The collector car marketplace commenced 2022 on a high note, with a spectacular showing by Mecum Auctions at its annual New Year Kissimmee (Florida) event, significantly increasing the world record gross for a single automotive auction event with a total of US$217 million in sales.
The previous record was held by RM Sotheby’s from a three-day auction during Monterey Car Week in 2015, generating $172.9 million, which included the $75.4-million Pinnacle Portfolio, four cars over $10 million, another three cars over $5 million and 36 individual million-dollar cars in total.
The top sellers at the auction were a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM ($17,600,000), a 1998 McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ ($13,750,000), a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT 'Tour de France' ($13,200,000) and a 1953 Jaguar Lightweight Works C-Type ($13,200,000).
Prior to that record, RM Auctions (the Sotheby's deal was concluded prior to Monterey 2015) had set a new benchmark at Monterey in 2014 with a record $143.4 million in sales. Within that total, 35 lots achieved million-dollar-plus results, led by a 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale ($26.4 million), a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM ($11.5 million) and the ex-Steve McQueen 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 for a record $10.175 million.
Prior to that, Gooding & Co held the record at $113.7 million when it grossed $113.7 million at its 2012 Pebble Beach Auction, where it sold 24 cars in excess of $1 million, topped by the legendary 1936 von Krieger Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster ($11,770,000) setting a world record for a Mercedes-Benz and another for a pre-war car at auction. A couple of big ticket items are usually needed to get a world record gross, and a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider sold for $11,275,000 in the same auction, setting a world record for a California Spider.
All of which makes Mecum’s performance all the more commendable. The final total sales for the cars for the 11-day Kissimmee event was $213 million. Another 2.66 million in road art sales helped the grand total but what was most remarkable was the make-up of the $217 million, which is almost two-thirds of the entire $343 million Monterey Car Week sales in 2021, and that's aggregating the results of all of the auction houses.
In all, just 13 vehicles topped the million-dollar mark, with the 1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype taking top spot with $3.75 million, narrowly ahead of a 2020 McLaren Speedtail ($3,300,000).
The bulk of that $217 million was made up of mid-range collectible cars, with 2,954 cars sold at a 90 percent sell-through rate. The average price of a car at Kissimmee has increased every year since the Mecum Kissimmee sale was first held, but jumped from $49,112 in 2020 to $74,213 in 2021. That’s the most cars that have ever been sold at one auction before too.
We’ve gone through the 4,000 lots to pick out the 50 most interesting results of the 11-day event and they are below, with links and images.
1952 Cisitalia Grand Prix Childrens Car
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $4,425
Lot: Z920 | Date: 16 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Junior cars are becoming big business, with Ferrari planning to sell 299 scale replicas of its fabled 1950s Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa supercar at €93,000 (US$109,000) each, and concours events now regularly holding junior car classes across the world.
Hence, a car such as this represents excellent value because your very own works replica will get 99% of the fun for one percent of the cost. This 1952 Cisitalia Grand Prix Child's Car is one of three built by Piero Patria of Turin, Italy. The remarkable thing about a car such as this is that it will get your pride and joy an entry into some quite prestigious concours events in Europe, and indeed, most likely a start at the Little Big Mans held at Le Mans. Derek Bell won the Le Mans 24 Hour five times, but his fondest memory is of his son driving in the “Little Big Mans” in a replica of the Porsche 936 he once had won in.
The single-seater is powered by a 125cc single-cylinder motorcycle engine, has a three-speed gearbox, independent suspension front and rear, rack and pinion steering, all enclosed in a fabricated alloy body.
Chris-Craft Cobra Childrens’ Ride
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $29,500
Lot: Z349 | Date: 16 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This is what happens when you get an exquisitely built arcade ride restored to better than new. Prices for this relatively rare and beautifully crafted children’s ride have been rising for some time, with one sitting on eBay at a $25,000 asking price for some time.
Considering a real Chris-Craft Cobra is now a highly desirable, limited-edition, collectible vintage boat with a hotrod heart, and regularly sells above $100,000, one wonders how much closer those prices can get?
