«  Mecum Auctions To Offer Coveted... <- Back to: Auctions RM Auctions Announces Stunning...  »

The Mecum Marathon In Kissimmee Sets New Record As World’s Largest


1969 Chevrolet Corvette

1969 Chevrolet Corvette

Auction Room Activity

Auction Room Activity

Overview

Overview

2012 McLaren MP4-12C

2012 McLaren MP4-12C

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster s/n CSX3301 (Lot S155) at $735,000

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster s/n CSX3301 (Lot S155) at $735,000

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S172) at $550,000

1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S172) at $550,000

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot S116) at $417,000

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot S116) at $417,000

1966 Ford Mustang SCCA Group 2 A Sedan Racer (Lot S132) at $400,000

1966 Ford Mustang SCCA Group 2 A Sedan Racer (Lot S132) at $400,000

 

Walworth, Wis., 2 January, 2013

As the Mecum Auction organisation moved into its 26th year of business, they held their largest and longest auction to date, with over 2600 vehicles going under the hammer over the course of 10 days at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. The 2012 edition had seen 2200 vehicles cross the auction block, so this year’s marathon was a 20% increase, together with a separate one day sale devoted to a vast and interesting selection of automobilia and memorabilia, which came under the rather nice heading of “Road Art”. Simple arithmetic shows that this equates to an average of 260 vehicles per day, although some days had higher figures, and conversely there were others with less, but it certainly kept the auctioneers busy! As the manager of the heritage park mentioned to me during a conversation, this is our annual “Super Bowl”!

... MediaCenter gallery >>>  
 

Car auctions are car shows within themselves, and this was a car show on a massive scale, and although the Mecum organisation is primarily known for muscle car sales, there was something for every taste spread around the Osceola Heritage Park, from a 1921 Ford Model T Tourer, through bubble cars like a BMW Isetta and a Messerschmitt KR200, a wide variety of pickup trucks, both original and custom, Italian sports cars from a quirky SIATA Spring Roadster to Ferraris and Lamborghinis,  to luxury cars like modern Bentleys and Rolls Royces, and even a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C. Then there was all the “American Iron”, including a raft of 274 Chevrolet Corvettes, covering what appeared to be virtually every conceivable permutation of the model since its inception in 1954, including a number of Bloomington Gold Standard examples, and a 1954 model with only 2331 original miles on the clock, billed as “The Oldest, Lowest Mile, Unrestored Corvette In The World”. There were also plenty of muscle cars, with numerous Ford Mustangs, including a very rare example of the 1966 SCCA Group 2 Race Car, of which only 12 examples were built, and an unrestored 1969 Boss 429 example with only 8000 registered mile on the clock. Add in Ford’s market place and race track competition of the late sixties and early seventies, like Chevrolet Camaros, Plymouth Superbirds, Dodge Challengers and Super Bees, Pontiac GTOs and Transams, plus an enormous variety of hot rods, dragsters and custom cars, and you had nirvana for the lover of the American automobile. That was without taking into account the wide variety of late fifties models on offer, where large tail fins and maximum chrome embellishment were the order of the day, perhaps best exemplified by the 1959 Cadillac range.  

Over the course of the 10 days 1811 vehicles were sold, an impressive 70 percent sell-through rate, with total sales for the event being $71,635,356. Whilst post sales through Mecum’s “The Bid Goes On” department continue, expecting the total to reach the $75 million mark, which would be a 25% increase on the already impressive 2012 figure of $60 million. During the course of the event there were some 75,000 visitors recorded, no doubt helped by the very reasonable $20 per day entry fee, whilst the 3 volume auction catalogue was only $30, and close proximity parking only $8. The top seller of the event was a1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster, chassis # CSX 3301, which sold for $735,000 exclusive of buyer’s premium, whilst the top ten sales all exceeded $200,000.

 
The Top Ten sales results for the auction were as follows:-
(the prices given are exclusive of the 6% buyer’s premium)
  
1. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster CSX3301 (Lot S155) at $735,000
2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S172) at $550,000
3. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot S116) at $417,000
4. 1966 Ford Mustang SCCA Group 2 A/Sedan Racer (Lot S132) at $400,000
5. 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda (Lot S123) at $320,000
6. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (Lot S128) at $310,000
7. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe (Lot F242) at $275,000
8. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S117) at $250,000
9. 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Big Brake Tanker (Lot F245) at $242,000
10. 2005 Ford GT (Lot S182) at $220,000

Mecum’s next auction will be held in Boynton Beach, Fla., Feb. 22-23, followed by Houston April 4-6 at The Reliant Center.  
 

Keith Bluemel         
02/2013