Nothing says holiday weekend like a BaT lineup that could fill a concours d’élégance and a road-racing paddock at the same time. From a stunning pre-war-styled Mercedes cabriolet to a brand-new McLaren hybrid spider, today’s slate is loaded with open-top drama, Italian fire, and at least one race car that has absolutely no business being street legal. Bids are sitting at zero across the board — auctions are freshly launched — so if any of these are on your radar, now’s the time to get your ducks in a row before the sharks start circling.
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet
The W111 cabriolet is one of those cars that makes grown adults stop breathing for a moment. Built at a time when Mercedes was still hand-finishing coachwork and cabriolets were genuine luxury objects rather than marketing exercises, the 280SE 3.5 sits at the absolute pinnacle of the model run — the 3.5-liter V8 was a significant upgrade over earlier sixes and makes these cars genuinely fun to drive, not just gorgeous to look at. Values on clean examples have been climbing for years, and they show no sign of stopping. Check out this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet on Bring a Trailer before the collectors wake up.
16k-Mile 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
Sixteen thousand miles on a twenty-one-year-old Ferrari Spider is practically delivery fresh, and the F430 has aged into a genuine sweet spot: modern enough to drive hard without drama, analog enough to feel like a real Ferrari rather than a video game. The naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V8 in this generation is widely considered one of the finest engines Maranello ever bolted into a road car — free-revving, loud, and deeply satisfying in a way turbocharged Ferraris simply aren’t. Low-mileage, open-top examples like this tend to generate serious bidding wars. See the 16k-mile 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider listing on Bring a Trailer while it’s still quiet.
2025 McLaren Artura Spider
A brand-new McLaren on BaT is a little unusual, and it’s a sign of just how the market has normalized online auction platforms even for current-model exotics. The Artura Spider is McLaren’s hybrid twin-turbo V6 open-top machine — lighter than you’d expect, faster than almost anything, and bristling with tech that earlier McLarens only dreamed of. If you missed the allocation game at the dealer level, this is your shot at one without the markup mystery. Browse the 2025 McLaren Artura Spider auction on Bring a Trailer and prepare your accountant.
1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole
The 308 GTS Quattrovalvole — QV to those of us who don’t want to say all that — was the four-valve-per-cylinder upgrade that gave the 308 the extra snap it always deserved, arriving in 1982 and carrying the model to the end of production. These Magnum P.I. machines have crossed from “affordable Ferrari” territory into genuinely serious collector cars, and a clean Targa-top example is exactly what a summer weekend was invented for. Take a closer look at this 1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole on Bring a Trailer — it won’t be overlooked for long.
16k-Mile 2019 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe
The current-generation Vantage — powered by AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 — was a controversial car when it launched, with some purists grumbling about the borrowed German heart. Seven years on, it looks like a stroke of genius: the Vantage drives like a proper sports car, sounds menacing, and at used prices is an absolute bargain relative to its performance. Sixteen thousand miles means this one’s barely been breathed on. Explore the 16k-mile 2019 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe on Bring a Trailer before someone else does the math.
1964 Porsche 356C Cabriolet
The 356C was the last of the original line — the final expression of Ferry Porsche’s original vision before the 911 took over the world — and a cabriolet version is as desirable as the model gets. These are small, lightweight, and driven by engines that reward mechanical sympathy over outright horsepower; they’re the cars that remind you driving was always supposed to be a conversation. Good 356 cabriolets are increasingly rare at any price. Don’t miss this 1964 Porsche 356C Cabriolet on Bring a Trailer — the last of a breed.
2011 BMW M3 Coupe Frozen Black Edition
The E92 M3 Frozen Black Edition is one of those special-run BMWs that seemed like a curiosity when new and looks like a masterstroke in hindsight — a limited matte-finish variant of arguably the greatest M3 ever made, powered by the high-revving 4.0-liter V8 that BMW inexplicably replaced with a turbocharged four. Finding one in clean, unmolested condition is genuinely difficult, and the matte paint means its history is usually pretty easy to read (one rock chip and you know about it). Check out this 2011 BMW M3 Coupe Frozen Black Edition on Bring a Trailer before the M purists descend.
1957 Chevrolet Corvette Race Car
A ’57 Corvette built for racing is the kind of thing that makes your palms sweat just reading the title — this was the era when American sports car racing was genuinely rough-and-tumble, and a purpose-built C1 racer carries that entire chapter of motorsport history in its tubular frame. These are not trailer queens; they were built to be used hard, and buying one means buying into a very specific, very serious hobby. See the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Race Car listing on Bring a Trailer and start pricing vintage race suits.
2017 Radical RXC Spyder
Radical exists in that glorious no-man’s-land between track toy and actual race car, and the RXC Spyder is one of their more extreme road-legal interpretations — a mid-engine, open-top machine that makes most supercars feel like minivans at a racetrack. If you have a trailer, a dedicated set of track day tires, and a complete disregard for your lap time nerves, this is the listing for you. Browse the 2017 Radical RXC Spyder on Bring a Trailer — not for the faint of heart or the faint of wallet.
That’s a genuinely stacked holiday weekend lineup from BaT — cabriolets, race cars, low-mile exotics, and one very fresh hybrid hypercar. With all listings just opened and bids at zero, the next 48 hours are going to be interesting. Check back as the numbers start moving, and as always, bid on what you love, not what you think will flip.
