Mecum Auctions ended its collector-car calendar year on a high note with its inaugural Austin, Texas, auction achieving a near-70 percent sell-through rate for 660 vehicles for a total of $14,668,347.
Yet again, a late-model Ford GT sports coupe ruled as the top-selling car, reaching $310,000 on the block (results do not include auction fees) for a factory-fresh 2006 car with 267 miles and the protective plastic shipping covers still on the seats and interior panels.
A 2005 Ford GT also took third place, gaveled at $269,000, just behind a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda coupe that went for $275,000. A 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition, the most desirable model painted in blue-and-orange Le Mans racing colors, reached $400,000 but did not make the reserve price.
Late-model Ford GTs have been top sellers at a number of Mecum auctions this year, most recently as the highest sale at the Kansas City auction earlier this month, three of the four leading cars at the Anaheim event last month, and in October at the Chicago auction, Ford GTs occupied the top three spots.
In the Austin sale, a featured car that failed to make reserve was the 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor used in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, which was bid to $380,000. The rare 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 performance coupe also was a no sale even at a lofty bid of $850,000.
The Austin auction is one of three new events for Mecum, which also added auctions in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Seattle during 2014 for an unprecedented total of 21 auctions. Mecum plans the same number of sales in 2015.
Mecum’s sales during 2014 reached a record $330 million.
Mecum had set its target for Austin at 600 vehicles crossing the block, but the final count came in 10 percent higher.
“The volume of consigned cars greatly exceeded our expectations for the inaugural Mecum Austin Auction, which resulted in a fantastic finish to a record year for Mecum Auctions,” Dana Mecum, president and founder of the Wisconsin-based auction company, said in a news release. “With more than 2,100 registered bidders and 10,000 energetic spectators, these stats are a testament to the strength of the collector car market in Austin and the state of Texas as a whole.”
Mecum Auctions at Austin, Top 10 sales:
1. 2006 Ford GT at $310,000
2. 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda at $275,000
3. 2005 Ford GT at $269,000
4. 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro at $170,000
5. 1967 Mercury Comet 202 Sedan (a 2,004-mile original) at $169,000
6. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe at $165,000
7. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 at $145,000
8. 1955 Chevrolet 3100 Resto Mod at $142,500
9. 1968 Ford Shelby GT500KR Fastback at $127,500
10. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster at $125,000
(Prices reflect hammer sales before auction fees.)
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