The dust is finally settling on what will go down as a landmark moment for the online auction industry. The Ferrari Enzo sold for $12,399,000, or $13,018,950 including fees, becoming the first eight-figure online auction sale and more than doubling the previous online auction record.

Congratulations are due to Chad Cunningham and the duPont team. Beyond the headline number itself, the sale gives the platform something every auction company wants but very few can claim: a world record. From now on, duPont can say it facilitated the highest-value online auction sale ever, and that kind of credibility has a way of attracting future consignments.

The bidding itself was every bit as dramatic as the final number suggests. The winning bidder, "MiamiCollections," didn't even enter the fray until bidding had already crossed the $10 million mark. Not a bad first bid on the platform and certainly not a bad first win. I couldn't find that username participating on any other major auction platform, which makes the buyer one of the more intriguing parts of the story. It will be interesting to see whether the Enzo disappears into a long-term collection or resurfaces for a third public sale somewhere down the road.

The runner-up was the familiar username "Tonystark," a bidder who seems to have developed a habit of finishing second. By my count, this marks the fourth time they've ended up as runner-up on the platform. They have won twice, including the 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster by Gunther Werks for $910,000 and a 2013 Ferrari 458 Italia for $294,000. Interestingly, that same 458 is now being offered by Ferrari of Palm Beach for $401k.

As with any major sale over the last year, questions will inevitably follow. Was this a Ferrari collector strengthening the value of an existing collection? Was it simply two determined bidders unwilling to lose? Time may eventually tell. What can't be debated is the significance of the result itself. Online auctions have spent years trying to prove they belong at the very top of the collector car market. This sale may be remembered as the moment that debate finally ended.

One of the things I've always liked about Cars & Bids is that they never seem to stop working once the auction clock hits zero.

This Imola Yellow S4 Avant looked destined for the reserve-not-met column after bidding stalled at $15,750, but within hours a deal had been struck at $18,000. That's roughly 14%, above the auction high bid, which is good going.

What's interesting is that this wasn't some forgotten listing that nobody cared about. The comments suggested plenty of people felt the bidding was light for a six-speed slicktop Avant in Imola Yellow, even accounting for the ownership history and previous damage.

From day one, Cars & Bids has been good at getting a sale done after the auction ends. Years later, with thousands of auctions behind them, they're still willing to hustle after the auction ends if they think there's a deal to be made. Sometimes sellers need a reality check. Sometimes buyers find another couple thousand dollars. Sometimes both happen. Either way, getting a reserve-not-met car sold is usually better than watching everyone walk away.

For me, that's one of the more underrated parts of running an auction platform. The auction gets the attention. The follow-up gets the deal done.

Every auction week there's a car that makes me wonder whether enthusiasts actually know what they want.

Right now that car is this 2002 Alfa Romeo 166.

For less than the price of a used set of Porsche wheels, you can currently bid on a manual Alfa sedan powered by the legendary Busso V6, finished in Rosso Alfa over black Momo leather, with heated seats, cruise control, recent timing belt service, refreshed suspension, and an MOT valid until 2027.

The problem, of course, is that it's an Alfa 166. Nobody has one on their bedroom wall. Nobody is making YouTube videos about them. Nobody is arguing about them on forums all day. Instead, enthusiasts spend their time chasing the same handful of cars while gems like this quietly sit in the corner waiting for someone to notice.

What I find fascinating is that if Alfa Romeo released this exact formula today, people would lose their minds. A naturally aspirated V6. A manual gearbox. A proper executive sedan. Real wood trim. Physical buttons. No fake engine noises. No subscription features. Just an elegant Italian sedan with one of the best sounding engines of the modern era.

I even ran through the idea of importing it to the United States using The Daily Vroom Import Calculator. By the time you factor in shipping, duties, fees, and the inevitable headaches that come with bringing a 24-year-old Alfa across the Atlantic, the economics probably stop making sense. That's not a criticism of the car. It's actually the point. Sometimes the best bargains are the ones that should stay exactly where they are.

This feels like one of those cars.

The 166 has never been about investment potential or internet clout. It's about getting a lot of car, a lot of character, and a lot of engine for surprisingly little money. Looking at the current bidding, I'm not convinced the market appreciates just how much of all three it's getting.

The older I get, the more I think enthusiasts and buyers are often two completely different groups of people.

Take this 2000 BMW 750iL. Spend five minutes around BMW enthusiasts and you'll quickly hear that the E38 is the last great 7 Series, that modern BMWs have lost their way, and that cars like this represent the peak of the brand. Then one shows up at auction and something funny happens. Hundreds of people watch, dozens admire it, and very few actually bid.

That's what caught my attention here. At the time of writing, the seller has been actively answering questions, uploading videos and photos on request, and the comments are full of people praising the E38. Yet the bidding remains surprisingly subdued.

Part of that is understandable. This isn't just an E38. It's the top-of-the-range 750iL. Under the hood sits BMW's 5.4-liter V12, and while everyone loves the idea of a V12 luxury sedan, they're also fully aware that BMW didn't build this car to be maintained on a Corolla budget.

What's interesting is that this particular example seems to have avoided many of the red flags that normally scare buyers away. It remained with its original owner until this year, has covered just 93,000 miles, and according to the seller comes with over $41,000 worth of BMW dealer maintenance records accumulated over the years. Recent work includes valve cover gaskets, a power steering pump, brakes, control arms, and both batteries. Even the comment section has largely focused on relatively minor issues like the glovebox latch, seat switch, speaker cover and inoperative sunroof rather than major mechanical concerns.

Maybe that's the challenge with cars like this. Enthusiasts love to talk about peak BMW, but peak BMW was expensive when it was new and it's expensive when it's old. The purchase price is usually the least intimidating number in the ownership equation.

Still, I can't help but think there's a disconnect here. If BMW unveiled a naturally aspirated V12 flagship sedan tomorrow with elegant styling, double-pane glass, heated front and rear seats, and enough luxury features to embarrass most modern cars, the internet would spend a week complaining that BMW no longer builds them like this. Yet here's the real thing sitting on BaT, complete with a responsive seller and a thick maintenance file, and buyers seem far less enthusiastic than the commenters.

Maybe the bidding wakes up in the final days. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, auctions like this are always fascinating because they reveal the difference between the cars enthusiasts say they want and the cars they're actually willing to buy.

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