Tag Archives: mecum

Giulietta SVZ

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1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce Zagato

Offered by Mecum | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Tipo 750 and 101 Giulietta was produced by Alfa Romeo between 1954 and 1965. The Giulietta SZ was a Zagato-bodied competition car, and later Zagato rebodied a Sprint Veloce (while the SZ was just based on the Sprint). The Sprint Veloce Zagato (SVZ) appeared in late 1956.

Just 18 would end up being produced, all powered by a 1.3-liter inline-four that was rated at around 116 horsepower. This car was originally sold in Italy, and the first owner wanted a double-bubble Zagato body, which Zagato went ahead and built for him.

The aluminum coachwork on this car is said to be the only SVZ re-bodied in this fashion. It’s eligible for historic runs of the Mille Miglia and has an estimate of $150,000-$250,000. Click here for more info.

’56 Lincoln Premiere

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1956 Lincoln Premiere Coupe

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

This is the best Lincoln of the 1950s. I mean, the Continental Mark II is pretty great, but it’s not technically a Lincoln. The ’56 Premiere, specifically a coupe in pink, is one of the ideal ’50s American cruisers.

The Premiere nameplate debuted for 1956, and a second generation would launch in 1958 before disappearing after 1960. Three body styles were offered this year, and this example is one of 19,619 coupes made.

Power is provided by 6.0-liter V8 rated at 285 horsepower. The want is strong, and it’s unclear if this one has been restored, but the interior doesn’t appear so (it’s two-tone white and pink just like the exterior). Click here for more info.

McLaren M81

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1980 McLaren M81 Mustang

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Is this a McLaren or a Ford? Well, kind of both. The Fox-Body Mustang debuted for 1979 to replace the much-unloved Mustang II. It was a return to the Mustang’s true self, and Ford wanted to prove they were serious, so they teamed up with McLaren Performance to build a special Mustang.

These started as a regular Mustang until they were sent to McLaren, where their turbocharged, 2.3-liter inline-fours were torn apart and rebuilt to a higher spec by McLaren. This bumped output from 132 horsepower to 175. They also received steel fender flares, a pretty crazy hood, functional brake ducts, and BBS wheels. This particular one is the only one with a four-speed manual gearbox (the rest had five-speeds).

The plan was to build about 250 of these with a price tag of $25,000. But Ford formed their Special Vehicle Operations team, and the SVO Mustang was soon on its way. Only 10 M81s ended up being built, and this was the original prototype that was also used as a dealer demonstrator. It is one of seven finished in Bittersweet Orange.

This is a pretty special car, and the most special Fox-Body Mustang there is. It’s also the missing link between the McLaren sports cars of the 1960s and the outrageous supercars of the 1990s and 2010s. Click here for more info.

Thunderbird Sports Roadster

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1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 14, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Sports Roadster is the coolest of the Bullet Birds of 1961-1963. Actually, it’s probably the coolest Thunderbird they ever made. The Sports Roadster was introduced in 1962 and was a limited-production version of the standard Thunderbird convertible.

Changes included 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and a fiberglass tonneau cover over the rear seats that made the car look like a two-seater. Just 1,427 were produced for 1962, and another 455 would be made in 1963

Power here is from a 6.4-liter (390ci) V8 that made 300 horsepower when new. Bullet Birds are among the best-looking of all Thunderbirds, and the Sports Roadster package just takes it up a notch. Black is a classy color for this car, especially over a red interior. Click here for more info.

Dodge Custom Royal Lancer

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1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Dodge’s 1956 model lineup went like this: at the bottom there was the Coronet, which was topped by the Royal. Above the Royal, and at the top of the heap, was the Custom Royal. The Custom Royal line was only offered from 1955 through 1959.

A total of 49,393 Custom Royal cars were produced for 1956 across four body styles, with the convertible being the priciest at $2,878 when new. No breakout for convertible production is available. This one is powered by a 218-horsepower, 5.2-liter Super Red Ram V8. It also has a push-button transmission, power steering and brakes, and a record player.