1934 Ford Roadster Street Rod
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $29,700
Lot: U67 | Date: 16 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
When we look at the lower prices of a massive auction such as Kissimmee, it is obvious that there are a lot of nice cars with great personality that have been lovingly built and are being sold well below the value of the hours and ingenuity they represent. This 1934 Ford Roadster Street Rod looks like one of them.
Bennett Gilmore Gas Pump
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $33,040
Lot: M20 | Date: 10 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
A century and a quarter ago, automotive culture put down roots, and the internal combustion engine slowly overcame steam and electricity as the dominant motive force for the century of the automobile. The Petroliana and Automobilia sections of automotive auctions are a joy to browse because so many artifacts that were once a part of motoring are now automated, computerized and invisible, and the effort that gas companies once went to in order to attract your patronage was breathtaking.
Vintage gas pumps have been collected for decades, and it takes a restored vintage pump popping up at an auction like this to fully appreciate the beauty of the design.
Prices for vintage pumps now regularly top $30,000 at auctions, and occasionally much higher. The most expensive we can find was a Ten Gallon Visible Pump sold by Morphy’s in May 2021 for $87,600.
1934 Ford Custom Pickup
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $40,700
Lot: U96 | Date: 16 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Like the 1934 Ford Roadster Street Rod above that sold for $29,700, this Custom pick-up is credited with a no-expense-spared build, yet sold for a very finite and humble price. The quality of the workmanship belies the cost per hour being paid for a vehicle such as this. There’s a massive difference between second-hand and pre-loved.
Kelly Tires Single-Sided Porcelain Sign
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $41,300
Lot: M105 | Date: 10 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The signs that were once commonplace in “old school” car repair workshops are now coming into their own as collectible items to decorate a “man cave.”
This “Kelly Tires” sign was the top seller at this auction and it has previously sold even higher. In 2016 Mecum sold a double-sided sign (two of these signs back-to-back) for $110,000.
Past favourites that always seem to draw big bucks include Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Goodyear Tires, and one of the most expensive of all time was this double-sided porcelain Musgo Gasoline sign that fetched $230,000.
1956 Volkswagen Beetle
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $55,000
Lot: S41 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Who would ever have believed you if you’d said when Volkswagen Type-1 Beetles were in their prime, that they’d sell for more than $100,000 one day, and that there would be armies of devotees who regularly congregate and celebrate the vehicle and its ethos?
Well, all of the above is now true and although $55,000 is a top price for a Type-1 Beetle, there have been several that have sold for much more. Putting aside genuine screen-used Herbies (from the Love Bug and other Herbie movies), RM-Sotheby’s sold a 1962 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible for $121,000 on 4 September 2021, and Gooding & Co sold a 1960 Beetle for $121,000 at Amelia Island in 2016 (no link) as well as a 1957 Volkswagen Beetle and trailer for $100,800 at the Pebble Beach in 2021.
In Europe, there are quite a few models that were never seen in America, and hence a much greater opportunity to have a completely authentic but extremely rare Bug. This rare 1952 Volkswagen Type 15 Karmann Cabriolet sold for €92,000 ($105,000) in Austria in 2019, and if you check out this rather dated feature we did a few years back on the 50 most valuable Volkswagen Beetles ever sold, you’ll find there are Beetles worth considerably more again, though they never seem to get to auction, and if they do, they have a prohibitive reserve price. The history of the Volkswagen Beetle is a fascinating read.
1941 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $110,000
Lot: F234 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder, but that doesn’t really explain why Lincoln’s three-window Zephyr hasn’t created more of a splash on the auction block. It is exquisitely styled, has a V12 engine and it gets rarer every day because custom builders quite understandably love the shape.
A four-suicide-door Zephyr was first shown as a concept at the 1934 Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago, becoming a production model in 1935 and a sleek three-window coupe debuted in 1937, getting a new nose in 1938 and becoming the iconic Art Deco shape that has drawn so many custom builders to the model, making it even more iconic, but significantly depleting existing stocks of the standard V12 beauty.
Gooding & Co holds the model record at $220,000 set at Scottsdale in 2015 for a 1939 model, with a 1941 model sold by Gooding & Co for $214,500 at Amelia Island in 2016 (no links - it appears the Gooding & Co history has been lost to the internet), with RM-Sotheby’s selling another black 1939 model at Scottsdale in 2017 for $192,500. The three top-sellers were all black.
