2012 Mecum Kissimmee Car Auction
One of the top automobile auctions heads back to Kissimmee in January as over 1750 vehicles hit the auction block. The event is scheduled to run from 24 to 29 January 2012 at Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, just a short drive from Florida Leisure’s vacation rental homes.
Some of the highlights of the event will be:
A Special Offering of 6 Corvettes
A special offering of 6 Fifties-era Corvettes tracks the car’s evolution from stylish “image-maker” and boulevard cruiser to SCCA National Champion, Le Mans class-winner and American cultural symbol in the span of 8 short years. Four of these jewels have been awarded with prestigious NCRS and/or Bloomington Gold honors; all are premier examples of their kind, with unique and interesting features that set them apart and demonstrate the styling and technical advances that defined the first-generation Corvette.
One Man’s Lifelong Collection
One Man’s Lifelong Collection comprises six high-caliber collector cars that reflect the widely varying tastes of a lifelong private collector, whose hobby stretches back to the 1929 Ford (Lot F264) the gentleman built while still in highschool in the 1950s. He is known by his friends and family as an adventurous, flamboyant personality with a taste for quality and the unique, and this collection is just such a mixture, from the 1950 Packard he discovered with just 1,500 miles on the odometer, to a 1959 Plymouth driven a mere 396 miles; a classic ’32 Highboy, a showroom stock 1937 Pontiac and a rare AAR Cuda 340 Six Pack 4-speed. All are fresh and ready to enjoy, the legacy of one man, reflecting the individualist in each of us.
From the Heller Collection
Dan Heller was born into the thick of the Chevy vs. Ford rivalry, coming of age when the competition reached its peak in the muscle car era of the late Sixties. His father Gene, a successful Ford dealer, raised Dan on the virtues of good business and customer service, and in doing so passed on his reverence for the cars of the Blue Oval. Not only has Dan followed in his father’s footsteps in the family business; he has fed his passion by collecting and restoring the machines that first caught his youthful imagination. Each one was, at various points in Dan’s life, THE car to have. From a 1963 Falcon Sprint convertible like the one he drove in high school to the 1969 Shelby GT350 convertible he describes as the car of his dreams, each one has been restored to be the best. “We didn’t start on any car unless we knew we could do it right”, says Dan, “and every one is the best it can be. Now it’s time for new owners to be able to appreciate and enjoy them as I have.”
The 2011 event saw five days of high-energy crowds and eager bidding. Mecum Auctions announced that total gross sales (excluding buyer’s premium) for its 2011 Kissimmee Auction reached an impressive $39.9 million.
Nearly 1,500 cars went up for bid during the auction and the auction had a 73% sell-through rate. Mecum’s top seller ($975,000) was a rare wooden boat known as “The Last Riva” – a 1996 Riva Aquarama Special Hull #774 that was the last Riva hand-built wooden boat sold to the public.
“Our Kissimmee Auction continues to evolve each year into a larger and larger event with increased sales, greater attendance and enthusiasm, and more collectible vehicles crossing the auction block,” said President Dana Mecum. “We offered a wide variety of classic cars, motorcycles, wooden boats as well as automotive memorabilia. The collector world has definitely expanded into new markets, and the Mecum Auctions team is excited and prepared to lead the charge with our popular events that deliver something for everyone’s taste and budget.”
The Top 10 Kissimmee Auction Sales (all sales reflect hammer prices) were:
1. 1996 Riva Aquarama Special Hull #774 (Lot S182) at $975,000
2. 1963 Shelby Cobra DragonSnake (Lot S121.1) at $875,000
3. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster (Lot F211.1) at $550,000
4. 1970 Riva Aquarama Series III Hull #416 (Lot S183) at $325,000
5. 1957 Ford Thunderbird DF Phase 1 (Lot F209) at $250,000
6. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible Ram Air III (Lot S233) at $225,000
7. 1940 Packard Darrin Convertible (Lot S97) at $205,000
8. 2007 Chevrolet Budweiser #8 NASCAR (Lot S201) at $200,000
9. 1932 Ford Hi Boy Roadster (Lot S228) at $180,000
10. 1964 Mercury A/FX Comet (Lot F163) at $175,000
