Houston, We Have An Auction
Houston, we have an auction. Mecum Auctions will launch its third-annual sale at Houston’s Reliant Center this April 10-12 with a 1,000-car offering encompassing coveted collector cars from all genres. Among the outstanding headliners ranging from American and European racers, to Pre-War Classics and Corvettes, Mecum will also offer two collector rides formerly owned by the first two U.S. Astronauts ever to travel to space, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom.
Mercury Astronaut Rear Admiral Alan Shepard was the first American in outer space and the only person to hit a golf ball on the moon. His legacy is cemented in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and in several statues and monuments around the United States. Shepard always had an appreciation for nice cars, driving various Corvettes from the late ‘50s on through the ‘70s. Shepard’s commitment to Chevy was solid, but in the mid ‘90s he steered away from the Corvette, and instead purchased a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Convertible (Lot F59) with leather interior and the LT1 engine as part of the Z28 package. Shepard’s Z28 will return to Space City this April offered with documentation to prove Shepard’s ownership as well as the original window sticker, license receipts, license plate, and a photo of Shepard with the blue Z28.
Just months before Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom’s life was tragically cut short in the catastrophe of Apollo 1, he purchased a brand-new 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot S120.1). The car that Grissom barely had time to enjoy has since been fully restored and has participated in several parades at Cape Kennedy where it hosted former astronauts along with the President of the United States. The subject of wide magazine coverage and winner of more than 25 trophies and awards, this Corvette has also earned NCRS Top Flight honors. Extensively documented, the Gus Grissom Corvette is more than a highly desirable collector car; it is a precious artifact from a remarkable era in 20th century American history, now set to make its way back to the city where it all took place.
The Houston auction will be aired in nearly 80 million homes with portions of all three days of the event broadcast on the NBC Sports and Esquire networks. Visit Mecum.com for a complete list of consignments updated daily with photos and descriptions of each vehicle. For more details on the Houston auction, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050.
Mecum will also present the MidAmerica vintage motorcycle auction immediately following the classic and collector car auction on Sunday, April 13, also at the Reliant Center. The motorcycle offering will include more than 200 vintage and collector bikes.
About Mecum Auctions
Nobody sells more than Mecum. Nobody. The Mecum Auction Company is the world leader of collector car, vintage and antique motorcycle, and Road Art sales, hosting auctions throughout the United States. The company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 27 years, now offering more than 15,000 vehicles per year and averaging more than one auction each month. Established by President Dana Mecum in 1988, Mecum Auctions remains a family-run company headquartered in Walworth, Wis. For further information, visit Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050. Follow along with Mecum’s social media news and join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
Schedule:
Mecum Houston Auction
The Reliant Center
One Reliant Park
Houston, TX 77054
April 10-12, 2014
Admission: $20 per person per day, children 12 and younger receive complimentary admission
Preview: Gates open daily at 8 a.m.
Auction: Vehicles start at 10 a.m. daily with Road Art 30 minutes prior
TV Schedule: April 10, Esquire: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Live; NBCSN: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Live; Mecum.com: 6:35-7 p.m. Live
April 11, Esquire: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Live; NBCSN: 3-6 p.m. Live; Mecum.com 6:10-7:00 p.m.
April 12, Mecum.com: 12-1:15 p.m. Live; NBCSN: 1:30-4 p.m. Live; Mecum.com: 4:15-7 p.m. Live
(All Times Central)