There are also quite a few custom Zephyrs that are now beginning to fetch top dollar too, with this 1941 Custom Zephyr fetching $203,500 and this 1939 Custom Zephyr fetching $187,000. Both of these cars would have spent well over $200,000 on their build alone, with neither running its original V12 engine.
The great irony is that there are dozens of custom Zephyrs out there that have sold for a fraction of those prices over the last ten years (search Mecum’s back auctions and you’ll see them) - cars that have had hundreds of thousands spent on them, that would have been worth far more if they’d been left untouched.
So there are now two distinct markets for Lincoln Zephyrs - the modified and the unmodified, but restomods still represent excellent value for the purchaser if they do their homework and get the right one
The best value-for-money though, is an original bog-stock 3-window car or droptop. One of those that got away was Annette Bening’s personal 1938 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible Coupe that sold for $75,900 at a Petersen Museum Car Auction staged by Barrett-Jackson in 2003. In impeccable condition, the car is one of just six extant of the original 400 made, had a celebrity owner, and it appeared in the 1991 Movie “Bugsy,” being driven by Bening as actress Virginia Hill.
1966 Volkswagen 21-Window Deluxe Bus
No sale. High Bid: $140,000
Lot: S276 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This has been a fiercely competitive marketplace for the last 5-6 years, with 21-window and 23-window Volkswagen Microbuses regularly commanding prices between $150,000 and $200,000 with Barrett-Jackson holding the 21-window record price at $302,500 and the 23-window record price at $291,500.
The market was so hot in 2017 that the $291,500 price was achieved by a microbus that had previously sold for $148,500 in 2014 - it doubled in value inside three years without being touched.
This bus may have been passed in at $140,000 for no fault of its own, because the marketplace is about to become very oversupplied during the Scottsdale auction cluster.
Barrett-Jackson has no less than five 21- and 23-window Microbuses heading for Scottsdale (here, here, here, here, and here), Gooding & Company has another, and RM-Sotheby’s has another - and they are all being sold without reserve, meaning that there may be bargains to be had.
The most interesting offering at Scottsdale will be the microbus that holds the world record of $302,500 going back to auction without reserve.
2022 Ultimate Toys Presidential DayCruiser 170
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $154,000
Lot: U109 | Date: 16 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This was worth a mention simply because it is a brand new Mercedes-Benz 3500 Sprinter pimped to the max that sold for a very reasonable $154,000 - considering the technology built into an already tech-savvy vehicle by Ultimate Toys. In addition to have the ideal luxury camper or mobile office, there’s also a scheme where you can rent out your toy while you’re not using it, adding cashflow to the long list of extras.
2016 Radical RXC GT3 Coupe
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $214,500
Lot: S140 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This racecar is not only homologated for FIA-approved GT3 racing, it is completely street legal, with a power-to-weight ratio that will warp your brain if you’ve never driven anything like this before. It produces 542 hp and weighs 2,420 pounds. From the auction description: To put things into perspective, the Radical RXC GT3 Coupe can negotiate many of the race tracks around the world at lap times competitive with the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari.
The product page at Radical explains why this is such a capable car, and here’s a comparison test with the RXC pitted against a Ford GT and a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
1969 Dodge Wheelstanding Truck
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $264,000
Lot: S128 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This truck is famous, because it wheelstands. Watch the video.
1965 Porsche 356B/912 Prototype
No sale. High Bid: $290,000
Lot: S237.1 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
From the auction description: “This car is an incredibly rare, factory-documented 1965 Porsche 356B/912 Coupe Prototype. Porsche commenced with the replacement design to its existing 356 model range in the early 1960s. The result was the iconic Porsche 911 and 912 introduced to the public in 1963 and in 1965 respectively. The Porsche 912 (with the internal designation 902) was the entry-level model. In order to both amortize the large capital cost associated with tooling up for a completely new car as well to provide a new Porsche product at a price point commensurate with the outgoing 356SC, Porsche came up with a simple yet elegant design package: the installation of the 356 4-cylinder engine into an identical body structure shared with the 911. This concept was embraced by management in 1962, and authorization for the construction of six prototypes was granted. Of the six original 4-cylinder prototypes, only two are documented to have survived.”
