$35,000 according to the auction estimate, realised an extraordinary final price of $385,000 and attracted an additional $215,000 of charitable contributions, resulting in a total of $600,000 in fundraising for the foundation.

From the William A.C. Pettit III Collection, 12 vehicles sold Saturday, realizing more than $4 million total benefiting Shriners Hospital for Children–Tampa. Including these results, Gooding & Company has auctioned off more than $30 million in collector cars over the years benefiting charities that impact various causes and foundations around the world.

Ferrari was a big part of the weekend with eight models between 1953–1962 selling above $2 million each. A significant offering for enthusiasts, the Sherman M. Wolf Collection of four exceptional cars resulted in a total of $21.5 million in sales.

Of the collection, the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione attracted the most demand selling for $11,275,000, which was also the second most valuable car sold of Pebble Beach auction week. It went to an anonymous collector. The car is an extremely rare model and has been built only nine times for competition. Sherman M. Wolf had bought it from its first owner in 1979 and owned it until last weekend. A rare car that also only had two owners. On Sunday, a 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototype sold for $6.6 million.

“I’ve never seen so many people at an auction,” says auctioneer Charlie Ross. “The atmosphere on both nights was electric. Will I ever sell a car as beautiful as that von Krieger Special Roadster again? I hope so.”

Gooding & Company’s top 24 results from both Saturday and Sunday auctions at Pebble Beach are as follows:

1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster; $11,770,000 (lot 123)
1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione; $11,275,000 (lot 49)
1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototype; $6,600,000 (lot 137)
1955 Ferrari 857 Sport; $6,270,000 (lot 109)
1928 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Le Mans Sports “Bobtail”; $6,050,000 (lot 20)
1964 Ford GT40 Prototype; $4,950,000 (lot 113)
1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider; $4,730,000 (lot 50)
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC; $4,510,000 (lot 51)
1953 Jaguar C-Type; $3,725,000 (lot 37)
1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage; $3,520,000 (lot 146)
1960 Porsche RS60; $3,465,000 (lot 28)
1932 Daimler 40/50 Double Six Sport Saloon; $2,970,000 (lot 139)
1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico; $2,365,000 (lot 34)
1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton “Blue J”; $1,980,000 (lot 12)
1955 Maserati A6G/2000 Berlinetta; $1,650,000 (lot 23)
1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster; $1,595,000 (lot 66)
1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante; $1,485,000 (lot 136)
2003 Ferrari Enzo; $1,430,000; (lot 18)
1972 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV; $1,375,000 (lot 116)
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio; $1,292,500 (lot 121)
1919 Miller TNT; $1,210,000 (lot 31)
2008 Bugatti Veyron; $1,182,500 (lot 64)
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL; $1,127,500 (lot 151)
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO; $1,045,000 (lot 48)

Gooding & Company achieved 21 world records over the weekend, with nine of these being for Italian cars, Maserati and Lamborghini featuring as well as Ferrari. A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione (lot 49) at $11,275,000 (a world record for a Ferrari California Spider at auction), the 1955 Ferrari 857 Sport (lot 109) at $ 6,270,000 (a world record for a Ferrari 857 Sport at auction), a 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider (lot 50) at $4,730,000 (a world record for a Ferrari 340 MM at auction), a 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage (lot 146) at $3,520,000 (a world record for a Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage at auction), 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico (lot 34) at $2,365,000 (a world record for a Ferrari 400 Superamerica at auction, a 1955 Maserati A6G/ 2000 (lot 23) at $1,650,000 (a world record for a Maserati A6/2000 at auction), a 2003 Ferrari Enzo (lot 18) at $1,430,000 (a world record for a Ferrari Enzo at auction), a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (lot 48) at $1,045,000 (a world record for a Ferrari 288 GTO at auction), a 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopica” (lot 147) at $660,000 (a world record for a Lamborghini Countach at auction).