Don’t Miss the Mecum Kissimmee Collector Car Auction

by Howard Walker

An immaculate 1967 Corvette crosses the block at last year's auction. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc. — An immaculate 1967 Corvette crosses the block at last year’s auction. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

Be still my beating heart. The annual Mecum Kissimmee, the world’s biggest collector car auction with a staggering 4,500 unique cars, trucks, motorcycles, and boats, crosses the block over 13 action-packed days beginning January 6.

This is a truly amazing spectacle for anyone with the merest hint of gasoline in their veins. Pretty much every collector car you can think of will be there, lot number on the window, waiting for a new buyer to take it home.

The vast Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

Looking for a classic Corvette? Mecum has over 300 up for grabs. Ferraris? Take your pick from over 125, including 46 rarer-than-hen’s-teeth examples from the famous Bachman Collection out of Greeneville, Tennessee. All 48 are being offered without reserve.

And it’s one very special Ferrari that’s headlining this year’s auction. Known around the world as the Bianco Speciale, this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO is the only one of the 36 GTOs built that came out of the factory painted this shimmering shade of pearly white.

Over 4,500 vehicles are up for grabs during the 13-day auction. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

How much will it fetch when it glides across the auction block on Saturday the 17th? Estimates range from a staggering $60 million to $72 million.

It’s not just mega-priced supercars going under the hammer. This is an auction event for all pocketbooks. I doubt the ’83 Datsun 280ZX selling with no reserve on Wednesday will reach $5,000. Same with literally hundreds of other lots, including a 1995 Chevy Caprice State Trooper Patrol Car complete with roof lights.

Cars cross the auction block at the rate of one every two minutes. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

“That’s the great thing about Mecum Kissimmee, there is literally something for everyone,” says Breeann Poland, Mecum’s director of communications and marketing. “For the young enthusiast who wants to get into restoring something, to the discerning collector looking for a best-of-the-best example, they’ll find it here”.

Talking of best-of-the-best, look no further than the fabulous gold 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro Prototype from the legendary Pennsylvania muscle car builder. This was the original ’69 Yenko Camaro prototype and has been featured on multiple magazine covers.

A section of fabulous Ferraris from the Bachman Collection. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

Looking for a fun hot rod to wow the crowd at your local Cars and Coffee? Look no further than this fully-restored 1956 Chevy Bel Air Convertible with a new GM 6.2-liter LS3 V8 packing 430 horsepower, Baer four-wheel disc brakes, and that fabulous Tropical Turquoise paint job. Prive estimate? Between $300,00 and $350,000.

Then there’s the truly spectacular 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1, driven by Carroll Shelby when it was a Shelby American demonstrator, and one of only 48 GT40 Mk 1 race coupes built. Estimates range from $5.5 million to $6 million.

This 1962 Ferrari GTO Bianco Speciale could fetch over $70 million. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

For me, the magical appeal of Mecum Kissimmee is simply strolling through the more than a dozen vast marquees on 60 acres and gazing at all this amazing machinery. Open the doors, slide behind the wheel, feel the leather? Go right ahead.

And for those vehicles that fail to meet their reserve, the beauty of Mecum is that they get moved to an adjacent ‘The Bid Goes On’ field.

1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air Convertible. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

Here deals can be worked out with the Mecum team together with the owner, without the pressure of the auction. As most owners don’t really want to take their unsold car home, most are willing to negotiate.

1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro Prototype. Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc.

Don’t want a vehicle? Mecum will have on offer over 1,500 pieces of Road Art memorabilia. Everything from neon signs, to vintage gas pumps, coffee tables made with big-block V8s, to car art, to Dr Pepper signs. I’m quite partial to the Volkswagen Bus Charcoal Grill. That’s going to be one hot item.

Mecum Kissimmee is being held at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee just south of Orlando from January 6-18. Tickets start at around $28 for a one-day pass. For more information, visit mecum.com. Don’t miss it.

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