MECUM ANNOUNCES 1960 MASERATI BIRDCAGE CONSIGNED FOR THIRD ANNUAL MONTEREY AUCTION

Mecum Auctions has begun announcing high-profile consignments for its third annual Mecum Monterey Auction, and among them is a unique 1960 Maserati Tipo 61/60 “Birdcage” race car originally built for racing legend Briggs Cunningham.

             Chassis 2459 features a 2.0 liter DOHC inline four cylinder alloy block, twin Weber 45DC03 carburetors, five-speed manual gearbox, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes.  This sports racer, which has been completely restored and prepared by Steve Hart Racing in Norfolk, England with photos of the restoration and FIA papers included, competed at Sebring in 1960 and represents a creative period of Maserati’s leading edge design.  

            Serving as the only daytime auction on the peninsula, Mecum’s Monterey Auction will feature 750 vehicles representing all makes and models crossing the auction block.  The auction – which is open to buyers, sellers and spectators with free admission and convenient general parking – takes place Aug. 18-20, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course.

Attendees can be part of the action while the auction broadcasts live on Mecum’s national TV show “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More” on Discovery Communications’ HD Theater.  For complete auction details or to consign your car today, visit http://www.mecum.com/ or call 815.568.8888.

Source: Mecum Press Release

Two Ferraris and Corvette L88 Top Million Dollar Mark at Mecum’s Monterey Auction

Mecum Auctions returned to Monterey for a successful second annual auction at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course, where the top sale was a rare ex-DeLorenzo 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster – one of only 20 produced and the earliest RPO-ordered L88 known to exist – that sold on the block for $1,250,000. 

With a high-quality inventory of remarkable collector cars, Mecum’s Monterey Auction had total gross sales (excluding buyer’s premium) of $15.4 million.  Combined with post-block sales that continue to occur in The Bid Goes On – Mecum’s program to market vehicles that don’t sell on the auction block – the company estimates final sales for the auction will be close to $20 million.

“While last year’s event was monumental because of our record-breaking $7.25 million sale of the 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe, this year’s event was hugely successful in its own right.  In fact, if you take the Shelby out of the equation, we more than doubled our sales over last year,” said President Dana Mecum.  “As Monterey’s only free, open-to-the-public auction, we have truly carved our own market niche.  With growing brand awareness, Mecum in its sophomore year has established itself as a primary destination on the peninsula and has built a very firm cornerstone upon which to have a long-term event in Monterey.”

As the first auction company to bring live television to the peninsula with its Discovery Communications’ HD Theater show “Mecum Auto Auction: Muscle Cars & More,” the Monterey Auction drew thousands of enthusiasts eager to watch the film crew in action and to bid on the investment-grade vehicles.  Mecum offered more than 400 collector cars at the two-day auction.

In addition to cars, Mecum entered into the vintage wooden boat arena in 2010, selling five world-class vessels at the Monterey Auction – four of which made it into the top 10 sales. 

Mecum’s Monterey Top 10 Sales (all sales reflect hammer prices) were:

1. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot S125) at $1,250,000
2. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta (Lot S111.1) at $1,250,000
3. 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder (Lot S122) at $1,050,000
4. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster (Lot S120) at $650,000
5. 1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 Convertible (lot S118) at $440,000
6. 1965 Shelby GT350 Drag Unit (Lot S106) at $350,000
7. 1922 Hacker Gentlemans Race Boat (Lot S130) at $320,000
8. 1940 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout (Lot S127) at $291,500
9. 1965 Riva Aquarama (Lot S128) at $290,000
10. 1929 Hacker Craft Deluxe Runabout (Lot S129) at $225,000

Complete Monterey Auction results are available to Mecum InfoNet members, which is free to join at www.Mecum.com.  Mecum InfoNet members can log in to see car-by-car results by visiting the Results Page.  Next up is the Mecum St. Charles Auction, Sept. 16-19, 2010, at Pheasant Run Resort, which feature 1,000 collector cars up for bid.  Tickets are available at the door for $15. 

