Ten Days And 3,000 Cars At Mecum Collector Car Auction In Kissimmee
Mecum Auctions will bring the world’s largest collector car auction to the Osceola Heritage Park grounds in Kissimmee, Fla., this Jan. 17-26 with 3,000 vehicles and 3,000 items of Road Art and memorabilia set to cross the auction block throughout the 10 days of hard-hammering action. The immense lineup includes everything from high-performance muscle cars to ‘50s era cars as well as vintage racers, European sports and exotics and of course an impressive and vast offering of Corvettes.
From investment-grade collector cars to entry-level vehicles, the lineup includes something for everyone. Vehicles will range from several thousand to several million dollars and will include marques ranging from the unique and obscure to the automotive industry giants. With such significant Corvette sales over the years, the Kissimmee auction has become an epicenter for the buyers and sellers of America’s Favorite Sports Car and this year’s auction is filled with incredible investment-grade offerings wearing the Corvette name.
Nine days and more than 48 hours of Mecum’s Kissimmee Auction will be broadcast on the NBC Sports and Esquire networks followed by a one-hour special broadcast on NBC. For a complete list of consignments visit Mecum.com. Mecum’s website is updated daily with the most recent consignments including photos and descriptions of each vehicle. For more details on the Kissimmee auction, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit www.mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050.
Certain to please anyone with a pulse, a few select vehicles set to cross Mecum’s block are detailed below:
1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Prototype “The Real McCoy” (Lot S132)
At a time when the Corvette brand was in jeopardy of dying off due to lagging sales and fierce competition, an olive branch came in the form of this prototype Corvette. Driven by Zora Duntov to a new two-way Flying Mile Speed Record at Daytona Speed Week, this 1956 Chevrolet Corvette SR Sebring Racer was engineered specifically to race. The goal was to win the 12 Hours of Sebring in an attempt to gain credentials with buyers looking for a true champion sports car. Piloted by John Fitch and emerging as the grueling race’s class winner, this Corvette quickly became known as the car that saved the brand. Chevrolet immediately launched an advertising campaign following the race dubbing the car “The Real McCoy,” a moniker it has retained ever since. As a 2012 Bloomington Gold Great Hall Inductee, this car is truly a pioneer in Corvette’s racing history.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Dick Lang Race Car (Lot S148)
With a storied racing history piloted by driver Dick Lang, this Corvette has been restored by the Naber Brothers to its glory day configurations and has become a multiple-award winner securing even the National Corvette Restorers Society American Heritage Award “For the preservation of a historically significant piece of Corvette history.” Finishing 4th in 1963 and 3rd in ’64 in National SCCA A/Production standings with Lang at the wheel, the car competed in nearly two-dozen documented races throughout the two-year period. With its N03 36 gallon fuel tank, this rare and coveted Z06-equipped car is further set apart by being one of just 63 big tank coupes built in 1963.
1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, CSX3016 (Lot S154)
One of just 23 factory Competition Cobras, this car made a name for itself back in 1966 by becoming class winner at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Bob Grossman driving and breaking the track record at Watkins Glen in the same year. Restored by respected H.R.E. Motorcars, Inc. of Freeport, N.Y., this racer is finished in its original livery as raced by Grossman and presents as a showcase factory Competition Cobra.
1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible (Lot S158)
Judged as an ACD-Certified Category 1 Original with its original engine, chassis and body, Duesenberg 2315/J-391 was completed by Walter M. Murphy Coachbuilders of Pasadena, Cali., as a demonstrator for Duesenberg’s Los Angeles sales branch. With an impressive ownership history, it was originally sold to Hollywood screen writer Gene Markey, who later became a highly decorated Rear Admiral after World War II. A series of owners in the 1940s included James Talmadge (son of Buster Keaton and Norma Talmadge), who in 1952 traded the car to actor Tyrone Power for a new MG. Power owned the car until his death after which it was sold to J.B. Nethercutt and then to Bill Harrah's Auto Museum in Reno, Nev. In 1986, it was purchased and restored by Joseph Folladori of Indianapolis and later became part of Las Vegas’ Imperial Palace Auto Collection, eventually joining the prestigious John O’Quinn Collection. J-391 also participated in March of 1998 as one of six Duesenbergs specially invited to the Geneva Automobile Show in Switzerland, was featured in the November 1952 issue of Road & Track, and was more recently immortalized by Beverly Rae Kimes in "A Duesie's Dozen, The Ownership Ancestry of J-391."