The car was restored in 2001, with paintwork finished in two-tone Wedgewood and Royal Blue. Since then, it’s garnered a pile of AACA awards. You can read more about it here.

Stegeman Truck

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1914 Stegeman 1526 Stake Bed Truck

Offered by Mecum | East Moline, Illinois | March 24, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Stegeman Motor Car Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1911 and produced heavy trucks through 1917. The actually offered at least six models of varying capacity – up to seven tons.

You can tell this is one of the heavier trucks because it utilizes solid rubber tires. Lighter trucks used pneumatic ones. It’s a three-ton truck powered by an inline-four engine. It’s also got a three-speed manual transmission and an open-cab body with a stake bed.

Later Stegemans could be had with a six-cylinder engine and electric start. This particular example is one of three from the manufacturer in the U.S. known to exist. You can read more about it here.

Qvale Mangusta

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2001 Qvale Mangusta

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 30, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The De Tomaso Bigua was a concept car that debuted in 1996 in conjunction with Qvale, which was started by Kjell Qvale, who was the West Coast distributor for Jaguar. His son Bruce started the car company to partner with De Tomaso.

But De Tomaso and Qvale broke off the partnership right before deliveries of the car were set to begin. By this point they had acquired the name De Tomaso Mangusta, but at the last second the cars were rebranded as the Qvale Mangusta.

Just 284 were produced between 2000 and 2002. They are powered by a 4.6-liter Ford V8 rated at 320 horsepower. They feature resin body panels styled by Marcello Gandini, four seats, and a retractable hardtop. You can read more about this one here.

’51 Mercury Woodie

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1951 Mercury Station Wagon

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 12-20, 2023

Photo – Mecum

Mercury’s 1951 model line consisted of one model: their eight-cylinder car, the design of which was in its last year of a three-year run. Technically it was the Series 1CM in 1951, and the M-79 two-door station wagon was the only wagon variant they offered.

Just 3,812 were produced for the model year. All of them were powered by a 4.2-liter V8 that was rated at 112 horsepower. The car is finished in a wonderful shade of ’50s teal with real wood bodywork – from the last year for which Mercury used real wood on their wagons.

Obviously restored, the car also features three rows of seating and a three-on-the-tree transmission. Click here for more photos and info.

’55 Nomad

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1955 Chevrolet Nomad

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 28-April 1, 2023

Photo – Mecum

The Nomad remains the most iconic 1950s American station wagon. Descended from a GM Motorama show car from the year before, the Nomad was a two-door wagon version of the Bel Air, sharing its forward styling paired with forward-angled B-pillars and rear glass. It’s hot stuff.

Their exclusive pricing (they were just $500 less than a new Corvette) helped ensure their rarity. Just 6,103 were produced for the model’s initial model year in 1955. They would remain a two-door wagon only through 1957 before going the four-door route in 1958.

This restored example has been fitted with about every possible option and is powered by a 4.3-liter (265ci) V8 that made 162 horsepower when new. Power could be bumped to 180 with an optional four-barrel carburetor. Click here for more info.

K-1 Attack

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2011 K-1 Attack Roadster

Offered by Mecum | Glendale, California | March 28-April 1, 2023

Photo – Mecum

K-1 Engineering is based in Slovakia and has been around since 1991. Their first real car was the Attack, which premiered in 2002 and has sort of been available since, although less than 40 have been built and it’s unclear when the last one was made, but probably somewhere around 2019.

This car was the seventh built and features a mid-mounted turbocharged Honda 2.2-liter inline-four that made about 220 horsepower. In other words, the motor doesn’t quite live up to the supercar looks. Later cars had Ford engines, but output never really crested 265 horsepower save for a special edition model.

Later V6-powered cars were capable of 155 mph. What you’re really getting here is a somewhat exotic (Eastern Europe is exotic, right?) junior sports car with a supercar layout and looks. The price? Who knows, these don’t exactly change hands often. Click here for more info.