We’re not sure why it didn’t sell, because it is a car of historical significance.
1977 Lincoln Batmobile Replica
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $319,000
Lot: F243 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
If you’re a tragic Batman fan, this is clearly the car for you. It isn’t screen-used so it comes without the financial burden of such cars, even though it is apparently a painstakingly accurate copy of the original from the 1960s television show. The video above details the bizarre history of the original Barris Batmobile, and the video below shows the original Batmobile selling in 2013 for $4.62 million ($4.2 million plus 10% buyers’ fee) - so think of this as a $4.3 million (or 93.1 percent) discount.
What's more, if you ever get tired of putting on the mask and cape and going for a drive, this car offers one of the lowest entry points for a viable business we’ve ever seen. At $319,000, it offers a very authentic replica at considerably less than replacement cost, and we’re betting that DC Comics (Warner Bros. Entertainment) could easily sort you out with more paid promotional appearances than you could handle. We could be wrong, but we think this was a bargain.
1954 Chrisman Bonneville Coupe
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $341,000
Lot: S128.1 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This is one of those cars which people fall in love with when they see it. Built nearly 70 years ago, it ran 160 mph with a 304 ci Mercury engine at Bonneville in 1953, appeared on the cover of HotRod magazine in February 1954, then went back to Bonneville where it ran 180.87 mph in 1954 using Hemi power, then 196 mph in 1955. It was then sold to George Barris who modified it for a regular role in the TV series, “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Since then the Chrisman Bonneville Coupe has appeared on the lawns of Pebble Beach as one of the first crop of historic rods invited to the famous Concours d’Elegance in the brand new “Famous Hot Rod Coupes” class, and it has been owned by a string of well-known automotive connoisseurs. Several times it has gone to auction with a highest price of $660,000 at RM Auctions in 2008, the point at which Dana Mecum (of Mecum Auctions) purchased the car. Dana kept it for several years, putting it up for auction in 2010 (high bid $485,000) and 2018 (high bid $410,000) and finally at this sale where someone got an icon of American art at a 50 percent discount on what one of the sharpest guys in the business paid for it.
1941 Packard D'Agostino Custom 'Gable'
No sale. High Bid: $350,000
Lot: S63.1 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This is a 1941 Packard Custom build that was finished in 2004 and immediately took out wins at the 2004 Grand National Roadster Show and Sacramento Auto Rama. The car was designed as a tribute to Clark Cable’s Packard 120 custom by Dutch Darin. Darin made a name for himself customizing cars for the Hollywood stars, with Dick Powell, Errol Flynn, Gene Kriupa, Al Jolson and Carole Lombard (as a present for Clarke Gable) among his clients. The car this car was dedicated to fetched $282,000 back in 2009 when it went to auction, but 2009 car dollars are very different from those today and … we think this is a beautiful car and it has the trophies to validate the build quality. Still available to a good home.
1957 Dual Ghia Convertible
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $363,000
Lot: S164.1 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
A powerful reliable American V8 drivetrain and an Italian-styled and Ghia-built gem. The build quality on these cars was sensational, and only 32 are known of the 117 produced. Bargain-basement collectibility. As they are now very closely held, they don’t come up at auction all that often and the record price for a Dual Ghia was set last year at this same auction when a 1958 model fetched $605,000.
In the day, a lot of influential people supported this car with their patronage, including Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Eddie Fisher, Sammy Davis Jr., Debbie Reynolds, Hoagy Carmichael, Sterling Hayden. plus no less than three Presidents of the United States, being Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson.
1996 Buick Blackhawk Factory Custom
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $385,000
Lot: S173 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Put simply, someone bought exceptionally well with this car. The Buick Blackhawk was a hand-built custom 2+2 convertible developed to celebrate Buick's 100 year anniversary in 2003. That is, it was built as a show car, by Buick itself.
