Tag Archives: mecum

Mecum Kissimmee Highlights

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Mecum Auctions held their first event of 2012 not in Arizona, but in Kissimmee, Florida – where the weather is also nice. There were a bunch of rare muscle cars crossing the block including the top sale, a 1963 Shelby Cobra Dragon Snake.

This was the 93rd Cobra built and one of only eight Dragon Snakes modified for drag racing by Shelby. Because this car won so many drag races in its day, it is the winningest competition Cobra in history. It cost $8,990 new (a lot) and sold for $850,000 at auction (also a lot).

There were also two ultra-rare 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88s – a convertible and a coupe.

These are the must-have ’69 Corvettes and you could have bought the pair. The convertible sold for $610,000 and the coupe was a comparative bargain at $270,000.

But it wasn’t all muscle cars. Of the top ten sales of the auction there were two gorgeous Packards. The first was a 1941 180 Darrin Victoria Convertible – one of 35 built. It has the Super Eight 180 engine and a good looking red and tan color combo. It sold for $220,000.

The other Packard is a very mean and sporty looking 1930 Eight Model 745 Waterhouse Victoria. If I could’ve taken one car from this sale home, this would be it:

Big pre-war Packards never really had much of a sporting air about them. But this one kind of does. Maybe it’s the slightly cambered front wheels or their hot rod look, but this car says “I want to go fast.” This is one of three known to exist. $225,000.

For complete results, visit Mecum’s website.

An Unmodified Toyota Supra

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1995 Toyota Supra

Offered by Mecum, Kissimmee, Florida, January 24-29, 2012

Yes, a late model Japanese sports car – not a swoopy French classic or a singing Ferrari V12 or a hunk of Detroit iron. No, this is a normal, everyday, Toyota Supra. So why is it featured here? Because it’s a normal, unmodified Supra.

Japanese cars are extremely tuner-friendly and the Supra was one of the go-to cars for people to make a statement with. It is very rare to see an unmolested Supra – the interior and exterior are clean and original. It even has the original wheels – one of the first things to go when a tuner gets their hands on it.

The Mark IV Supra was introduced in Japan in 1993 and lasted there until 2002. U.S. sales ended in 1998. There were different versions: a coupe, a targa, a naturally-aspirated engine and the optional twin-turbo unit which made 276 horsepower.

I’m a purist at heart and while custom cars have their place and own level of respectability, when you see nothing but customized versions of a certain model, it gets kind of exciting when you see a “normal” one.

I am unaware of the mileage, but I’d expect something between $20,000 and $30,000. These cars brought closer to $50,000 when new.

1971 Ford Torino GT

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1971 Ford Torino GT

Offered by Mecum, January 24-29, 2012, Kissimmee, Florida

The muscle car era was about to end and Ford had the best looking ever Torino on its hands. There were 14 different Torino models available in 1971 and this GT is second only to the Cobra when it comes to sportiness and muscle. The ’71 Tornio GT was available as a convertible or this 2-door “SportsRoof” bodystle. Under the hood, the GT had Ford’s 4.9 liter V8 as standard.

Ford’s competitor to the Torino was the Chevrolet Chevelle – which is far more popular among muscle car types and is generally more collectable. There are dozens of Chevelles at muscle car auctions but there aren’t nearly as many Torinos. This one looks good in light blue with the gray stripe and black hood scoop.

Unless there is something I don’t know about this car (which is possible, the catalog description isn’t up yet), I expect it to bring no more than $35,000. For more info on the car, click here and for more on Mecum’s Kissimmee auction try here.

Mecum Kansas City Highlights

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The Mecum muscle car show recently traveled through Kansas City, Missouri. The top sale of the auction was this 1969 Shelby GT500 Convertible.

The restoration on this car was completed in 1997, meaning it isn’t Concours-fresh so it can definitely be driven. It sold for $165,000. Other interesting cars include a 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible seen here:

Finished in its original, attractive color, Ridge Green, this fully-optioned, 188 horsepower Skylark sold for $120,000. The other big sale was an awesome, white 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 440 Six Pack which brought $122,500. More info on the sale and results can be found at Mecum’s website, here.

’68 Z28

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1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Offered by Mecum | Kansas City, Missouri | December 3, 2012

This matching numbers Z28 is one of 7,199 sold in 1968, the second year for Camaro production. This car sports a fresh restoration and the 4.9 liter V8 down rated to 290 horsepower (it was actually more like 350).

This is a one-owner car in attractive Grotto Blue. F-Body Camaros are the best-looking and most desirable and this Z28 has its original interior, original body panels and other original parts under the hood. Other than a respray, I’m wondering what is meant by “Ground-Up Restoration” when everything else is listed as original. In any case, it’s a great looking car.

No pre-sale estimate was given, but based on Z28 results from the past few years (not taking into consideration condition, originality, etc.), I’d estimate this somewhere between $55,000-$70,000.

You can find out more about this car here and more about Mecum’s Kansas City auction here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $65,000.