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Styling Car, Mrs. Harley J. Earl’s Corvette (Lot S153)
When it comes to Corvettes with great stories, this 1963 Corvette Styling Car certainly makes the grade. Originally ordered for the wife of Harley J. Earl – founder of General Motors’ Styling and Design – this pink lady is Shop Order 10324, in direct sequence one number after Mr. Earl's 1963 styling car that recently sold at Mecum’s Chicago auction for a strong $1.5 million. Featuring just 27,457 miles, this car’s ownership history is known since new, having been in the same hands and stored away since 1976. Finally back in the public eye, this one-of-a-kind factory creation is offered unrestored with just one repaint in its correct Pink Pearl shade and accompanied by documentation stating this car belonged to Chevrolet Motor Division Engineering Center.
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring (Lot S145)
This car, number 1222, retains its numbers-matching engine according to the included Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. Research shows No. 1222 was delivered to Italy in the Light Ivory over black leatherette scheme it wears today. Collectible almost from new, it has been in collections in Japan and more recently Mexico, before joining a Porsche collection in the United States. A 300 KPH speedometer and dash rally times are ready for the next California Mille or Texas 1000, and sport seats reupholstered with corduroy inserts will cradle any driver in comfort for days of touring.
1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway Sledgehammer (Lot F259)
Based on a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette, the famous Callaway Sledgehammer was built by Callaway to exceed all existing top speed records and as a showcase for Callaway’s industry-leading engineering expertise. For years the Sledgehammer claimed the title of the fastest street-driven car in the world, having set the mark on October 26, 1988 when John Lingenfelter drove it to an incredible 254.76 mph. In 2013 the Sledgehammer was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall, which “recognizes 50 people and 50 Corvettes that significantly influenced the Corvette Phenomenon” – a great honor for one of the world’s great Corvettes.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Tanker (Lot S150.1)
This Corvette Z06 is considered by many Corvette authorities to be possibly the finest example of one of the rarest production Corvettes ever built. Produced on Valentine’s Day, 1963 and delivered to Atzenhoffer Chevrolet in Victoria, Texas, this Sebring Silver and Red Z06 big tank split window coupe was sold to its original owner in Grand Prairie, Texas. The owner campaigned the car extensively throughout the Midwest in SCCA competition and it was rediscovered in Salt Lake City in 1976. A frame-off restoration was completed in 1984 to the highest possible quality. The interior, chassis and drivetrain remain original to the car, which was painted with original factory-supplied Sebring Silver paint, and only original parts were used in the restoration. This extremely rare and beautiful Z06 has been inducted to the Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame in addition to garnering Gold Certification, Special Collection honors and the NCRS Top Flight award. Documented with warranty booklet, owner’s packet with contents and previous owner search, the car also comes with all award certificates.
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.
Schedule:
Osceola Heritage Park
1875 Silver Spur Lane
Kissimmee, FL 34744
January 17-26, 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 daily at 10 a.m. except for Road Art Monday
Live TV Schedule:
January 17 Esquire 1-7 PM
January 18 Esquire 11 AM until 5 PM
January 19 Esquire 11 AM until 5 PM
January 21 Esquire 1-7 PM
January 22 Esquire 2-8 PM
January 23 Esquire 2-8 PM
January 24 Esquire 6:30-8:30 PM
January 24 NBCSN 1-4:30 PM
January 25 NBCSN 10 AM until 12 PM
Live Taped Delay
January 25 Esquire 12-2 PM
January 26 NBCSN 10 AM until 12 PM
Live Taped Delay
January 26 NBC 3-4 PM*
*Best One Hour of Kissimmee
Live Taped Delay