Built to pay tribute to the celebrated pre-WW2 Y-Job concept car, it used many of the styling hallmarks of that car, plus it got a whole lot of its own elegance and style, plus all the parts came straight from the parts bin, meaning it might as well be a stock model when it comes to putting it back together in case of mishap. That gorgeous body is made of steel, and the retractable top works and it is made of carbon. This is a reliable, sustainable working car of exceptional build quality with loads of historical gravitas, plus it was used in the film “Bad Boys II” where it was driven by Will Smith.
All for $385,000 when it previously went to auction in 2009, selling for $522,500 at Barrett-Jackson, and subsequently $363,000 as part of the Andrews Collection at RM-Sotheby’s. Crazy good value!
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $418,000
Lot: S113 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This is a “vault find.” It was purchased new in 1966 and immediately recognized as a future classic by its owner, who kept it in a climate controlled garage and drove it very sparingly. What has resulted is a car completely unmolested from new, with just 8,533 original miles and the only bits that aren’t original are the battery and mufflers.
From the auction description, “This 8,500-mile family heirloom has been regularly serviced and cared for over the past 50 years, plus it can be driven a few hundred miles each year with confidence while never hurting the car’s value. Most importantly, the next owner will be able to drive an original 435 HP Corvette and relive the authentic 1967 experience.”
1969 DeTomaso Mangusta
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $440,000
Lot: S152.1 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
One of just 400 Mangustas made, this is a great-looking car that gives away nothing in performance to its contemporaries. It was designed by car designer of the century, Giorgetto Guigiaro, and it really shows. This is a two-owner, unrestored original that has covered just 6,876 miles … and it has Gullwing doors on both the engine and luggage compartment.
1964 Dragula Munsters Coffin Dragster
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $473,000
Lot: S130 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The perfect metaphor for lost youth, there were originally five such cars and they regularly turn up at auction and they always raise a smile and sell well, and this is the most that has been paid for one. This was the hero car from one of the 1960s TV shows that struck a chord with the youth of the day. While there are sixties kids still alive, this car will always find a home.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Split Window Coupe
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $605,000
Lot: F153.1 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
An awesome car. From the auction description, "This is the rarest of finds: a Bloomington Gold Benchmark, unrestored and original, 39,000-mile 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 equipped with its original matching-numbers Fuelie engine. There were only 199 1963 Z06s produced, and this is the actual car that Chevrolet featured in its promotional literature relaunching the Z06 fixed-roof coupe in 2001. Prior to recently receiving its Bloomington Gold Benchmark designation, this stunner received the coveted Bloomington Gold and Survivor certification and an NCRS Top Flight award. There’s no question that few Corvettes ever built are more desirable, from all the well-deserved accolades to the split-window body style and Z06 performance goodies that all combine to make this one special ride."
1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $605,000
Lot: S234 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona two-seat Grand Tourer and its droptop sibling the Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona are a wonderful example of the difference between the desirability of a Spyder (or Roadster) and a Coupe, and the effects of limiting demand.
For the uninitiated, the Daytona name is not a Ferrari designation but a popular name that comes from a famous 1-2-3 win in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona that helped place the car in the minds of the public - even though the placings were all achieved by different model Ferraris.
In total 1284 365 GTB/4 hardtop Daytonas were built between 1969 and 1973, compared with 122 factory-made Spyders (1971 to 1973). Ten times the demand makes a very different equation and the average price of a GTB/4 Daytona over the last decade has been around $650,000. For the 365 GTS/4 Daytona, the average is around $2.2 million … for the same car with a different top (well, more or less). For a long time, people were cutting the tops off hardtops but they aren’t “real” so they will never sell at auction for the same prices, even though the better conversions offer a great car. More expensive does not equal a better car, though it will not be investment-worthy.
Despite a general downward trend in prices for the 365 GTB/4 since 2015, there have been a few spectacular results for exceptional cars in recent times, with Gooding & Company selling the first production Daytona that was the poster car for the 1969 New York and Los Angeles Auto Shows at Pebble Beach in 2019 for $995,000 and another at $797,000 at Pebble Beach in 2021. Th eprice fetched by this car is also well above most prices of the last two years and it will be interesting to watch the market for this car over 2022.
