Mecum Marathon – Results From Kissimmee 2014
The largest collector car auction in the world lived up to its moniker once again with Mecum’s Kissimmee, Fla., event, held Jan. 17-26, offering a grand total of 2,750 cars and more than 3,000 items of Road Art throughout the 10 days of heated bidding and hard-hammering sales. Auction sales reached a hefty $63,435,490 in total with 1,759 of the vehicles exchanging hands for a sell-through rate of 64 percent.
Despite nationwide weather conundrums resulting in thousands of cancelled flights throughout the Northeast and Midwest, the auction still managed to succeed in bringing buyers and sellers together with overall attendance reaching more than 70,000 spectators and an unbeatably diverse lineup of collector vehicles making the trip. More than 48 hours of the auction were broadcast on NBC Sports and Esquire networks drawing more viewers than any other live Mecum auction broadcast in the auction house’s six-year history on television.
Composed of historical greats and highly desirable rarities, Kissimmee’s Corvette lineup saw 232 change hands for a total of $11,896,560. Encompassed by those numbers are select vehicles from the Dr. Vance Shappley Collection including a 1969 L88 Convertible (Lot S165.1) that sold for $510,000, a 1963 Z06 Tanker (Lot S150.1) that hammered at $475,000 and a ’64 Big Tank Coupe (Lot S181.1) that sold for $350,000. Other notable sales in the Corvette realm include a 1968 L88 Coupe (Lot S179) that gaveled at $530,000 and a Triple Crown-awarded ’67 Coupe (Lot S156) hammering at $240,000. The sale of the 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Prototype "The Real McCoy" (Lot S132) has been postponed due to third party claims of ownership of parts used in the restoration.
High-performance Fords and Shelbys demonstrated strong sales as well with the modern-day supercar Ford GTs continuing to demand high dollar. A 2006 Heritage Edition (Lot S196) brought $320,000, and a GT wearing Speed Yellow (Lot T181.1) brought $242,500. A total of 68 percent of the 178 Mustangs and Shelbys offered were sold for nearly $5 million dollars in all with a ’69 Boss 429 Fastback (Lot S141) hammering at $240,000.
Mopars were well represented in Kissimmee with numerous strong prices as 105 of the 155 offered were hammered sold. An unrestored 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda (Lot S143) grabbed a sale price of $560,000, and the famous 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Hurst Hemi Under Glass (Lot S200) hammered at $300,000.
Among European makes, Porsche again grabbed the spotlight with 40 of the 60 offered gaveling sold with examples like a Gemini Metallic ’73 911S Coupe (Lot S180) selling for $200,000 and a ’58 356A 1600 Super Cabriolet (Lot S85) coming in at $195,000.
The complete top 10 sales list for Mecum’s Kissimmee auction includes (all individual sales reflect hammer prices):
1. 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda (Lot S143) at $560,000
2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe (Lot S179) at $530,000
3. 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S165.1) at $510,000
4. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Tanker (Lot S150.1) at $475,000
5. 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Big Tank Coupe (Lot S181.1) at $350,000
6. 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot S196) at $320,000
7. 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Hurst Hemi Under Glass (Lot S200) at $300,000
8. 2006 Ford GT (Lot T181.1) at $242,500
9. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (Lot S156) at $240,000
10. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot S141) at $240,000
For access to complete auction results and other member benefits, signup for the free InfoNet service offered at www.mecum.com. Mecum’s next classic and collector car auction – featuring 1,000 vehicles – will be held April 10-12 at The Reliant Center in Houston followed by the auction house’s April 13 vintage motorcycle auction at the same venue. For more details on an upcoming auction, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit www.mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050.
About Mecum Auctions
Nobody sells more than Mecum. Nobody. The Mecum Auction Company is the world leader of collector car 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 www.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.
