This year at the 2011 Pebble Beach Auction big piles of money were exchanged and some of the world’s rarest cars found new owners.

The absolute highlight of it was of course the first ever Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, built in 1957, which was sold for the fantastic price of $16.4 million.

That’s truly astonishing, especially for an uninterested person who might think that’s a bit too much for such an ugly car! But they don’t know that this Testa Rossa chassis number 0666 TR, took part in many of the most important endurance races in period and is one of only two of this model to have received Ferrari Classiche certification. It’s got pedigree and extreme rarity. And that’s why it’s worth that money.

The other major auction was the world;s oldest surviving Bentley. 90 years after Bentley’s very first customer, Noel Van Raalte, took delivery of  chassis number 3 (registered AX 3827 in the UK) for the princely sum of £1,150, that same 3-Litre graced the Gooding & Co. auction at Pebble Beach, commanding a price of $962,500.

Both these cars were offered by Gooding & Co auction house.