2021 IsoRivolta GT Zagato
No sale. High Bid: $700,000
Lot: S260 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
A quick, one-paragraph history lesson: Giotto Bizzarrini designed the world’s most expensive and acclaimed car, the Ferrari 250 GTO. A few years later, he designed and built the Iso Grifo A3/C using a 5.3 litre V8 from a Chevrolet Corvette. It was as good as, if not a better mousetrap than the GTO, highly acclaimed in its day and purchased by people who knew, with somewhere between 22 and 25 examples sold.
The auction block is a cruel environment though and despite all the hype, you can still buy one in the $1.0 to $2.0 million range, while the GTO costs 50 times more.
As rare as the Iso Grifo A3/C may be, only a handful have ever sold for more than a million, including the prototype selling for $1,760,000 by Gooding & Company at Scottsdale in 2018, a $1,182,500 result at Kissimmee in 2021, and a new world model record of $2,052,285 (€1,805,000) by RM-Sotheby’s during the Guikas Collection Sale at Le Castellet last November (2021).
Okay, now let’s look at this car which is a tribute car to the Iso Grifo A3/C. It is drop dead gorgeous, hand-built at enormous expense in carbon by Zagato, as rare as hell (there’s only one in the United States for the foreseeable future and there will only ever be 19) and … it uses a a 6.2-liter supercharged 650 hp V8 engine, does 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds, and has a top speed of 196 mph (315 km/h). Now the original A3/C used a low cost horsepower maker, but this time around, the price of the IsoRivolta GT Zagato is set a few notches higher.
Prior to this auction, the car was for sale as the only one in America, with a price tag of $1.35 million but there were no takers. So it went to auction and the highest bid that could be raised in a record-breaking environment, was $700,000. It must be very hard selling a car for $1.35 million, that everyone knows is an $85,000 C7 Corvette Z06 under the skin.
2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $715,000
Lot: S157 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This is definitely a market on the move. Just over 2,000 Ford GTs were built for the 2006 model year, 343 of them equipped with the Heritage Paint Package (an additional $13,000) of the JW Automotive/Gulf Oil livery of the GT40 that won the 1968 Le Mans 24 Hour Race. In 2021, the market began to move again and nearly all of the highest prices paid for this model have come in recent times:
$715,000 | Mecum | Kissimmee 2022 | 16 January, 2022
$641,000 | Bring A Trailer | 20 January 2022
$605,000 | Mecum | Monterey | 14 August 2021
$572,000 | Mecum | Indianapolis | 22 May 2021
$566,000 | RM Sotheby's | Amelia Island | 22 May 2021
$560,844 | Bring A Trailer | 11 November 2021
$533,500 | Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale | 20 January 2019
$533,000 | RM Sotheby's | Amelia Island | 7 March 2020
$522,000 | Sotheby's | Las Vegas | 24 October 2021
$511,000 | RM Sotheby's | Elkhart Collection | 24 October, 2020
$510,000 | Mecum | Monterey | 16 August, 2014
$500,000 | Bring A Trailer | 2 April 2021
Interestingly, this Heritage Edition GT that is now the most valuable of all, is also equipped with the optional McIntosh stereo ($4,000), the BBS wheels ($4,000 option), and the painted brake calipers ($750 option). Heavily optioned cars generally reflect the additional value at auction.
2017 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $737,000
Lot: S253 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Despite a global marketplace that seems boundless, there are a finite number of genuinely collectible cars of each model, and this lot emphasizes that. As this model is both exclusive and new, there have only been a handful Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadsters sold at auction, and two of them sold at this auction. When new, the base price was $443,800, but un-optioned Lamborghinis are rare. This car is blessed with a wide range of extras, and obviously there are a few people out there who have been lamenting the availability of a well-optioned Aventador Roadsters and this one caused a battle that drove the price past its showroom sticker price. One of the Roadsters, with 2,685 miles up, sold for $440,000, while this one fetched $737,000 and the highest price yet for the model.
2018 Ford GT '67 Heritage Edition
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $1,320,000
Lot: S245 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The 2018 Ford GT '67 Heritage Edition is decorated with the livery of the 1967 Le Mans-winning GT40 Mark IV race car driven by the all-American team of Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt. It was on the winners podium of this event that Dan Gurney sprayed champagne and began a proud tradition that is now globally accepted.