The Mecum Auction Company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 23 years, now offering an industry-leading 5,000 collector cars per year.  Consignment, bidder and event information is available online at www.Mecum.com or by calling 815.568.8888.

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF Competizione Berlinetta at Mecum Monterey with Video

MECUM TO OFFER 1959 FERRARI 250 GT AT MONTEREY AUCTION

Star Vehicle Took 1st Place in its Class at Le Mans in ‘59

 A Le Mans-winning 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF will headline the second annual Mecum Monterey Auction, August 13-14, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa. 

Driven by Jean Blaton and Leon Dernier, the Ferrari 250 GT – serial number 1321 – won 1^st place in its GT class and 3^rd overall at Le Mans in ’59 as the No. 11 car.  Earlier that same year, it took 1^st place at the 1000 km Nürburgring endurance race.  After its race career, the Ferrari was privately owned by only a few collectors – the most recent owning the car since the 1970s – and this 250 GT was last seen in public in the early 1990s at Road America. 

“We are excited to offer collectors a chance to bid on this world class Tour de France 1959 Ferrari, the type of car that offers quality, provenance and is fresh to market,” said President Dana Mecum.  “The list of amazing vehicles continues to grow for our upcoming Monterey Auction.  We have expanded it to two full days as more than 400 investment-grade collector cars, exotic vehicles and ultra rare boats are scheduled to cross the block.”  

Mecum’s Monterey Auction takes place at the luxurious Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa.  Cars will be displayed on the beautiful Del Monte Golf Course.  The auction is open to the general public.  For a complete list of vehicles, visit http://www.mecum.com/. 

The Mecum Auction Company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 23 years, now offering more than 5,000 collector cars per year.  Consignment, bidder and event information is available online at http://www.mecum.com/

 

(Source: Mecum Press Release)

$7.25 Million…..A New Record for an American Car

 

The championship-winning 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe CSX2601 has made history again, selling for a record-breaking $7.25 million at Mecum’s inaugural Monterey Auction on August 15, 2009.

That price tag sets the record for the highest price paid for an American car at public auction. 

High performance collector car specialists Mecum Auction promoted the Daytona Cobra Coupe – American racing’s Crown Jewel – for months leading up to the auction.  “Selling this amazing piece of American race history at our first Monterey auction has been the crowning achievement of my career and Mecum Auction’s 22 years of selling collector cars,” said Dana Mecum, president of Mecum Auction.  

“This hand-built car beat the fastest cars in the world and has now added another ‘win’ to its list of accomplishments.  It certainly finished in record form again.”

The 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against the dominating Ferrari in the F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship for GT race class.  An experimental coupe body designed by Peter Brock was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph.  That car won its first race, the 1964 Daytona Continental (prompting Shelby to adopt the name), and five more coupes were built, including CSX2601.

After competing at Daytona, Monza, Spa and Nurburgring, CSX2601 made history when it clinched the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship for the United States and Shelby American on July 4 in Reims, France.  Driving the car – and America – to victory was legendary race car driver Bob Bondurant. 

Bondurant drove the Daytona Cobra Coupe across the Mecum auction block as it set the new high-bid record.

 “Truly the best part about auctioning the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe has been sharing the stories of its amazing history with millions of people across the country,” Mecum said.  “This race car’s greatest moments and its legacy as America’s world champion will be cherished for generations to come.”

Mecum’s Monterey Auction took place on Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course.  In addition to the Shelby Daytona, Mecum offered an eclectic mix of more than 200 cars ranging from a 1931 Rolls-Royce to a 2007 Saleen S7.     

The Mecum Auction Company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 22 years, offering more than 5,000 collector cars per year – more than any collector car auction company in the world.  Auction information and results are available online at www.Mecum.com or by calling 815.568.8888.