I'm guessing that a friendly competition exists between collector car auction houses to see who can achieve the highest price at venues where all show their wares. This makes for good public relations, attracts new customers, and helps the auction folks become wealthy. Pebble Beach is one of the world's most elite locations and at the close of the 2008 events, Gooding & Company was the winner, even surpassing Canada's RM Auctions high tally. The blue ribbon went to a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe which sold for a record breaking $7.92 million. This, it was then claimed, was the most expensive car ever auctioned in the USA. Woops... has everyone forgotten the Bugatti Royale that topped ten million a few extravagant years ago? Oh, and if that wasn't enough, the first Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport was sold for a record $3.19 million. The "lucky" buyer got chassis #1 and will work with Bugatti to build the car to his exact specifications.

And somewhere in the world, a child is starving.