The 2022 Kissimmee result is the highest price ever fetched by a 2018 Ford GT '67 Heritage Edition, topping the $1,210,000 fetched at Barrett-Jackson at Scottsdale in 2021 (that car had 12 miles on the clock), the $990,000 fetched by Mecum at Kissimmee 2021 (that car had 780 miles up) and the $1,050,000 bid at Mecum’s 2020 Las Vegas auction (that would have been $1,155,000 if accepted - the car was signed by Gurney and Foyt and had 250 miles up).
1965 Shelby Factory Stage III 289 Cobra Dragonsnake
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $1,375,000
Lot: F155 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This car is a one-of-5 factory-built Cobra Dragonsnake, it was featured by Ford during the 50th Anniversary Cobra celebration at the 2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It is, according to the auction description, “unquestionably the finest and most correct factory-built Dragonsnake in existence”, having taken a Division 1 Premiere Award at SAAC-34 in August 2009 and attaining the highest points score in SAAC judging history to that point.
1967 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $1,430,000
Lot: F171.1 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
This car two decades in the fabled Otis Chandler Collection that was sold in 2006 by Gooding & Company, selling for $36 million - apart from the Harrah’s sale in the late 1980s, Otis Chandler’s Collection was the largest single-collection auction in history. It was once said of Chandler, “he doesn’t just collect great cars, he collects THE great cars” and hence knowing this car (CSX3281) was part of his collection and has just been subjected to a comprehensive that returned it to original factory specifications, including the correct green paint, a black interior and Sunburst knock-off wheels. In addition to being completed to concours condition, with only test miles since its completion, this 1967 Shelby Cobra was sold fully documented with photos and receipts.
1936 White Model 706 Glacier National Park Tour Bus
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $1,430,000
Lot: S132 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
There’s an adage that you will always pay too much at auction because of irrational behavior, and the bigger the auction, the greater the irrational behavior. There were approximately 500 Red Jammers built and this is one of the finest that has ever been to auction because it has just been reconditioned and restored.
Indeed, RM-Sotheby’s sold one of them for a record price just last year when a 1936 White Model 706 'Yellowstone National Park' Tour Bus fetched a whopping $550,000 at the company’s annual Auburn Indiana auction, breaking the record it had set of $450,500 the previous year at the sale of the Elkhart Collection.
Though some of these buses are actually still in service, 90 years after they first carried passengers, the buses are not exactly rare and have previous sales of $192,500, $165,000 and $90,200. Mecum passed in a gorgeous 1937 model with Yellowstone Park livery at Monterey in 2016, with a high bid of $150,000.
1994 Porsche 911 Turbo (from the 1995 movie "Bad Boys")
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $1,430,000
Lot: S164 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Cars that have starred in movies generally sell for much higher prices than they normally would, with cars from car movies selling with an even greater multiplication factor. This 964 falls in the latter category, and comes with clips like the one above as part of that legacy. There are also lots of concours appearances and wins, and a rear number plate that reads BAD BYS1.
1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible
No sale. High Bid: $2,100,000
Lot: F136 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Less than 12 months ago, a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda received a record bid of $4.8 million at Mecum’s Indy auction but failed to sell, falling to meet the seller’s reserve. At this Kissimmee auction in 2016, a very similar car fetched $2,675,000. This time, the bidding didn’t make it to the reserve price either.
2016 Pagani Huayra
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $2,117,500
Lot: S115 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
One of just 100 Pagani Huayras produced, this is both a car and a marketplace which creates its own laws of physics. You need a lot of money to own a Huayra because the customization is so expensive and extensive that the value of the car will always exceed what you can sell it for. The result is that a lot of Paganis go to auction with high expectations from the owner and reserve prices are not often met. Mecum sold the most expensive Pagani Huayra Roadster for $2,860,000 during the middle of the pandemic at Dallas in 2020, with that car having just 150 miles on the odometer.
