2017 Mecum car auction starts in Kissimmee today!
The largest collector car and Road Art auction in the world for many years running is back in Kissimmee starting today until 15th January.
Over 3,000 vehicles will hit the auction block as Mecum offers everything from entry-level collector vehicles to multi-million-dollar investment pieces. The size and variety of the event is unparalleled anywhere else in the United States.
A 72-car offering from the Bobby Williams Collection hits the auction block on Sunday, January 8, all of which will be offered at no reserve.
Williams’ collection features a vast and impressive variety of mostly American-made cars, ranging from early 20th-century Fords and Buicks to ‘70s Mopar muscle cars. Williams has never limited his collection to any specific year, make or model, but instead has sought out vehicles that remain as they were when new.
Among the hot commodities,are a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster (Lot L64.1) with the 235 cubic-inch Blue Flame Six engine, one of only 3,640 produced in 1954, a 1907 Cadillac Model K (Lot L72.1) and two 1970 Plymouth Superbirds (Lots L84 and L92).
The 10-day auction will feature nearly a dozen such private collections from numerous respected auto enthusiasts including Don Garlits, Don Fezell, Jackie and Gary Runyon, as well as select vehicles from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum, to name a few. In addition to the 3,000 vehicles on offer, thousands of Road Art items, memorabilia, petroliana, and rare engines and parts will also be offered throughout the auction, with Monday, January 9, reserved exclusively for the auctioning of them.
An incredible collection of American horsepower, including some superb low-mileage cars, that hail from Colts Neck, New Jersey, are slated to cross the auction block on January 13. The auction block will see seven American-made machines ranging from a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS (Lot F160) up to the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot F156), with each one boasting rare and desirable features such as low miles or a host of factory options.
Joining the the Camaro RS/SS and Ford GT Heritage Edition is a stunning, unrestored 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird (Lot F157), an unrestored 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Chevelle (Lot F155.1) with an almost-unbelievable 1,200 original miles, and the last Buick GNX (Lot F155) ever built, a 68-mile example that amazingly still has its original window sticker and factory plastic intact from 1987 … a time capsule, indeed.
Rounding out the Colts Neck Collection is an extremely rare L89 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS (Lot F159)—it may be the only example in existence—with its original paint and interior, and a 3,778-mile 1996 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe (Lot F158) with signature Viper Blue paint with white stripes.
Drag racing enthusiasts also have lots to look forward to as some of the most significant early muscle cars and vintage drag cars ever publicly offered—hailing from the collections of Don Fezell and Jackie and Gary Runyon—will make their mark by crossing the auction block.
The Lifelong Collection of Don Fezell includes 43 high-quality collector cars, among them an amazing quartet of Chevrolet Impala Z11 lightweight drag racers—one that features the most famous Z11 ever built: the Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins-prepared “Old Reliable IV” (Lot S103). The Fezell lineup also includes a trio of 1968 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Lightweights (Lots S119, S120 and S120.1), of which only 51 were ever produced for drag racing. Fezell has amassed a collection of such magnitude that to replicate it today would be very difficult, if not impossible. Names like Jenkins, as well as Dave Strickler, Phil Bonner, Ed Miller and Bud Faubel, classes like A/FX, S/S and A/MP, plus engines like Z11, Hemi and Cobra Jet, are all legendary, and all hold a place in this collection. The majority of Fezell’s vehicles have been unobtainable to collectors for more than 20 years, making this opportunity unprecedented.
The Kissimmee 2017 auction is open to sellers, buyers and spectators. Bidder registration is $100 when completed online in advance, or $200 after auction start; registration includes admission for the bidder and a guest for all 10 auction days. General admission tickets are available online in advance for $20 per person, per day, or at the gate for $30; 10-day auction passes are available for $200, and children 12 and younger receive complimentary admission.
Admission: $30 per person, per day ($20 for online advance purchases), or $200 for 10 days; children 12 and younger receive complimentary admission
Preview: Gates open daily at 7:30 a.m.
Auction: Vehicles start at 10 a.m. daily, with Road Art beginning at 8 a.m. daily; Jan. 9 will feature Road Art only with Road Art beginning at 10 a.m.
More photos from Mecum 2017 are at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