1951 Hirohata Mercury Custom
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $2,145,000
Lot: S152 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The 1951 Hirohata Mercury Custom sold for $2,145,000 at Mecum’s Kissimmee 2022 event and is now the world’s most expensive custom car sold at auction. Built seven decades ago, this car is the best known example of an American art form that emerged post-WW2 and flourished during the latter half of the century of the automobile. It is the first custom car that hasn’t appeared in a movie or TV show to have broken through the $2.0 million barrier. The above documentary from Hagerty outlines the importance of this car.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 'Gulf One'
No sale. High Bid: $2,400,000
Lot: F157 | Date: 14 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The most successful factory-backed production racing Corvette of the C2 era. Enough wins, history, provenance, backstory, images and documentation for a book.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $2,640,000
Lot: S162 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
Not counting Gullwing Alloys, the first (steel-bodied) Mercedes-Benz Gullwing to crack the $2.0 million barrier was actor Clark Gable’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing when it fetched $2,035,000 at Barrett-Jackson in January 2013. The record was pushed out to $2,090,000 at the same Scottsdale auction a year later, then to $2,530,000 at Monterey in 2014 by RM Auctions (now RM-Sotheby’s). 300 SL Roadsters fare much better than Gullwings at auction in general, but this time around the Gullwing trumped the 300 SL Roadster on the same bill, and also became the model record holder, with the highest ever sale price of $2,640,000.
There are another three steel Gullwings and one alloy Gullwing for sale at auction over the next week, plus another next month at Amelia Island so this may well be a short-lived record. The Alloy Gullwing will most likely crack the $10 million barrier, because they are so rare (27-only) and remarkable that the big boys will be queued up for a crack at it. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to the likes of a 300 SLR such as Sterling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio once drove. The three 1955 Steel-bodied Gullwings are red (No Reserve - Barrett-Jackson at Scottsdale), green (Bring a Trailer January 29) and Dunkelgrau (really dark grey | RM-Sotheby’s Scottsdale), while another red Gullwing will be at RM-Sotheby’s at Amelia Island.
1992 Ferrari F40
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $2,750,000
Lot: S150 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
In our 2021 year-end round-up of the auction world, we wrote “The Ferrari F40 is the final supercar built under the supervision of Enzo Ferrari, with 1315 units produced between 1987 and 1992. Remarkably, given its killer looks and the massive global Ferrari following, the F40 began 2021 never having sold into the $2.0 million bracket other than its LM ("Le Mans" versions with racing modifications) variants. By the end of 2021, four F40s had exceeded $2.0 million and from the new record holder’s price, it seems the $3.0 million mark is within sight. That's a lot of supply to be commanding a price of that magnitude, which is probably a reflection on the fervent nature of the Tifosi creating such high demand.”
This was the first F40 to cross the auction block in 2022, the fifth F40 to sell above $2.0 million since 22 May 2021 (the first time an F40 broke the $2.0 million barrier), and the second highest price for an F40 in history.
2020 McLaren Speedtail
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $3,300,000
Lot: S146 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
McLaren’s Speedtail is so new that there isn’t much data available so far. Just three have been to auction for a car that began life in 2020 with a base price around $2.3 million and a lot of details to be attended to for registration in the United States. The car sold in Kissimmee was from the Michael Fuchs Collection and fetched $3.3 million. Given the hammer price was $3.00 million, and Fuchs would only have received $2.7 million of the $3.0 million because of the 10 percent seller’s fee, and the car was heavily optioned so it cost him a lot more than $2.3 … he most likely paid heavily for each of the 194 miles it traveled while he owned it.
1965 Shelby GT350R Prototype
Final price including Buyer's Premium: $3,750,000
Lot: S160 | Date: 15 January 2022
Mecum Auction Page and images
The above video is of Dana Mecum (founder and President of Mecum) when it was first announced that this car would be auctioned in 2020. The car went to auction as part of The John Atzbach Collection and sold for $3,850,000 at Indianapolis in 2020, returning to auction in Kissimmee to sell for $100,000 less, clocking in at $3,750,000. As the press release stated, it is still the most valuable Mustang in the world, but what it didn't say was that the hero car from the Steve McQueen movie "Bullitt" sold for $3,740,000 at Kissimmee in 2020, so it's not like there's a whole lot of margin to the claim.
